Louise Speaks: After spending 5 days in Patagonia, it was time to head home and do laundry before our next trip. But on the way home, of course there is an attraction to see. It’s not on our Quirky list, but it is one of the Roadside America attractions, so we had to stop.
The Titan Missile Museum, is an important Atomic Tour sight. Here you will 
find a fully restored missile base, a relic of the Cold War. The cold war may be over but the last symbol of that episode can be seen in a missile silo 20 miles south of Tucson along Interstate 19. The silo is a hundred feet underground and much of it is open to the public. The whole visit , missile silo tour, museum, and outdoor display, can be seen in about an hour. The stairs down into the silo are steep and not suitable for small children or handicapped. Cameras are allowed.
Although this seemed very interesting, it just wasn’t something we wanted to spend an hour seeing. So we drove through the parking lot, took pictures of things on the grounds, got back in the RV and we were on our way. But, if this is something you think you might enjoy, it is very easy to find and is easy off and on the freeway.
Louise Speaks: We were heading out to an RV outing but left a 
couple days early so we could see a few “Quirky” things along the way. As you may know we have a master list of Quirky things from Roadside America and we have them divided by state, so as we go on trips, we try to see as many as we can along the way. This museum was so cool, I don’t even see why it made the list. Well the list is actually called roadside attractions, so I guess it would fall into that category.
Getting to the museum is a bit challenging as it is about 35miles off 
the I-10 as you head towards Tucson, but it it definitely worth the detour. This museum is actually a garage on the family property so they do have assigned hours. With it being Sunday and so far off the freeway, we were surprised to see about 15 people here looking at the cars.
Now this is called a Dwarf Car Museum. I hope you can tell the size of these cars (see 
thecars compared to people)….and they are ALL drive-able. Ernie Adams, the owner, designer and manufacturer makes all the cars and then enters them in car shows. By the looks of his trophy room, he has won many MANY times. 
Car Cruisers. These handmade works of art now have a home in Maricopa, Arizona. 
The first two Dwarf Race Cars were built in Dec. 1979 and early 
1980. The Dwarf Race Car idea came about after Ernie and his friend Daren had attended a motorcycle side hack race in Phoenix. During the drive home, Ernie expressed concern that three-wheeled racers were to slow in the corners. He said they could improve considerably by adding a fourth wheel to help thru the corners. Ernie suggested that adding a car body would also help spectator appeal. 
After leaving the Dwarf Car racing phase, Ernie had learned a lot about 
bending and shaping metal. He loved to see heads turn in admiration of the Dwarf Race Cars while being towed down the highway. Ernie knew it was time to change and put his metal shaping skills to the test. Now he wanted a fully dressed Dwarf Car with fenders, chrome, finished interior and most of all street legal and the Dwarf Car Cruiser was born.
While we were in the museum admiring the cars, Ernie is out back working. He works on 
these cars every day, except for his family vacation time. We were told that it takes Ernie about 5 years to build a car and he has about $5,000 invested in every car he builds. He does not put a value on his cars and has no intention of selling any of them so there is no need to give them a price tag. As a crowd was gathering around the front car, Ernie stepped inside and started the car up. For kicks he even reved the engine for us to hear that race car sound.
Like I said earlier, this is a bit out of the way, but it is definitely 
worth the trip. There is no charge to view the cars, the grounds or the museum but donations are gladly accepted as this money will help build a new car. On the grounds there are old tractors, old cars and bicycles and
plates from many, many places. I guess cars and “stuff” run in his blood. Ernie is still living in the past. He calls the restrooms “Rustrooms” and he has the rustroom ceiling tiled with old 33 rpm records. I’m sure any
young folds visiting won’t even know what those black vinyl 
circles are…but it brought back memories to me.
In a previous entry in the blog, we mentioned the Granite Dells. We didn’t go into much detail, but this site really does hold a bit of history. The Granite Dells is a geological feature. The Dells consist of exposed bedrock and large boulders of granite that have eroded into an unusual lumpy, rippled appearance. Watson Lake and Willow Lake are small man-made reservoirs in this formation. The Granite Dells was quite the place in the early 1900’s. At one time is was the resort of all resorts, complete with bath house, swimming hole, dance hall, bowling alley, restaurant, picnic area and many more amenities. As late as the 1970’s it was still a popular place to go in the summer. The Granite Dells is now a private residence and ironically owned by one of my daughters employers and she gets to visit here often
Not far from the dells and heading back into town you will see that Prescott does have a very small zoo. The zoo is actually an animal sanctuary. Heritage Park Zoo is the entrance to a local park with picnicing and a small sports complex for baseball and soccer. Situated on ten acres and overlooking Willow Lake, the 
pavilion; a children’s playground; interactive animal experiences; and large, naturally landscaped enclosures for the animals with paths that allow visitors the opportunity to get an up-close and personal view of them. One of the most interesting exhibits, and one which is unique to the Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, is the Tarantula Grotto. This building has a distinctive cave-like feel, and houses different spiders from all over the world. This is one of the largest public displays of spiders in the country. Of course if you don’t like spiders…not so interesting.
One of the newest attractions to Prescott is the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium. The planetarium is located on the Embry Riddle Aeronautic Campus, just across the street from the Heritage Zoo. It is the only Arizona planetarium north of Phoenix, that is capable of seating 116 students and visitors, showing them the cosmos in 360-degree 4k resolution. The Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium came to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2017 with the construction of the STEM Education Center. The planetarium hosts events and programming open to the greater Prescott and Quad-City public year-round. I have worked with Linda for many years and with her love for children, donating this planetarium to Prescott does not surprise me. By inviting local schools and community members to participate in these events, the planetarium has the potential to influence students in the community who previously had little to no access to this type of curriculum. This experience exposes children to the possibilities of careers in high-paying professions that might have otherwise been unattainable.
