Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

This naturally heated mountainous creek has created a group of neon blue pools of potentially deadly boiling water.

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

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

Named after a bandit and the star of several Hollywood prehistoric landscapes, these sandstone formations are a historical part of the Los Angeles natural landscape.

This shop specializes in oddities and Victorian-inspired wonders.

Gold Rush-era tombstones line the park's paths.

An art supply shop holds the secrets of this quiet neighborhood's raucous Barbary Coast past.

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

Officially named the "Loneliest Road in America," this barren stretch of Nevada road offers almost nothing but sky and open fields.

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

This daunting 1st century fortress was purportedly the site of one of the most dramatic revolts of the Jewish-Roman wars.

The California capital city once stood 10 feet lower than it does today.

Mrs. Mallard and her brood are a beloved fixture in Boston Public Garden.

Where the first "expert riders, willing to risk death daily" for the Pony Express were recruited.

The longest burning light bulb in the world.

Pillars made of 700 pieces of luggage climb to the ceiling of Sacramento Airport's baggage claim.

The memorial to the victims of the Jonestown Massacre carries the names of 918 lost, including one name people wish wasn't there.

This subtle Berkeley paving stone actually marks off a lawless tube of air that extends into space.

The Laureates here get something even more coveted than a Nobel Prize: free parking for life.

Wheels of chrome by the thousands adorn this California Historical Landmark.

A private home built to resemble the shape of a microscopic creature.

A celebration of once forgotten materials.