One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

A trash dump made beautiful by nature's power.

A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

A local dialect born in the late 19th century is only spoken in this isolated California valley.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

Honoring the famed folktale author, this California museum looks like it belongs in the Black Forest.

A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

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

This corn maze so big you may want to pack a lunch, and possibly a flaregun.

California's own medieval Italian castle, authentic down to the 300-year-old iron maiden in the dungeon.

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

A statue commemorate Tommie Smith and John Carlos's brave protest at the 1968 Olympics, a watershed moment for civil rights.

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

From the Difference Engine to the Cray-1, all under one roof.

The unedited photograph called "Bliss" has graced the screens of over a billion computers.

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

Where the polar bear watches over everything, and every drink is a double.

The Laureates here get something even more coveted than a Nobel Prize: free parking for life.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

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

Forgotten and then destroyed by fire, this was once one of the largest saltwater swimming pools in the world.

Furniture tries to escape an abandoned building in San Francisco.

Once the gateway to the utopian dream-village of a Civil War embalmer.