The road less traveled sounds romantic, even deep in the belly of an area like Death Valley.

Hot as a furnace.

The beauty of such a place is that not many congregate there, save the occasional murder cult,

and a body can get away not just from society, but from the sense

of being earthbound. It's like another planet, and it's important to remember that the reason

why it seems so is that the conditions are barely fit for human life, though perfect, for a slow,

certain death. Welcome to Maroon, stories of the catastrophically lost. I'm Jack Luna. This is

Aaron Abel. July 8, 1996, 34-year-old Egbert Rimciss and his girlfriend, Cornelia Meyer, had a unique

vacation planned for the summer of 1996. On July 8, they set off from their home in Dresden,

Germany, each with a child from a previous relationship. Egbert brought his son, 11-year-old

Georg, while Cornelia, or Connie, as she was affectionately known, had her little boy,

four-year-old Max, along for the epic trip to the U.S.

The group flew from Frankfurt, Germany, to Seattle, Washington before taking one more

flight to Los Angeles, California, where they rented a minivan, a dark green 1996 Plymouth Voyager.

Now, they spent a good amount of time in Southern California, particularly

in San Clementi, which is known for its beaches, views, and the amazing climate. You can experience

300 sunny days a year there with an average temperature of 73 degrees Fahrenheit, making it arguably

one of the best places to be in the world.

And Aaron, we were talking about this before we started.

You were saying how this is one of the nicest places in the world, and they're headed to

Death Valley, which is one of the most difficult places to be in the world.

Absolutely.

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