This highest peak in New Mexico is named after an explorer who had a habit of lending his monicker to peaks.

A small metropolis of Pueblo cave dwellings have been carved right into the hillside of this national monument.

These aggressively sustainable art homes look like something out of 1970's science fiction.

A phenomenal assembly of pueblos in New Mexico is the most complete example of ancient ruins north of the border.

Seemingly grown on some other world, these New Mexico rock formations look like a disused science fiction set.

One man has carved a number of natural New Mexico caves into psychedelic sandstone temples.

The land is full of geologic eye candy, such as otherworldly spires, mushroom-shaped hoodoos, and prehistoric fossils.

The unusual patterns in this rock formation result from two distinct modes of weathering.

This former rail stop in Utah was abandoned, repopulated by some nostalgic friends, and now is home to a single DIY aviator who lives in a hangar.

Within the former ghost town of Cisco is a carefully restored tiny town with one resident and its own art residency.

A small oasis not far from downtown Moab.

One of the world’s largest collections of petroglyphs records 2,000 years of human activity.

Few things look more out of place than the electric blue ponds in the reddish-brown desert of Utah.

Oddly shaped rock formation, misassociated with a nearby utopian community.

A tunnel with windows, so you don't miss out on the impressive views.

A sculpture for the sun and stars, created by Nancy Holt.

Bizarre lunar-like landscape with thousands of large stone "hoodoos."

This rugged area of red rocks and arches is often considered one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Nestled in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling Financial District stands a unique homage to the Mayan and Beaux Arts.

San Francisco's urban bison herd has persisted in the face of extinction, development, and disease.

One of the ghostly stops along Route 66.

This rare example of a "tidefall" is a spectacular drop from the cliffs down onto the beach.

The programmatic glory of LA's giant whiskey barrel building has become an upscale reminder of the city's kitschy roadside past.

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