Places thenaturalmedic Wants to Go

Located on 420 acres in the high desert, this spiritual center is dedicated to the "science of the future."

The quirky salon doubles as a retro museum run by the world's leading "hairstorian."

An eclectic trailer park retreat in the middle of the California desert.

Meet 'Big Josh,' the 20-foot-tall muffler man.

An old California photo stand has been turned into a shrine to the cozy art of crochet.

While exploring the desert, you can stop by the home of a fictional heretic from a parallel universe.

Explore 10 acres of environmental sculptures.

This conservation area is also home to many of the region's desert tortoises.

The only thing stranger than stumbling onto these philosophical musings is the story of the homesteader who created them.

The decaying adobe remains of an old homestead are just off the beaten path in Joshua Tree National Park.

An eerie natural formation that looks right back at you.

Crumbling pink walls and murder memorials preserve the pioneer history of Joshua Tree.

This outdoor observatory offers stellar views and a scale model of our solar system.

Artist Jack Pierson made this surreal sculpture in honor of Wonder Valley, a countercultural community on edge of civilization.

A collection of old shoes in the middle of nowhere.

This extraordinary project brings water from the Colorado River to Southern California.

An abandoned 1920s-era stretch of cabins now overshadowed by the 66 Motel.

More than a century old, this trading post resides in the Navajo Nation.

The graffiti-covered ruins of an abandoned trading post in the middle of the Navajo Nation.

One of the most extensive and well-preserved collections of dinosaur footprints in North America.

The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.

This 4,000-foot-diameter hole is touted as "the most well known, best preserved meteorite crater on Earth."

The final resting place of a legendary science fiction author and his fraternal twin sister who died as an infant.

According to local legend, a tree grew from the stake that killed this alleged vampire. In reality, he probably died from influenza.