This controversial depiction of the "Founder of California" looks as though it was sculpted from mashed potatoes.

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.

This giant shopping mall still holds signs of its automotive past.

These once-beautiful historic graveyards are set against the barren Virginia City hills.

The smallest country in the world.

The ruins of a military outpost from the 1860s form the centerpiece of a Nevada state park.

Housed in a memorial lighthouse, this museum relays the history of surfing, beginning with the antics of royal Hawaiian teenagers.

This 252 step staircase offers stunning views of San Jose.

An ominous concrete cube cuts a dystopian silhouette atop this California mountain.

A pair of pure white felines guard the entrance to a spot of California real estate established as an artist's haven.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

A giant can of fruit cocktail is all that remains of what was once the world's largest cannery.

A life-sized mammoth sculpture marks the spot where the remains of a Columbian mammoth were discovered in 2005.

It took years to decode its mysterious messages.

The largest permanent Monopoly board makes one of the longest games even bigger.