Places nejuum Wants to Go

In the country around Buttonwillow, California, a marker commemorates a revealing moment in the story of a water colony from the fictional Kcymaerxthaere that sought independence.

Where NASA's satellites and rovers phone home.

For decades, the largest tungsten producer in the U.S. was located in a spectacular setting in the high Sierra Nevada, with some of the workings over 11,000 feet.

A small research station sits at the summit of this mountain, which is one of the few U.S. peaks higher than 14,000 feet outside of the Sierra Nevada.

A mountain range on an active U.S. Navy base hides thousands of mysterious prehistoric rock carvings.

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

Far out of its comfort zone, this sequoia was planted as a symbol of the connection between Visalia and its neighboring national park.

A picturesque example of brute-force engineering conquering nature.

Home to an apple tree that can produce 25 different varieties of fruit.

The oldest orange tree in California spawned a generation of citrus farmers.

A relic of the region's once booming timber industry.

A new monument to an old grave that was uncovered during the rebuilding of a California ghost town.

This ramshackle ghost town is comprised of mining-era buildings collected from around the region.

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.

Centuries of crashing waves carved out this small hole in the rock, which lights up at certain parts of the year.

When California condors were hovering on the brink of extinction, this recovery program was charged with helping the birds thrive again.

This mission, established in 1771, is the most remote of California’s Franciscan missions.

The final resting place of a woman who never gave up on love.

This black shoreline is made up of exploded lava particles.

Two massive rock outcroppings on the Oregon coastline.

This rare example of a "tidefall" is a spectacular drop from the cliffs down onto the beach.

Much of what constituted mid-century Liverpool now litters a beach outside of town.

This industrial area was the dumping ground for massive amounts of trash, some of which washes up as tiny bits of sea glass.

This ultra-modern California span is actually a titanic solar clock in disguise built by famed architect Santiago Calatrava.