A tiny survivor of the Donner Party disaster.

The only thing stranger than stumbling onto these philosophical musings is the story of the homesteader who created them.

Two mammoth statues inspired by equally tall tales lure tourists to this roadside attraction.

A masterpiece in Golden Gate Park by virtue of the artist’s debt.

A stellar example of Art & Crafts architecture, and a movie set to boot.

Recovered from the brink of extinction, at home in the Financial District.

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

Swarms of butterflies cannot compare to the awe inspired by the publicly-funded nakedness once displayed in this sunken garden.

Suburban observatory was personal lab of the father of modern astrophysics.

Decommissioned experimental solar facilities that pioneered solar energy technology.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.

This abandoned boat was left in place thanks to its rotting beauty.

This odd California folly seems like it was almost designed to accumulate urban legends.

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

A volcanic tunnel illuminated by natural skylights offers a shaded respite from the desert sun.

Sunset-colored dunes of volcanic ash make taking a poor photo impossible.

The graffiti-covered remnants of a former triangulation station are balanced precariously on this California peak.

340 bicycles, 65 feet high.

One of the few remaining carousels built by master amusement park carver Charles I.D. Looff.

This dormant volcanic crater has been converted from a roiling pit of magma to a pleasant hiking spot.

A "haunted" landmark on the coast of Southern California.

Every year, over 25,000 monarchs overwinter in Pacific Grove.

A music-filled, booze-soaked oasis in the desert.