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

Abandoned hotel with adjacent lake and golf course.

This sculpture garden in Death Valley makes you feel like you've slipped into some alternate reality.

This old mining town, deep in the California desert, has a year-round population of one.

The location of the last stand of Charles Manson's doomsday cult.

Peek inside this sandy mailbox and you'll spot kids' letters to Santa.

This magnificent, quirky home sits atop a literal gold mine in the middle of the Nevada desert.

This abandoned lighthouse looks like a rusting oil rig, but has managed to survive a number of storms.

This historic tower in the California desert promises visitors a "vortex of good vibes".

The decaying adobe remains of an old homestead are just off the beaten path in Joshua Tree National Park.

Crumbling pink walls and murder memorials preserve the pioneer history of Joshua Tree.

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

While exploring the desert, you can stop by the home of a fictional heretic from a parallel universe.

This restaurant offers the original California cuisine.

A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.

A private home built to resemble the shape of a microscopic creature.

A pier that used to act as a busy ferry dock is now a decaying favorite of local fisherman and urban artists.

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

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

Reverend Franzo Wayne King administers spiritual enlightenment through the music of the jazz legend.

An essential stop before plundering, BYO Cutlass.

A 300-ship graveyard, with a few still visible at low tide.

A walk-in working camera obscura produces 360-degree live images of the San Francisco coast.

A tiny theater hidden in an alley plays a constant stream of short silent films for anyone willing to peer through the peephole.