The Journey Home

Woke up Puerto Vallarta. Packed. Quick breakfast at the restaurant. Checked out. Cab to the airport. Hung out at the airport. Flew to SFO. Joey sick most of way back—think she drank bad water at PV airport. Immigration uneventful. Hung out at Union Street Gastropub. Went to the gate. Flew to EUG. Waited for Dennis to pick up Joey. Drove my car home from the airport. Storm picking up—heard distant cracking, then giant backyard tree crashed down, followed by driveway tree. Winter cleanup ahead. Slept.

Complications and Casualties

December 17, 2025

These notes describe the events of Monday, 12/16/2025.

Woke up in Puerto Vallarta. The last morning in Mexico, the trip coming to an end.

Packed. Gathering belongings, organizing luggage, making sure nothing was left behind. The process of transitioning from vacation back to travel mode.

Got a very quick breakfast at the restaurant. Minimal time, functional fuel before departure. Not a leisurely meal but necessary sustenance for the journey ahead.

Checked out. The administrative end of the resort stay, settling accounts, returning keys, completing the exit process.

Took a cab to the airport. The ride from resort to departure, Puerto Vallarta receding, the transition beginning in earnest.

Hung out at the airport until it was time to board the plane. The waiting that defines air travel, the liminal space of departure terminals.

Flew to SFO. The first leg of the return journey, Mexico to San Francisco.

Joey was sick most of the way back. Among other things, I think she drank some bad water at the PV airport. The misery of travel illness, the long flight made worse by nausea and discomfort. During the day she had her ups and downs—periods of feeling somewhat better alternating with worse symptoms. While talking about it, we surmised that she may be more susceptible to motion sickness than she thought she was—the turbulence and movement of air travel potentially contributing to or amplifying her symptoms. The approach to Eugene was rough and bumpy—she wasn't feeling well just before and when we got off the plane. Once in the airport she began to recover, the solid ground and lack of motion helping. The suspect water turning what should have been routine travel into an ordeal, though the actual cause might be more complex than a single explanation.

Immigration was uneventful. The border crossing working smoothly, no delays or complications. The bureaucratic process functioning as it should.

Hung out at the gastropub for a while. Union Street Gastropub at SFO—the layover time, food and drink while waiting for the next departure.

Went to the gate. Moving from general airport space to specific departure location, preparing for the final flight.

Flew to EUG. San Francisco to Eugene, the last leg home.

Waited for Dennis. Dennis came to pick up Joey, taking her home while still sick. I drove my own car home—had left it parked at the airport while we were away. The separate departures, Joey getting care from Dennis, me making my own way back to Corvallis.

My fallen tree

Arrived home to the storm picking up. Not there long before hearing trees cracking in the distance—the ominous sounds of wood under stress. Then there was a very large crack and crash—the giant tree in my backyard came down. The massive trunk that had stood for decades suddenly falling, the ground shaking with impact. This was followed a short time later with the tree beside my driveway crashing down. Two trees gone in quick succession, the storm claiming substantial casualties. Looks like a tree may have fallen on the physical therapy office next door as well—the storm's damage extending beyond my property. There will be a mess to clean up over the winter—the branches, the trunks, the debris scattered across the property.

Slept. The exhaustion of travel, of a sick companion, of arriving home to find storm damage. Time to rest, process, prepare to deal with whatever tomorrow brings. Captured a few pictures of the damage when it was bright enough this morning—documenting the extent of what fell.

The day moved from Puerto Vallarta departure through long travel back to dramatic storm damage at home. Quick breakfast and checkout. Airport waiting and flights. Joey's illness making the journey harder, ups and downs throughout the day. Immigration and layover at Union Street Gastropub proceeding smoothly despite her discomfort. Rough approach to Eugene making her feel worse, but recovery beginning once on solid ground. Dennis picking up sick Joey while I drove my own car home from the airport. Arrival to storm intensifying—distant tree cracking, then the giant backyard tree crashing down, followed shortly by the driveway tree. Two major trees lost in quick succession. The trip ending not with smooth transition but with immediate dramatic challenges.