An exercise in patience and imagination, where Mother Earth turned common stuff into precious hidden treasures.

This large maar crater in Oregon is the bigger brother to Hole in the Ground.

Water of undetermined depth has attracted rare fish and cult leaders alike.

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

Rich red almandine gemstones are waiting inside the volcanic rock strewn across this eastern Nevada hillside.

Despite the name, it's unclear if this small depression in northern Nye County was actually caused by falling space debris.

This refurbished gas station is one of the oldest in Texas, located on the original Route 66.

Irontown was founded in 1868, as a second attempt to mine iron from the nearby Iron Mountain.

Unknown to many, this sparkling turquoise lake hides amid Oregon's snowcapped mountains.

This scenic gorge is named after one of the most famous Bigfoot attacks in pseudohistory.

The eerie remnants of an ancient forest were hidden under the sand for centuries.

A grove of "candelabra redwoods" deep in California's Lost Coast.

A vaudeville performer mounted this hollowed-out redwood log onto the chassis of a truck, and toured the country spreading a message of conservation.

The flow from this waterfall sometimes comes out of springs below its rim.

Humboldt's human-powered sculptures race across land and sea for days on end in a wacky quest for dominance.

This little museum has an exhibit devoted to the elusive forest denizens.

Canyon walls shrouded in ferns.

As a show of peace, a Japanese naval pilot gifted his 400-year-old Samurai sword to the Oregon town he bombed.

A quiet rock and botanical garden is the beautiful centerpiece of Fort Lewis College.

This spectacular track has run continuously since 1882.

A hotel with a rich Wild West history of miners and bootleggers.

A breathtaking array of ancient Pueblo structures and artifacts counterintuitively preserved by neglect.

Colorado's only true geyser is hidden within the San Juan National Forest.

This otherwise unremarkable ski town building marks the site of Butch Cassidy's first robbery.