Vacation Derailed

Fires are ravaging northern California staining blue skies smokey gray.

We made a difficult last minute decision to abandon our vacation to Mill Valley.

Delicious anticipation of a week in the redwoods — 

hiking, seeing friends, walking along Stinson Beach and drives up the coast

helped me weather the bleak monotony of a C19 summer.

I did not let go of the vision I had of this much needed vacation with ease.

Within hours we scrapped plans and formed new ones.

A seven hour drive up the coast was replaced with a two day trek to Idaho.

I stayed up late cooking and packing and hit the road early

taking a less traveled route to avoid congestion around Las Vegas.

Vast open arid spaces, still untouched by development,

trigger a dormant romantic sensation for the American west.  

Sadly, smoke from the fires consumed the sky

obscuring the dramatic landscape in the massive basins.

We stopped for the night in Nevada,

scoring the last campsite at Angel lake.  

Shooting stars kept me company as I warded off feelings of claustrophobia 

which often get triggered in a small tent.

Not the most restful night, but I am thankful we salvaged our vacation

and got out of Dodge.