Mojave desert on my way to the tiny town of baker, california. Its halfway between los angeles and las vegas. Just a tiny dot on the map 800 people. It embodies the weirdness of both those cities, and its largest attraction, definitely its tallest, has become one familys rather strange inheritance. My name is larae harguess, and my father, Willis Herron, set out to build the worlds tallest thermometer. Hi. Im jamie. Hi, jamie. Im larae. Nice to meet you. Its big. It is the worlds tallest thermometer. Well, if someone figured this roadside attraction would get you to stop and gawk, it sure as heck worked on me. Hi. How are you, janice . Im jamie. Hi. Nice to meet you, jamie. Today, larae and her sister, janice neisess, run a gift shop in the shadow of the tower. They sell thermometer tshirts, thermometer hot sauce, even thermometer thermometers. Yes, this really is the worlds tallest thermometer. And it would be strange enough just to inherit a 130foot thermometer in the middle of the desert, but whats as remarkable is the mission that larae and her family took on after her father died in 2007. Youre sure . I got to get a closer look. I tell laraes husband, bill, im ready for a challenge. Ive been training to climb to the top. Im going in. Okay. Why did he say it that way . I just bombed it this morning for the spiders. Spiders. Im a girl of nature. Black widows. Theyre little spiders. Black widow spiders. Yeah. I think youd better close it up. Theyre small. Even this host has to draw the line at black widow spiders. The story of this strange inheritance begins with a young man who falls in love with the california desert. In the early 1950s, after service in the air force and college, Willis Herron heads west from his home in kentucky to join his father in barstow, california, where his dad has become a restaurateur. He and his father had a couple restaurants in barstow, and he was successful. My dad was very personable. Successful enough that a local businessman offers to partner with young willis on an allnight diner in baker, 60 miles up the road. You may think a place known as the gateway to death valley is an unlikely spot for an eatery, but willis sees it differently. He knew that people would need to stop between los angeles and las vegas. At a time when few cars have airconditioning, baker is a perfectly located oasis, a spot for gamblers to cool off from the desert heat. Pretty soon, willis burger joint, called bun boy, is a landmark. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, winners drive in to celebrate, and losers drown their sorrows in. Strawberries . Fresh strawberry pie that was what it was known for. It was definitely kind of an americana diner the big breakfasts but also, you know, the burgers, the specialty sandwiches and things like that. In 1971, willis falls in love with barbara sturm, who comes with a house full of daughters larae, janice and terri just the kind of work force you need for a family restaurant. We all started as bussers, and we did dishwashing, and we did waitressing. This is the menu, right, of bun boy . The original. The burger was 3. 95, and it came with coleslaw, french fries, or potato salad. Thats a steal of a deal and a smiling waitress. [ laughs ] willis will eventually buy out his partner and become the biggest fish in the towns very small pond. We had three restaurants, two motels, two gas stations, a grocery store, pretty much within a block. Baker booms. In the late 70s, willis buys a nice house in silver lake, a Desert Community 75 miles away. But soon business in baker sputters. Cars are all airconditioned. Gamblers can drive straight through and arrive in vegas cool and comfortable. Willis needs a gimmick, something to grab their eye and their wallet. He gets his inspiration in an unlikely Spot International falls, minnesota. They had the worlds tallest thermometer, and it was 22 feet high. And so i think he saw that and the wheels started spinning. 22 feet . Pshaw. His thermometer will mark the highest temperature, 134 degrees, ever recorded in death valley. It will soar as high as baker is hot. I know that my mom recalls saying, have you lost your mind . [ laughs ] 134 feet . My dad looked at her with those blue eyes and said, oh, honey, come on. This will be fun. In 1990, willis cuts a deal with yesco, a Las Vegas Company that builds and finances those big, eyecatching signs. If you asked my mom, she would think that he was a little crazy to spend 750,000 to build a thermometer. 750,000 . Yes. Yes. A little crazy . That may be putting it mildly. Willis plunks down 150,000. Yesco does a lease deal to finance the other 600,000. By the fall of 1991, construction is wrapping up. Despite the expense, the challenges, and the questions about his sanity, willis pops for a lighting ceremony. He bills it the great turnon. The invitations had gone out. Thanksgiving day, hes out playing golf with his grandson. And he comes home, and my mom says, honey, sit down. I have something to tell you. