The arch that celebrated the completion of the Lincoln and Victory highways.

Curiously, this large sporting goods store features 14 wax representations of American presidents.

The colossal cartoon man stands outside a Nevada museum.

Eastern zen meets Western grit in these four little trees growing out of a rock on Lake Tahoe’s Nevada shore.

This historic estate on the east shore of Lake Tahoe was home to an eccentric millionaire (and his pet elephant, Mingo).

One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.

Its dark depths conceal millions of rare, delicate crystal formations.

A popular tourist cave with a dark past.

Where the writer penned his famous story about a jumping frog.

A cozy bookstore is tucked within an old gold mine shaft beneath the cafe and ice cream shop.

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

"Only the devil could play golf here."

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

A charming desert roadside bakery that produces 10 times more bread daily than it has residents in its town.

Once thought to be the oldest living tree in the world, Methuselah was germinated before the Egyptian pyramids were built.

The rocks in this arid basin leave trails of movement behind them.

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.