Inyo County, California
Ballarat Ghost Town
This old mining town, deep in the California desert, has a year-round population of one.
Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Inyo County, California
This old mining town, deep in the California desert, has a year-round population of one.
Beatty, Nevada
The most magnificent bottle house in a town strangely full of them.
Beatty, Nevada
Odd outsider art installations surround a Gold Rush-era ghost town.
Yosemite National Park, California
The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.
Furnace Creek, California
This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.
Inyo County, California
An abandoned Jazz Age dream home and con man's hideout in Death Valley.
Bridgeport, California
Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.
Inyo County, California
The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."
Lee Vining, California
Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.
Mammoth Lakes, California
Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.
Big Pine, California
Once thought to be the oldest living tree in the world, Methuselah was germinated before the Egyptian pyramids were built.
Bishop, California
A charming desert roadside bakery that produces 10 times more bread daily than it has residents in its town.
Near Lake Arrowhead, California
Costumed elves and mountain bikers co-exist peacefully at this abandoned Christmas-themed adventure park.
Santa María del Tule, Mexico
The stoutest tree in the world.
Belize
Sparkling, calcite-covered skeletons of children who may have been sacrificed to appease an angry god.
Aguas Calientes, Peru
The intricate stonework of Machu Picchu serves as a testament to Incan engineers.
Ollantaytambo, Peru
Preserved Inca city and site of the last Inca stronghold against the Spanish conquistadors.
Cusco, Peru
The stones of this Incan wall complex fit together so well you couldn't fit a piece of paper between some of them.
Cusco, Peru
A painting in the historic Cathedral Basilica depicts Jesus and his disciples dining on a traditional Peruvian menu.
San Antonio de Pichincha, Ecuador
An elaborate shrine dedicated to the four corners of the world unfortunately misses its mark.
San Antonio de Pichincha, Ecuador
Home of the "true" equator.
Mora, Sweden
The city that saw the birth of Sweden is now home to an impressive collection of work from its favorite artist.
Aksaray, Turkey
In this historic region, homes and churches are carved into ancient volcanic rock formations.
Kaymaklı Belediyesi, Turkey
While not Turkey's deepest underground city, this subterranean redoubt is the largest.