An offbeat angle on the ocean viewed through an antiquated lens.

A hidden world of exotic succulents and cacti.

This Pringle-shaped ledge makes for the perfect photo op.

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.

Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."

Where there's quartz, there must be gold. Thus is the story of the mines of Julian, and the titillating times of the Gold Rush.

Sunset-colored dunes of volcanic ash make taking a poor photo impossible.

Built by the inventor of the radio, this abandoned hotel has housed early radio employees, military men, and a dangerous cult.

Nuclear waste dump site now an environmental sanctuary.

Coastal dunes, site of buried Egyptian movie set and former utopian colony.

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

Handmade treasures from around the world.

A hard-to-reach oasis in a desolate corner of Death Valley National Park.

A giant donut stands as a popular symbol of Los Angeles iconography.

The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods.

A library and museum dedicated to typography.

The haunting ruins of Jack London's dream house.

A common entry point to the Griffith Observatory trail holds its own wonders.

A volcanic tunnel illuminated by natural skylights offers a shaded respite from the desert sun.

The neighborhood shop is a sort of tiny cactus museum full of exotic specimens you can take home.

Golden Gate Park's historic collection of plants.

The now-abandoned tunnels were built for the transcontinental railroad on the route where the first wagon train entered California.

Commonly referred to as the most photographed Victorian home in the United States.