Ballarat California

Ballarat isn't much more than a ghost town in the desert these days, but at different points of modern history it has had all sorts of excitement. Born out of the gold rush, this town once had nearly 400 residents, but today very little stands. You can see the grave of famous prospector Seldom Seen Slim or you can try to find Shorty's old house. He was a famous prospector, but the house today is more known for its role in the movie Easy Riders. Toss your watch on the road to pay homage to the movie and maybe take a few pictures of the creepy old truck with the Manson family's autographs. These nutjobs had a camp in the area at one time. Today, little is left of the town except a little store for tourists and ATVers.