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

The remains of a ruined mansion memorialize the 1906 earthquake.

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

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

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

A "gravitational anomaly" located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

A hand-built folk art installation covered with messages of God's love.

A trash dump made beautiful by nature's power.

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

Medical and zoological curiosities for sale.

Non-profit time travel mart sells goods you would need for a trip through the fourth dimension.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

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