"You don't need a rocket scientist to build a steam engine, but we've got one." -Museum docent on the credentials of a restoration volunteer.

The beauty and the beast of hydraulic mining is on full display at this California Historic State Park.

Established in 1853, this crumbling cemetery sits forgotten on the corner of Church and Chapel in Gold Country.

The oldest continuously operating Catholic school west of the Mississippi.

An abandoned lot littered with concrete debris was once the home of the world's first female railroad president.

The first U.S. town to secede from the Union, only to vote themselves right back in.

Home of what was the largest hydraulic mine in the world, producing gold and the first diamonds in the U.S.

The long, arduous journey of the stones of the Abbey of New Clairvaux.

Trails through lava-carved tube-caves display sparkling bacteria and a rich history.

This abandoned motel doesn't welcome guests anymore, but decay and a creepy atmosphere still call it home.

A tourist attraction founded around a slumping cabin.

Two mammoth statues inspired by equally tall tales lure tourists to this roadside attraction.

Canyon walls shrouded in ferns.

This little museum has an exhibit devoted to the elusive forest denizens.

This massive redwood tree has a hole in the base big enough to drive through.

Celebrating the transformation of trash into objects of beauty.

The mysterious round rocks of Schooner Gulch.

This historic California cemetery holds the bodies of veterans of both the Civil War and the Donner Party.

A veteran Disney animator turned his gift for storytelling to a museum devoted to his love of a California city.

The fossilized remains of ancient California redwoods.

A tribute to the life and work of the beloved "Peanuts" cartoonist.

Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."

The haunting ruins of Jack London's dream house.

Special tunnels built so that frogs won't be killed when crossing the highway.