Mysterious Desert View Tower Still Inspires Roadside Visitors

I’ve traveled Interstate 8 between Phoenix and San Diego dozens of times and every time I reach the crest of the mountains just west of Ocotillo, California, I have seen the landmark Desert Tower out of the corner of my eye near the 3,000-foot summit of the boulder strewn mountains. I am always happy to make the steep climb up the highway out of the scorching sea-level Imperial Valley with my radiator hoses intact and with my sights set on my toes being in the cool Pacific Ocean before sunset,