These lush groves of fan palms rise up like oases out of southern California's Colorado Desert.

The sea once considered an ecological wasteland is now called "crown jewel of avian biodiversity" by scientists.

An off-grid art installation that encourages its visitors to imagine a world without waste.

A hand-built folk art installation covered with messages of God's love.

Huge otherworldly domed rocks on the shore of a deadly lake.

Burping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea.

The stone-covered graves lie within the ruins of an Old West ghost town.

This historic Chinese church was relocated and revived as a museum that preserves and celebrates Chinese art, history, and culture.

The oldest standing structure in downtown San Diego.

An extraordinarily ornate museum in San Diego holds wondrous anthropological treasures.

Built for an exposition in 1915, these horticultural displays have stood the test of time.

North America's largest accredited model railroad museum.

Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling) themed taco shop.

Behind this beachfront shop lies a spectacular, colorful sea cave with an equally colorful past.

A historic train ride from California to Mexico.

The world's largest wooden trestle stretches across this desert canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

A UFO scrapyard in the California desert.

This historic tower in the California desert promises visitors a "vortex of good vibes".

Since World War II people have been decorating this stretch of the Yuma desert with signatures arranged out of rocks.

The remnants of an early automobile route across shifting sand dunes can still be found in the deserts of Southern California.

An assortment of armored tanks and Howitzer cannons in the middle of the Sonoran Desert.

This collection of vintage signs reflects the long and colorful history of this Arizona town.

The biggest solar telescope in the world helps reveal the secrets of our sun.

One of the largest open-pit copper mining operations in the entire country.