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. Whats the most visited tourist attraction in the United States . Is it times square, walt disney world, or the Las Vegas Strip . The answer in a moment. vo the moth without hope, struggles in the spiders web. With every attempt to free itself, it only becomes more entangled. Unaware that an exhilarating escape is just within reach. Defy the laws of human nature. At the season of audi sales event. A former army medic, made of the we maflexibility to handle members like kate. Whatever monday has in store and tackle four things at once. So when her car got hit, she didnt worry. 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Thanksgiving day, we got a devastating phone call that the wind had come through here and actually blown the thermometer over. Oh, no. Was anyone hurt . Nobody was hurt or killed. Herrons dream for restoring the economy of the tiny town of baker appears crushed. Its a bitter lesson in the power of nature, one that might have defeated a lesser man, but not Willis Herron. It was insured, so he said, put it back up. To keep it from having that problem again, we filled that center pipe with cement. 226 tons of cement, to be exact. In october 1992, Willis Herron flips the switch, and the worlds tallest thermometer lights up. It flashes, and its there. You could hear my mom crying in the background, going, oh, thank god. So you were only 2 years old when it was built . Yeah. Its funny. Theres all these cute pictures of us as kids. To his grandson dan neisess, this towering monument establishes willis as a legendary figure, a smalltown tycoon. Im sure that the amount of money it took to put up the thermometer was paid back 10 times. Willis brainstorm helps make him a rich man. It brought business to baker and people visiting and stopping and seeing it as kind of this unusual landmark in the middle of the desert. Willis also still owns two restaurants his flagship bun boy and a coffee shop plus two motels, four gas stations and a country store. He and his wife, barbara, are practically lord and lady of baker. Anytime anybody ever needed anything in the family, it was kind of like the understanding that theyd go talk to my grandfather, and hed help you out. But willis knows the good times cant roll forever. In 2000, his health was declining. He was 75 years old. He knew it was time to just sell it all. My mom actually didnt want him to sell the thermometer, but he didnt want her to have to worry about anything, finances or anything. So he puts it all on the market the motels, restaurants, gas stations, and the worlds tallest thermometer. He finds a buyer who wants it all and will assume the lease on his signature attraction. Willis takes back mortgages on the thermometer property and his other businesses. Hes expecting a nice income stream well into the future. For 18 months, the new owner makes regular payments, and willis enjoys his retirement. But then things get complicated. The new owner is struggling. He wants out. So in 2006, to protect his investments, willis finds another buyer. But the new owner needs a bank loan and wont get it unless willis puts up the thermometer property as collateral. If the loan is not paid off, the bank can take it. Then, in july 2007, Willis Herron dies at the age of 82. Little did he know that the economic downturn would hit in 2009, 2010. Selling continuing after dropping 1,000 points over the last week. So that dream of his that mom wouldnt have to worry about anything changed quickly when people didnt pay the bills. As the Restaurant Business fails, the new owner cuts back on maintenance of the thermometer. Then he stops making payments on the lease. Soon the spire that willis erected to draw people off the highway advertises only bakers economic distress. It had been vandalized. I was hearing from the residents out there that it was an eyesore because it wasnt working. Some people even wanted it torn down. The Herron Family is shocked. My mom saw it a couple years ago, and she was devastated. Tell me about that day. There was a couple standing in front of it taking their picture, and she stomped right over to them and started apologizing profusely for the way that the thermometer looked. And she vowed on that day to have it completely restored and brought back to its glory. Barbara has inherited only a mortgage on the property. Thats hardly enough to make good on her vow. So wont she be better off cutting her losses . Sometimes in life, we dont appreciate things until theyre gone. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. What is americas oldest roadside attraction . A sixstorytall elephant, a 10ton ball of twine, or a 94foot replica of the Leaning Tower of pisa . The answer in a moment. Today, john got dressed for his first, first date with sarah. John told his stitch fix stylist evan that tonight was a big deal. So his stylist did the hard work for him. Browsing hundreds of styles and sizes to find the perfect fitting shirt and blazer. So that tonight john could feel totally himself. At stitch fix we dont just see your size or your style. We see you. Let us find your perfect fit at stitchfix. Com. And with the sXfinity Stream app, screen is your big screen. Which is free with your service, you can take a spin through on demand shows, or stream live tv. Download your dvrd shows and movies on the fly. Even record from right where you are. 