Winter 2023

When the business was in full swing, the brothers were tapped to star in “Redwood Kings,” an Animal Planet reality show that showcased their tree house business. “When the economy slowed in 2008, we realized we were in a vulnerable position,” Ron says. “So, we decided to cultivate a more commercial clientele.” That choice led the company to designing and building mini golf complexes and experiential restaurants. The fame and notoriety lent by their television appearances led to orders for tree houses and carvings from big companies such as Disney.When the mouse came calling, the Daniels created a promotional model of the Black Pearl for them, the ship helmed by Captain Sparrow in “The Pirates of the Caribbean” film series. DWL also crafted a huge fiberglass head of Eddie Murphy, used as promotion for his movie “Meet Dave.” They worked with video game companies, bringing two-dimensional characters to life for Comic-Con conventions around the world. Treasure Hunt:The Ride is the brothers’ first foray into a direct-to-consumer attraction. It turns out that Ron had the idea of creating a theme park in Paso Robles for many years. “The four-hour drive radius around Paso is the highest density population in the U.S.,” Ron says.That dream is still on the table, but he and John decided to dip their toes in the Monterey waters first. “I’ve had my eyes on Cannery Row for years because it’s a high-volume tourist destination,” he says. DWL opened two themed shooting galleries in the historic for- mer cannery building at 700 Cannery Row before learning that the downstairs space, then occupied by a decades-old wax museum attraction, was available. “It was obvious that the wax museum was past its prime, and we thought we could do better.” 150 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 3 Riders board Indiana Jones-style ore cars for an exhilarating and laugh- inducing trip through an imaginary world of pirate treasure, made real by sophisticated animatronics, lighting, sound effects, colorful commentary and an interactive video game. Photo: Treasure Hunt: The Ride!