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

A vertically floating hemlock controls the waves and weather at Crater Lake.

The deepest lake in the United States, and once the site of epic destruction that lives on in legends.

World-famous, Pink's still manages to keep its prized cult fetish status.

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

Hollywood's most famous landmark, the "temporary" sign that has stood for decades longer than intended.

Trails through lava-carved tube-caves display sparkling bacteria and a rich history.

Canyon walls shrouded in ferns.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

A glimpse into the lives of the the Miwok and Paiute people in Yosemite National Park.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

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

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

A modest reminder of treacherous waters at the Golden Gate.

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

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

Big gun installations, built over a massive cemetery, now abandoned & hidden in trees.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

Once the largest windmill outside of Holland, with enormous 114 foot sails.