Each summer, the migratory bats living beneath the bypass form "batnadoes" at dusk.

A mesmerizing disco ball-like sculpture along the Sacramento River Walk.

An eccentric home stands out in an otherwise average neighborhood with mosaics, mini topiaries, and kinetic sculpture.

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

This former boomtown "island" is now submerged below Folsom Lake.

This museum looks at the history of one of America's most famous prisons and most beloved albums.

This gorgeous beach hides behind two headlands in Oregon's Ecola State Park.

A shining, cold, black organ lies in San Francisco's financial district.

Noble beasts perhaps, but not the Emperor's dogs.

The taxidermied remains of the "last wild grizzly bear in California" and of the symbol of the state of California.

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.

A masterpiece in Golden Gate Park by virtue of the artist’s debt.

Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

The giant pair of sexy legs sticking out the window of this costume store have become its main draw.

A collection of memorabilia from the Beat era in the back of a San Francisco bookstore.

A historic hotel that made a cameo in Hitchcock's classic film has no intention of letting guests forget its fame.

The randomness of this wall of lava lamps helps encrypt up to 10 percent of the internet.

The only theatre in the world constructed specifically for sound movement.

The remains of a 12th-century chapter house in Golden Gate Park.

The one-time watch house for incoming ships at the Golden Gate now stands abandoned and hidden in trees.

A 140-year-old castle with underground caves hidden in San Francisco.

This 19th century hydroelectric powerhouse was the first of its kind.

During prohibition, corrupt city officials ran drinking dens under the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.