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

The deepest lake in the United States, and once the site of epic destruction that lives on in legends.

Controversially claiming the title of world's biggest bass drum, UT's Big Bertha was once made radioactive by the Manhattan Project.

A tall smoke stack and boarded-up buildings are all that's left of the pioneering plant.

Resting place of the Texas A&M canine mascots, who watch the game from the grave with their own miniature scoreboard.

The saga of the massive nut begins and ends in Texas.

To honor a beloved Austin radio DJ a neighborhood bridge has been covered in a loving mosaic.

Belly up to the bar in Cowtown, don't forget to buy some boots.

This underwater old Texas hill town only resurfaces during harsh drought.

Life's work of sculptor Elisabet Ney remains preserved in her last studio.

Civil War dumping ground for the bodies of terrorized Union sympathizers.

A master plumber has turned his love of art and toilets into a folk museum that's not taking the piss.

Free public park and gardens filled with peacocks and peahens.

This sacred cavern, 400 feet deep, is home to millions of bats and an ancient burial ground.

Continuing the tradition of the dime museum in style.

This quirky outpost and gallery inside a former church is an unexpected trove of handcrafted art.

A little stop along the Texas highway where Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean stayed while shooting the 1955 film "Giant."

The cinder cone volcano with a less than complimentary name.

A pair of giant roadside arrows are all that remains of a former Route 66 trading post.

A mysterious spirit totem at the edge of Navajo lands.

The highest point in Arizona is an oddly snow-topped peak within the otherwise arid state.

This historic national park is covered in the stunning ruins of red rock pueblos.

A spiritual vortex among the red rocks in Sedona.

A sculpture of a salmon swimming through a brick building.