Barely visible foundations remain where Stow Lake’s “observatory” once welcomed visitors.

A monumental cross hides in the trees in Golden Gate Park.

The remains of a ruined mansion memorialize the 1906 earthquake.

Once the site of speeding horses, now home to picnickers and public concerts.

Approximately 250,000 people left homeless by the great earthquake and fires found shelter in Golden Gate Park.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

Elephant seals and sea lions have turned the abandoned buildings on this island into their endangered love shack.

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

A New England-style lighthouse along California's beautiful Highway 1 gets a re-do.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

It's not your typical library, memorial, or book store.

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.