The Trip Home

Unlike Sunday, Yreka's skies are now clear.

After sipping coffee and nibbling on pastries, we reluctantly rose from the patio chairs and began the 840-mile journey home. The drive from Seattle to the Peninsula would take 13½ hours without any stops, according to Google Maps.

There was the added complication of the McKinney Fire near the Oregon-California border. It was perilously close to Yreka (pop. 7,500) along Interstate 5. 

300 miles and 5½ hours later we pulled into Eugene, refilled the tank, and checked the Yreka I-5 traffic cam, 200 miles further south. The nightime haze was heavy, but cars were still proceeding at the limit.

Someone at the wedding
tested positive so we checked
again yesterday. Negative.

Not wishing to spend another night away, we agreed that we should go for it.

After refueling in Red Bluff, nothing would dissuade us from powering through. We guzzled Coca Cola and cookies over the final three hours. We arrived home at 2:30 a.m. Cleaning up the car (and ourselves) could wait.

I was asleep when my head hit the pillow.