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ADVENTURE | ROAD TRIP

A Solo Road Trip Through Death Valley

I took the scenic route to Las Vegas and spent some time below sea level

Kim Zuch
Gardening, Birding, and Outdoor Adventure
6 min readDec 22, 2024

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Badwater Basin. Photo by Kim Zuch.

From the time I learned to drive at 16 years old, I’ve loved the freedom of solo road trips. My first trips were short, but they were enough to stress my step-mom to the point of exasperation. “You did what?”

At the time, that meant driving from Vernal, Utah to Rangely, Colorado. It wasn’t a long drive, but it involved a two-lane highway, at the highway speed of 65 miles per hour. She didn’t like that, but I was okay with her being frustrated with me. I’d gotten that tiny taste of freedom and I wanted more.

I never would have imagined that one day I’d have the opportunity to drive myself all the way through Death Valley National Park. My 16-year-old self would have been dying to go.

Freedom. Photo by Kim Zuch.

I didn’t actually have to drive to Las Vegas. I was going to a work conference in St. Augustine, Florida with three coworkers. They were all flying from Las Vegas to Jacksonville, renting a car, and driving to St. Augustine. I was the only one going from northern Nevada.

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Gardening, Birding, and Outdoor Adventure
Gardening, Birding, and Outdoor Adventure

Published in Gardening, Birding, and Outdoor Adventure

A community for vegetable and flower gardening enthusiasts, lovers and observers of birds, outdoor explorers and adventurers, and good photography.

Kim Zuch
Kim Zuch

Written by Kim Zuch

I write about nature, birdwatching, the outdoors, and conservation issues. I like to share pictures and sometimes my dogs show up. Twitter: @kimclawson2

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