This historic estate on the east shore of Lake Tahoe was home to an eccentric millionaire (and his pet elephant, Mingo).

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

One woman's Viking Castle on Lake Tahoe.

The echoes of a railroad town that solemnly mark the end of the line.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

A glimpse into the lives of the the Miwok and Paiute people in Yosemite National Park.

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

High on a hill overlooking Los Angeles lives a world famous, high power conical Tesla Coil.

The blinking light atop the iconic landmark has been sending secret messages for decades.

This glamorous old building is said to have inspired the Tower of Terror.

Wild West history in Hollywood style.

An Italian restaurant became a rock-and-roll hangout and the lair of the "Hollywood vampires."

The L.A. Zoo has a secret garden of rare bootleg cycads, a palm specimen dating back 280 million years.

A little barn in the middle of the city preserving Hollywood treasures since 1985.

The famous animator's private station house and man-cave was the birthplace of imagineering.

Art Deco stylings conceal the true nature of this bridge.

A ghost town originally established and governed solely by Black Americans seeking a place of their own, free from discrimination.

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

Las Vegas's very own 40-foot-tall fire-spewing praying mantis.

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

Dyed by iron oxide over centuries, these sandstone rocks rise thousands of feet into the sky.

Odd outsider art installations surround a Gold Rush-era ghost town.