Kyle Hanson 12/3/15 Kyle Hanson 12/3/15

#86 Solstice Canyon

Solstice Canyon is a beautiful spot in the Santa Monica Mountains. A 2 mile round trip hike takes you into the canyon to the ruins of the Roberts Ranch House which was designed by Paul R. Williams, famous African American Architect in 1952. The house blended in with its natural surroundings and can be discovered by its blueprint foundation today. A nearby waterfall is also a highlight that can be seen flowing all year long.

Kyle Hanson 11/20/15 Kyle Hanson 11/20/15

#73 Pioneertown

Pioneertown is a western town outside of Yucca Valley in the Mojave Desert. It was built in the 40's as a living/working movie set for Hollywood Westerns. Roy Rogers & Gene Autry both used the set for films and television. With a population around 350, the town still feels like a western ghost town and makes for a great visit near Joshua Tree National Park.

Kyle Hanson 11/7/15 Kyle Hanson 11/7/15

#60 Wildwood Canyon State Park

Located in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, Wildwood Canyon State Park preserves 900 acres of wild land. Dedicated in 2003, it is fairly new to the California State Park System which was formed in 1927. The park contains oak woodland, grassland, ancient Native American crossroads as well as the ruins of Pioneer Hunt Ranch. The ranch can be reached from the parking lot by an easy 2 mile out and back hike.

Kyle Hanson 10/14/15 Kyle Hanson 10/14/15

#36 Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park is a state park in California's Central Valley. The park preserves the town of Allensworth; the only town in California to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans. Allen Allensworth founded the town in 1908. He was a Kentucky-born slave who escaped to become a union soldier during the Civil War. He was also the first African American reach the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The people of Allensworth came together to create their own American Dream: a place of freedom where they could control their own destiny.

Kyle Hanson 10/3/15 Kyle Hanson 10/3/15

#25 Zzyzx

Zzyzx is the former site of Zzyzx Mineral Springs & Health Spa in the Mojave National Preserve. Curtis Howe Springer founded the spa in 1944 naming it Zzyzx so that it would become the very last word in the dictionary. He claimed his hot springs could heal all health problems. The springs were actually just faked by warming the water with a boiler and adding herbs! The government caught up with Springer in the 60's and the Resort was shut down. California State University built a Desert Studies Center here in the 70's while all that remains of the resort are ghostly ruins. A car graveyard is the highlight of the ruins.

Kyle Hanson 10/1/15 Kyle Hanson 10/1/15

#23 Franceschi Park

Franceschi Park in Santa Barbara is the essential spot to view a panorama of Santa Barbara. The drive up via Alameda Padre Serra road is a thrill in itself. Located on the former estate of Francesco Franceschi, an Italian Botanist, this 18 acre park contains the ghostly remains of a mansion and gardens. During the turn of the 20th century, Franceschi imported nearly one thousand different species of plants into Southern California transforming the way SoCal would be landscaped forever.

Kyle Hanson 9/22/15 Kyle Hanson 9/22/15

#14 Griffith Park Zoo

Griffith Park Zoo in Los Angeles was in existence between 1912 and 1966. When it opened, there were only 15 animals. The zoo grew as many movie star animals retired here. Today, it is a popular hiking and picnic spot among ruins. Many of the enclosures were built during the Great Depression by the Works Progress Administration. It greatly captures the progress and improvement in zoos today. The cages are tiny and claustrophobic and allow the visitor to feel what it would have felt like to be an animal here. Although grotesque, this is an essential and fascinating experience.