The beginning of the historic Iditarod Trail connecting the Alaskan cities of Seward and Nome.

The now-serene site of the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America.

The king of U.S. high points towers over every other peak on the continent.

This Alaskan town appoints the general store's resident feline as honorary mayor.

After a short-lived attempt to bring America in line with the rest of the world, this road was left in metric.

America's only nuclear missile silo open to the public.

Located along Lysaya Mountain, this monastery is home to the largest statue of Buddha in Russia.

This massive glowering Lenin head gazes out over eastern Siberia.

The mummified remains of Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, Russia's most important Buddhist.

Intricate wood carvings on an island in Siberia.

The stunning remnants of this wreck emerge from an otherworldly backdrop of rainforests.

Hauntingly beautiful totem poles left by the Haida.

This revered mutant tree was felled in an act of ecoterrorism leaving a legacy of myth and possibly murder.

A beautiful opera house in the heart of Amazonia has recently restarted performances after a 90-year hiatus.

A small collection of iguana-infested ruins hides amid Cancún's bustling hotel zone.

Still standing despite its considerable slant, this tilted lighthouse has become a local symbol of resilience.

A hidden treasure of an abandoned city lies deep in the jungles of Campeche, Mexico.

The displays in this off-the-beaten-path museum highlight the holistic, indigenous methods of healing.

The masses at this church incorporate enough moonshine and animal sacrifice that they are no longer recognizably Catholic.

Catch a glimpse of local, native wildlife at this zoo dedicated to conservation and education.

Three small rooms in the jungle house the most elaborate and intact murals of the Mayan world.

The enigmatic and seldom visited ruins of a Mayan city-state.

The enigmatic skull gazes out over the ruins of a once-great Mayan city.

An elaborate Mayan city shrouded in alien conspiracy revealed the tomb of Pacal the Great.