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Well, my grandpa owned a lot of motels here in baker. It was kind of a big business back then. Dan neisess is reminiscing about his grandfather Willis Herrons smalltown Business Empire here in baker, california. Before his death in 2007, willis thought hed unloaded it all, including his beloved roadside attraction, the worlds tallest thermometer. A few years later, however, the businesses are shuttered. Willis loans to the new owners are in default, and the thermometer is a wreck. Some locals want to tear it down. Dan is just one of the family members who rally behind his grandmother barbaras crusade to reclaim and restore it. Its a weird thing that probably doesnt make any sense to anybody, but it matters to some people. It matters to a lot of people, i guess more than we ever thought. Barbara herron, whos in her 70s and has Serious Health problems, lives 90 miles away and is in no position to deal with the layers of deeds, mortgages, notes, and leases that her husband attached to the holdings he left her. Her daughters jump in to help, but larae is a School Guidance counselor, and janice is a teacher. This business stuff aint their bag. As im looking through all the pages of the transactions for your family to stay involved with the thermometer, im wondering how complicated is it now . Whats the deal . Were not gonna win businesswomen of the year awards. On this transaction, no. You might not. No. The sisters know this if their mom wants to wrest back control of their strange inheritance, shell have to fund a bailout. Yeah, she took it out of her savings to do this. In her 70s . Mmhmm. Was that the right decision, janice . Yes, it was. I think so. I got to wonder Barbara Herron wants to redeem a pile of bad debt on distressed properties, including that thermometer, in a town whose best days may be in the rearview mirror. But this was not done for business. This was done for the heart. And we wanted to bring back my dads legacy. Step one yesco, the company that built and financed the thermometer, agrees to write off its debt and relinquish any claim on the structure. Step two barbara forecloses on the thermometer property. Step three she pays off the bank that still has a lien on it. Finally, Willis Herrons pride and joy is back in his family, free and clear. Step four may be the hardest part getting the darn thing working again. For that, its back to yesco. We ended up having to put a new computer in it, new drivers, software, and new l. E. D. Lighting. So how much did it cost to fix the thermometer . About 150,000. Family members, most of whom live a couple of hours away, take rotating shifts in baker to protect the tower from vandals. Heres where weve been the last four months. What . Yeah. You said you lived on the property. I thought there was a house. Youve been living in this . This is it. Willis grandson, dan, a recent lawschool graduate, takes a break from job hunting to help set up the gift shop. I painted everything, and i fixed the drywall, and. I dont know. All kinds of stuff. Family members dont get paid. Profits from the shop barely cover the electric bill for the thermometer. Nevertheless, barbara has shelled out more than 330,000 to get the thermometer back and get it working. The last big question if she rebuilds it, will they come . Thats next. Do you recall, not long ago we would walk on the sidewalk all around the wind blows we would only hold on to let go blow a kiss into the sun we need someone to lean on blow a kiss into the sun we needed somebody to lean on all we need is someone to lean on a more secure diaper closure. There were babies involved. And they werent saying much. Thats what we do at 3m, we listen to people, even those who dont have a voice. We are people helping people. Wow giving one. How did you guys. . Dont ask. The lexus december to rembember sales event get 0 percent apr for 60 months on all 2019 models. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. Now back to strange inheritance. Its october 2014. And we do take cash. Were taking some cash. Here in baker, california, even ive been caught up in the excitement. We have these heat and chill activated worlds tallest thermometer cups. They make great stocking stuffers. Okay. As Willis Herrons family celebrates their strange and hardwon inheritance. Despite her Serious Health problems, willis widow, barbara, comes to baker in style. Heres my baby girl. Today is the rededication of the worlds tallest thermometer, decades after it first flashed across the mojave desert. Thank you. Over 40 years ago, Willis Herron, he had a dream. And my mom kept her promise, and she spent her savings to repair the thermometer and get it back into its glory, where it should be. Dedicated on this saturday, october 11th, 2014, to willis and Barbara Herron, original ow