The graffiti-covered remnants of a former triangulation station are balanced precariously on this California peak.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

A New England-style lighthouse along California's beautiful Highway 1 gets a re-do.

A sculpture of the famous photograph stands on San Diego's "Greatest Generation Walk."

An ode to the friendship between four Pacific Rim countries.

This abandoned Navy base was transformed into an off-grid alternative living community for thousands of people.

Version of the French Riviera destroyed by the sea.

A hand-built folk art installation covered with messages of God's love.

The sea once considered an ecological wasteland is now called "crown jewel of avian biodiversity" by scientists.

Finally the worlds of UFO enthusiasts and beef jerky lovers have come together in this roadside shop.

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

Like a kitschy mirage in the Mojave, this eatery serves up classic 50s-style diner meals and a dinosaur sculpture garden.

A desert ghost town—occupied for only 12 years—was once home to more than 500 silver mines.

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

One of the most unusual geological features, recognizable from a dozen hit movies.

This sun-scorched lakebed contains samples of half the natural elements known to humankind.

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

One of the last free public hot springs is decorated with hippie art.

Thousands of turbines whir at the origin of North American wind power.

A B-17 bomber stands as a memorial to the residents of Tulare County who served in World War II.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

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.

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