A vertically floating hemlock controls the waves and weather at Crater Lake.

On the Oregon coast there is a natural hole that seems to be draining the sea.

Fifty years after a “blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds,” this idyllic natural area commemorates the carnage.

There's something big lurking beneath the surface of this tiny Oregon park.

The original span of a high bridge across the deep Crooked River Gorge has been preserved for pedestrian use.

After serving in World War II and picking up Apollo astronauts, this aircraft carrier has been turned into a museum overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

One of the last remaining Carpenter Gothic churches is situated on a wildflower conservatory overlooking the bay.

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

This old-world mansion with lush gardens is a gem in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Las Vegas's very own 40-foot-tall fire-spewing praying mantis.

This steep cable railway has been hoisting passengers in the heart of Québec City for over a century.

This statue was given to France by the United States to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution.

Six ravens are kept captive (but well-fed) at the Tower of London to prevent the fall of the Crown.

This lovely, if imposing, piece of Canadian gothic is possibly the most photographed hotel in the world.

An overlooked and unassuming engineering marvel.

This ultra-modern California span is actually a titanic solar clock in disguise built by famed architect Santiago Calatrava.

This concrete ship has had four careers - World War I tanker, floating amusement park, fishing pier, and artificial reef.

Housed in a memorial lighthouse, this museum relays the history of surfing, beginning with the antics of royal Hawaiian teenagers.

The home of one of California's most important horticulturalists wilts amidst a lovely park.

The most popular attraction in Southern California was once a flock of ornery bipedal birds that pulled carts.

Once the largest windmill outside of Holland, with enormous 114 foot sails.

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.

Visible below the waves are memorials to the city's Gold Rush dead.