btwjune's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Pioneertown, California

Pioneertown

A fake town founded by Western movie stars is now becoming a hip desert community.
Joshua Tree, California

World Famous Crochet Museum

An old California photo stand has been turned into a shrine to the cozy art of crochet.
Joshua Tree, California

Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum

The quirky salon doubles as a retro museum run by the world's leading "hairstorian."
Joshua Tree, California

Institute of Mentalphysics

Located on 420 acres in the high desert, this spiritual center is dedicated to the "science of the future."
Twentynine Palms, California

Wonderland Ranch and Wall Street Mill

Crumbling pink walls and murder memorials preserve the pioneer history of Joshua Tree.
Bishop, California

Erick Schat's Bakkerÿ

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

Smiler's Point

This simple highway curve has become a comedic pilgrimage site.
Los Angeles, California

Pink's Hot Dogs

World-famous, Pink's still manages to keep its prized cult fetish status.
Los Angeles, California

The Magic Castle

The private clubhouse for the members of the Academy of Magical Arts.
Morro Bay, California

Morro Rock

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.
San Simeon, California

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.
San Simeon, California

Hearst Castle

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.
Calipatria, California

Slab City

This abandoned Navy base was transformed into an off-grid alternative living community for thousands of people.
Niland, California

East Jesus

An off-grid art installation that encourages its visitors to imagine a world without waste.
Calipatria, California

Salvation Mountain

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

Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field

Burping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea.
Calipatria, California

Obsidian Butte on the Salton Sea

Huge otherworldly domed rocks on the shore of a deadly lake.
Calipatria, California

Carcass Beach

At this deceptively beautiful beach, nothing is what it seems.
Bombay Beach, California

Bombay Beach

Version of the French Riviera destroyed by the sea.
Mecca, California

Salton Sea

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.
Goleta, California

Barnsdall-Rio Grande Gas Station

This little gem of Spanish Colonial architecture has been abandoned since the 1950s.
Solvang, California

OstrichLand USA

Get up close to emus and ostriches, or buy their tasty meat.
Santa Fe, New Mexico

La Conquistadora, Our Lady of Conquering Love

A small side chapel in Santa Fe's basilica is home to the oldest statute of the Virgin Mary in North America.
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Camel Rock

A natural formation that resembles a camel resting in the New Mexico desert.