Steinbeck's old stomping grounds, immortalized in Cannery Row.

It's not your typical library, memorial, or book store.

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

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

A glimpse into the lives of the the Miwok and Paiute people in Yosemite National Park.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

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

Four hundred granite steps were built into this massive rock by the National Park Service.

A charming desert roadside bakery that produces 10 times more bread daily than it has residents in its town.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

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

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

A world-class observatory in the California desert.

Where there's quartz, there must be gold. Thus is the story of the mines of Julian, and the titillating times of the Gold Rush.

An outdoor sculpture park of giant pink robots and post-apocalyptic Christmas scenes.

Marta Becket's hand-painted theater in the desert.

"Only the devil could play golf here."

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

The highest dunes in California are the most likely place in the area to hear the Singing Sands.

Odd outsider art installations surround a Gold Rush-era ghost town.

A land of debatable treasure.

Great place to have a drink and a bite to eat in an atmosphere laden with New York's Bohemian past.

Elevated freight railway turned wildly successful urban park.