Bread with raspberry jam and a quick cup of coffee and we are off. It is an easy 10-minute walk to the train that is pretty much empty even though it is workday rush hour. The ride is uneventful and we arrive at the airport with lots of time. United has sent many a text updating on changes in requirements for travelers and admonished us to allow extra time to clear all the new hurtles and we find the first new one as we arrive. They have blocked off the usual route to check-in to allow for direct boarding onto buses for incoming Australians heading for mandatory quarantine. They send us out and around to the front entrance of the international terminal. We are thankful that it isn’t raining and that our luggage has wheels. There is lots of waiting in lines (all made tremendously long with 1.5-meter social distancing enforced) and there seems to be some redundancy but things go without major incident. We are held in line to provide proof of travel today to get into the airport, we wait to scan passports and get boarding passes, we wait to check in luggage, we wait to check in for our flight, we wait to clear customs with a live agent, then we wait to move through normal security. Our path through the airport is a bit more circuitous than normal but we still arrive at our gate a full three hours before departure. That is ok. We are probably a little more nervous than usual traveling and just fine having all that behind us.
The long leg is, well, long. We get off on time and have a big tailwind much of the journey, up to 150 mph. There are more than a few bumpy moments as a result but we get into San Francisco about an hour early. After 13 hours in the air it feels good to stretch our legs. Leg two into Houston goes smoothly too after a sort of funny announcement. “Your health and that of our crew are of utmost importance to us. As a result, this flight has modified cabin service. None.” It is only 3 hours in the air and they just fed us three times on the last flight so no problem. We are good with just getting home. We are on the ground, yeah. We register the address of our 14-day self-isolation with the Texas State Police and meet the kids, 6 feet separation of course, who bring our car and care package of groceries and necessities so we can head home. We find the motorhome just as we left it in storage and within an hour are settled in at an RV park not far from the kids. Even a great vacation is at its very best only when one is back home in their own comfy bed.