These structures were inspired by both Native American shelters as well as, strangely, an ice cream shop.

The Route 66 institution that inspired Taco Bell also served as an important headquarters for Mexican-American social movements.

This unlicensed collection of fast-food memorabilia sits on the site of the first ever McDonald's restaurant.

The last Americana on Route 66.

Abandoned Air Force base that has fallen into disrepair.

One of the ghostly stops along Route 66.

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

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

In one of the hottest parts of the Mojave Desert, shallow bedrock forces the typically dry Mojave River to the surface in this canyon, providing a vital oasis for humans and wildlife.

Where NASA's satellites and rovers phone home.

The cluster of boulders near Fort Irwin is covered in military insignia.

The "Fun Spot of the Desert" is now a haunting ruin, and a reminder that putting a water park in a desert is a bad idea.

A desert ghost town—occupied for only 12 years—was once home to more than 500 silver mines.

Decommissioned experimental solar facilities that pioneered solar energy technology.

Like a kitschy mirage in the Mojave, this eatery serves up classic 50s-style diner meals and a dinosaur sculpture garden.

A collection of anti-communist sculptures stands watch in the Mojave Desert.

Nationwide network of co-ownership underground catastrophe shelters.

Colorful sedimentary rock layers provide opportunities both for hiking and photography.

A small space-exploration exhibit hidden in a hotel.

Built in the early 70s, the ruins of dinosaurs are all that remains of a man’s dream to build a free dinosaur themed mini golf course

Hundreds of trees made from glass bottles make up this forest on Route 66.

Finale of "William Tell Overture" can be heard as drivers pass over grooves in the road.

See four top-secret US spy aircraft of the Cold War era, including the legendary SR-71 Blackbird and the A-12 Oxcart.

A water tower shaped like a giant coffee pot looms over a small Swedish village in Central California.