Among the ostentatious rococo ornamentation of this church, an image of death cuts the life-thread.

Twelve plaster figures inspired by da Vinci's famed painting haunt the desert landscape above a real-life ghost town.

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

The awe-inspiring ship from the golden era of cruising has an incomparable history and a reputation as one of the world’s most haunted places.

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

Gorgeous purple flowers drape from the world's largest blossoming plant.

Arcadia is home to a haven for nature geeks and 80s TV lovers alike.

One of the world’s largest collections of petroglyphs records 2,000 years of human activity.

Three columns of volcanic rock shoot out of the ocean.

“It's the quality” (but probably also the drive-through donut tunnel) that has attracted diners since 1968.

The "3rd largest" city in California is an empty mirage of suburbia in the middle of nowhere.

This Yellowstone geyser may not shoot as high as the nearby Old Faithful, but it erupts for considerably longer.

Ancient human, animal, and geometric figures drawn in the earth.

California's own majestic geyser is powered by a subterranean volcano.

This elaborate towering structure was once famed for its revolutionary height.

This old mining town, deep in the California desert, has a year-round population of one.

The abandoned train depot now doubles as a well-placed rest stop for those who take the road less traveled.

A working steam clock, one of only a few in the world, located in Vancouver's Victorian Gastown.

Walk through the actual strap iron cells and solitary chambers of Arizona Territory’s first prison.

A carousel trades in its classic horses and calliope for endangered species, native flora and fauna, and a modern soundtrack.

A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

A fake town founded by Western movie stars is now becoming a hip desert community.