An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

A statue commemorating the heroic life of a Viking postman who was the Godfather of California skiing.

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

Bits and pieces from the ill-fated Donner Party's winter cabins.

The Empire Mine is "one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California."

Humboldt's human-powered sculptures race across land and sea for days on end in a wacky quest for dominance.

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

This ultra-modern California span is actually a titanic solar clock in disguise built by famed architect Santiago Calatrava.

A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

This massive redwood tree has a hole in the base big enough to drive through.

At night, a grove of towering redwood trees growing through the pavement block out all light from the so-called “Dark Park” of Madrone Avenue.

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

A trash dump made beautiful by nature's power.

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

California's own medieval Italian castle, authentic down to the 300-year-old iron maiden in the dungeon.

The southernmost outpost of the Russian Empire in colonial America.

This whimsical seashell-shaped place of worship was designed to blend into its surroundings.

A local dialect born in the late 19th century is only spoken in this isolated California valley.

A creepy steel gremlin has protected the Bay Bridge since 1989.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

An art collective teaching the more fiery, metal-y art forms.