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The Journey
21 Days in the Southwest takes place across twenty-one consecutive days, each chapter corresponding to a specific stretch of road.
Every day records the distance traveled, the route taken, and the emotional state carried forward.
The journey begins without an itinerary, unfolding one day at a time.
Route: Austin → Canyon Lake → Fredericksburg → Lubbock
Distance: 370 miles (595 km)
Drive Time: 7 to 8 hours, divided between day and night
Route: Lubbock → Santa Fe → Gallup
Distance: 520 miles (836 kilometers)
Drive time: 9 to 10 hours, split between day and night
Route: Gallup → Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Distance: 150 miles (241 kilometers)
Drive time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Route: Monument Valley → Page, Arizona
Distance: 125 miles (201 kilometers)
Drive time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Route: Lake Powell → Marble Canyon, Arizona
Distance: 30 miles (48 km)
Drive time: 90 minutes (45 minutes to Marble Canyon and 45 minutes to Cathedral Wash Trailhead)
Route: Cathedral wash → Horseshoe Bend, AZ
Distance: 30 miles (48 km)
Drive time: 45 minutes
Route: Kanab → Zion National Park
Distance: 43 miles (69 km)
Drive Time: 90 minutes
Route: Kanab → Zion National Park
Distance: 43 miles (69 km)
Drive Time: 90 minutes
Route: Bryce Canyon → Monroe via Scenic Byway → Monroe → Torrey
Distance: 264 miles (424 km)
Drive time: 4 hours, 45 minutes
Route: Torrey → Cathedral Valley Loop → Torrey
Distance: 100 miles (160 km)
Drive time: 6-7 hours (including stops)
Route: Broken Spur Inn
Distance: —
Drive time: —
Route: Capitol Reef → Swing Arm City → Factory Butte → Hanksville → Sand Hollow
Distance: 255 miles (410 km)
Drive time: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Route: Hanksville → Sand Hollow Reservoir (Hurricane) → Mesquite, NV → Valley of Fire State Park
Distance: 370 miles (595 km)
Drive time: 7 hours and 30 minutes
Route: Valley of Fire State Park → Las Vegas, NV
Distance: 55 miles (89 km)
Drive time: 1 hour
Route: Las Vegas Casinos → My Car
Distance: —
Drive time: —
Route: Las Vegas → Death Valley Inn & RV
Distance: 120 miles (193 km)
Drive time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Route: Dante’s View → Zabriskie Point → Badwater Basin → Artist’s Palette
Distance: 70–90 miles (112–144 km) within the park
Drive time: 5 hours (including stops and exploration)
Route: Stovepipe Wells → toward the Sequoia corridor → small roadside hotel
Distance: 280 miles (450 km)
Drive time: 6 hours
Route: Death Valley → Bakersfield → Three Rivers → Sequoia National Park
Distance: 310 miles (499 km)
Drive time: 6 hours
Route: Sequoia National Park → Barstow → Yucca Valley → Joshua Tree
Distance: 325 miles (523 km)
Drive time: 6 hours and 30 minutes
Route: Joshua Tree → Phoenix → Tucson → Saguaro West and East Districts
Distance: 390 miles (628 km)
Drive time: 7 hours
What Emerges Over 21 Days
Across these twenty-one days, the road becomes both companion and teacher.
What begins as escape slowly transforms into presence. The act of driving, stopping, and continuing becomes a practice in listening, trusting, and choosing oneself again and again.
By the end of the journey, the distance traveled matters less than the person who returns.
Latest Blog and Stories
Writing from the road, and from the stillness that follows it. Entries are published periodically and range from brief observations to longer reflections.