Out in the Arizona desert in Maricopa County we found a gem of a museum with lots of paying customers! It was the Dwarf Car Museum.

We thought we were in the middle of nowhere. but were stunned to see how many car enthusiasts there were visiting the museum at 9:00 in the morning! After we parked, more people came in. Wow!

Once we saw what was inside, we understood why there was a crowd. These dwarf cars are the cutest, most delightful things.

They are not toys but cars scaled down to about two-thirds the size of a real auto. To get a sense of perspective, we took pictures of ourselves next to them. Did I mention how cute they are?

You need to know that they are all road-certified. Their heaters, windows, steering, tires, engines, knobs all work just as the bigger cars do.

Ernie Adams’ fascination with automobiles started as a child. As an adult he built his first car in 1965…from scratch! Besides dwarf cars, Ernie has built dwarf car cruisers and dwarf race cars. Again, they all work as the real deal.

Not all the cars on exhibit were built by Ernie. He was there and available to talk to anyone.  The entrance fee of $5 is worth the ticket!

We took a detour out into the desert to avoid a traffic collision on the interstate highway. We found lots of cows. The desert is not as lonely as we thought.

Next we found, in Southern California, the Lost Desert Camp Monument. It is not easy to find. We had to go on faith that we find it via a narrow dirt road off the beaten path.

According to Roadside America: “During World War II the desert around Joshua Tree National Park was used as a massive training ground for troops bound for North Africa. These men were housed in tent cities in the desert. No permanent structures were built (to keep it as close as possible to field conditions) so very little is left of any of these wartime training camps. Camp Young, though the HQ, is no exception. Nothing remains except low rock outlines marking where tents were placed. A monument placed by E Clampus Vitus gives information, as well as the Patton Museum just down the road.”