My friend Jae is in town, visiting from New York, and yesterday for
some reason we decided to drive to Death Valley, which is about three
hours away. It was like a journey to another country.
We headed straight for Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the Western
Hemisphere — 282 feet below sea level. It was amazing to think
we'd sunk so low.
There was a broad pathway from the parking area whose surface was
packed salt. As you walked out into the valley on this pathway
you could see other figures walking far in the distance. It made
you feel like a pilgrim on some supernatural highway leading to the end
of the world.
The good news was that the only way we could go from Badwater Basin was up.