UPDATE July 9, 2025: Will the 625,000 acres Chuckwalla National Monument in Riverside County keep its designation? This spring President Donald Trump asked the Department of the Interior to consider removing those protections. In May the Department of Justice concluded that the president “can and should” reverse the monument designations. Many thanks to La Quinta…
Originally built in 1947, the diner was your typical 1950s style eatery, catering to motorists making their way through the desert.
It was small— 3 booths and 9 counter stools— but managed to stick around for a while, despite being in one of the hottest places in the United States.
Peggy Sue and her husband Champ reopened the diner in 1987 and attempted to restore and preserve it in its original state. Before moving to the desert in 1981, Champ worked for Knott’s Berry Farm and Peggy Sue worked in the movies.
The diner was the perfect place to display their extensive collection of movie and TV memorabilia…
Originally, this path was an ancient Native American trade route that eventually led to the Pacific Ocean. In 1776, a Spanish Franciscan Friar, Francisco Garcés, traveled the same trail as he explored the desert on behalf of the Pope and the Spanish crown. By the time of the Civil War, the trail had evolved into what we now know as the Mojave Road…