I exited the rear of the Getty, expecting to find a modest patio. Instead, I looked out over an impossibly tall, boot-shaped cactus garden and, beyond that, Los Angeles. I skirted the patio to find the museum's massive central gardens, where I followed a narrow, tree-lined path and crossed a stream that traversed, at turns, aquatic plants, massive chunks of stone, and manicured pebbles. Near the bottom of the path, bougainvillea arbors jutted out of the plaza, as delightfully over-dressed as ladies in waiting.

Olomana Trail

We reach a grove of Casuarina trees after a steep hike over slippery red dirt. Casuarina trees look like long-needled pines but are ironwoods, trees with a reputation for strength and durability. The low-hanging braches that graze the ground add to the feeling of protection and shelter. But windows through the thin, knobby leaves lend a sense of playfulness. After a few minutes under this natural cover, we continue on, and up.

Haena State Park

We hiked the strenuous path that would take us to a hidden beach. The steady uphill climb left our shoes and ankles muddy and our legs aching, a thick, green canopy overhead and tropical brush on either side of us. Partway there, we reached an overlook that peered over a popular beach: paper clip-sized people, sea green water, and an impossibly large reef. The shouts and laughter were lost in the space between us, replaced by the chirps and scuffles of the forest. Sometimes life appears most beautiful when you are looking at it from a distance.

Colorado River, Glenwood Springs

You walk across a bridge. Behind you is your hotel. In front of you is a park and the hot springs that make this a tourist town. You stop walking to admire the Colorado River, which, though you didn't know it at the time, begins in the Rocky Mountains, goes through the Grand Canyon, and ends in Mexico. The river is wide here. Taking it in is like taking a deep breath. The water is tree-bark green and, where it flows around rocks, frothy white. Then you continue walking, your moment of repose already gone.

Stained-Glass Window

I walked into the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and sat down, and as I waited for the ceremony to start, I looked around the church. The walls are so high and bright, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. The church's stunning white walls, high ceilings, and impossibly tall stained-glass windows point upward toward the sky, while the colors and light of the windowpanes draw the eye. Humans made this building and its art, but the design reminds us of more than our humanity—more that exists somewhere else, but also here on earth.

Newport Beach, California

A fisher casts his line into the water at the edge of Balboa Pier. When you pier-fish, you're standing on a large, safe structure, but you're already well out to sea. You see the sun glinting off the mellow waves. You hear the whooshing of the lapping waves and the wind. You smell the salty air and your catch. And you have nothing to do but wait, but it's a good wait, because if you stand there long enough you're bound to catch some good fish.

Dinan, France

You get lost in the narrow cobblestone streets that wind around the hillside, branching out at interesting angles. You stroll under archways that lead to more twisting paths. You climb up a hill and down another. Then you turn a corner and, there before you, lies the green, river-sliced valley.