Where there's quartz, there must be gold. Thus is the story of the mines of Julian, and the titillating times of the Gold Rush.

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

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

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

Legendary prop shop filled with one man's collection of scientific curiosities.

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

One of the few remaining carousels built by master amusement park carver Charles I.D. Looff.

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.

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

Dive bar built out of the remains of a whaling ship.

The location of the last stand of Charles Manson's doomsday cult.

This impressive tunnel was dug entirely by hand over the course of 36 years.

The remains of a 12th-century chapter house in Golden Gate Park.

The abandoned train depot now doubles as a well-placed rest stop for those who take the road less traveled.

A monument to the love people have for their pets.

This partially buried wreck is one of the most complete of its kind but is only revealed when the sea allows.

The highest dunes in California are the most likely place in the area to hear the Singing Sands.

These millipedes glow not out of attraction, but as a not-too-subtle warning.

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

San Francisco Bay's ghost town.

A volcanic tunnel illuminated by natural skylights offers a shaded respite from the desert sun.

One of the ghostly stops along Route 66.

This 19th-century church is now a popular roller rink.

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