bysandow's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Jolon, California

Mission San Antonio de Padua

This mission, established in 1771, is the most remote of California’s Franciscan missions.
Winters, California

Stevenson Bridge

This graffiti-covered bridge is the quintessential vision of a place for disillusioned youth to escape the complexities of burgeoning adulthood.
Winters, California

Sam Spade's Office

If you dial the number in this abandoned office window "Sam Spade’s" secretary will ask you to leave a message.
Winters, California

The Lonely Parking Meter

The only parking meter in the entire town, it is surrounded by 100 free spaces.
Tillamook, Oregon

Tillamook Creamery

This unassuming cheese empire in rural Oregon churns out more than 150,000 pounds of cheese each day.
Sonoma, California

Location of the Microsoft Windows XP Default Wallpaper

The unedited photograph called "Bliss" has graced the screens of over a billion computers.
Richmond, California

Richmond Shipyards

Where a staggering 747 ships were constructed during World War II.
Goldendale, Washington

Maryhill Museum and Stonehenge

A French chateau, failed utopian community, odd museum, and Stonehenge replica in rural Washington State.
Mouth of Wilson, Virginia

Mount Rogers

The highest point in Virginia can only be reached by passing through ponies and flowers.
Montreal, Québec

Redpath Museum

One of Canada's oldest museums, the beautiful Redpath has been serving up Natural History and Ethnography since 1882.
Cave Junction, Oregon

Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve

This natural marble cave is one of only five national monuments in Oregon.
Little River, California

Pygmy Forest Trail

A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.
Port Townsend, Washington

Fort Worden Artillery Battery

An abandoned network of military bunkers and tunnels open for anyone willing to descend into the darkness.
Cannon Beach, Oregon

Crescent Beach

This gorgeous beach hides behind two headlands in Oregon's Ecola State Park.
Big Sur, California

McWay Falls and Waterfall House Ruins

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.
Nevada City, California

Malakoff Diggins

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

Crater of Diamonds State Park

The only diamond mine in the world where you can keep what you find.
Kearney, Missouri

Watkins Woolen Mill

One of America's first planned communities is preserved in a state park.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

De Poezenboot (The Cat Boat)

A floating cat sanctuary on an Amsterdam canal.
Quemado, New Mexico

The Lightning Field

In the remote high desert of New Mexico, a strange array of poles beckon fury from above.
Pacific Grove, California

Monarch Grove Sanctuary

Every year, over 25,000 monarchs overwinter in Pacific Grove.
Moss Landing, California

Elkhorn Slough

More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.
Juneau, Alaska

Mendenhall Glacier

A rare chance to get up close and personal with a 13-mile ribbon of ice near downtown Juneau.
Sausalito, California

The Bay Model

A working model of the entire San Francisco Bay and much of the Sacramento River Delta, complete with regular tides that change every 14 minutes.