I'm a big fan of California's claim to US highway 395. Something about the landscape really speaks to me: desolate, stark, peppered with hot springs and forests. There are few places on this planet I'd rather retreat to.
If you agree, you should watch Clint Eastwood's 1973 classic "High Plains Drifter" and see how long it takes you to figure out where it was set. I particularly like that Eastwood set out alone in his pickup truck and deemed the area "particularly photogenic." The movie was shot in sequence, and included 14 buildings that were not merely facades so that the movie's interior scenes could be shot on-location and not on Universal's back lot.
If ever you find yourself in or around Bridgeport, California, do yourself a favor and ask someone how to find Travertine Hot Springs.
You're welcome.