A classically inspired temple in Redwood City.

A stranded woman lived alone on this remote island for 18 years, inspiring the great children's novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins."

Perhaps the most unique of any Frank Gehry design for one simple reason: Gehry himself actually lives here.

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.

A tiny survivor of the Donner Party disaster.

A miniature view of the park, caught in time.

A classic American barn that was the home of a classic American television star.

This stately structure has been abandoned for half a century.

The set location for a 1987 cult classic draws international film buffs to the middle of the Mojave Desert.

Inky sludge oozes to the surface of this beach thanks to a rare natural tar seep.

The rustic cabin-like decor of this Arts and Crafts-style church reflects the love of nature central to its little-known theology.

Here, visitors can swing with the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

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

A life-sized mammoth sculpture marks the spot where the remains of a Columbian mammoth were discovered in 2005.

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

This temple, built by an eccentric religious leader before his death, sits guarded and in ruins.

About 80% of all U.S. avocados are descendants of Rudolph Hass's glorious tree.

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

An art supply shop holds the secrets of this quiet neighborhood's raucous Barbary Coast past.

This (occupied) house is 10 feet wide and full of spite.

A B&B on a Victorian lighthouse station in San Francisco Bay.

Alleyway plaque commemorating the death of a fictional character in The Maltese Falcon, not far from the author's home.

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

The largest Star Wars collection in the world is its own galaxy of collectibles.