Burping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea.

Version of the French Riviera destroyed by the sea.

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.

A giant desert bird that once swung music fans at Coachella now has a home in a nearby traffic circle.

A museum dedicated to a sea that should have never been.

This simple highway curve has become a comedic pilgrimage site.

A remote desert lookout offers unparalleled views of the California badlands for those who brave the trek.

Along a California highway is a kind of Jurassic Park made of metal.

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

The drama of nature in full effect in this Nevada State Park.

The world’s largest concentrated solar plant generates as many problems as megawatts.

A Norwegian-born sculptor created these soaring guardian angels at the entrance to Hoover Dam.

Brightly colored 30-foot-tall totems light up the desert sky just outside Las Vegas.

Dyed by iron oxide over centuries, these sandstone rocks rise thousands of feet into the sky.

Flashy signs from Las Vegas’s past find their final resting place at this unusual graveyard.

Stepping away from the glitz of mobsters and casinos to learn about the other history of Vegas.

These banned cigarette vending machines now sell little pieces of pocket-sized art.

Fans of vintage Vegas, kitsch, and toy pony-based gambling now flock to a casino called The D.

A sculpture of the famous photograph stands on San Diego's "Greatest Generation Walk."

Not truly a ship nor a building, the Navy's first and last "landship" is now abandoned due to clerical issues.

North America's largest accredited model railroad museum.

Swarms of butterflies cannot compare to the awe inspired by the publicly-funded nakedness once displayed in this sunken garden.

This little blue house pokes out over the campus of UC San Diego, seven stories high.

An inconspicuous footbridge beloved by San Diego locals.