Staying safely in port turned out to be the best strategy

   POINT RICHMOND - The Red Writer was all set to barrel off in search of clean air two days ago.
     Bags were being packed, groceries assembled, maps out, air quality indexes checked regularly.

Portland, Ore. air Tuesday

     Admiral Fox and I knew right away going north was out of the question.
     As we were prepping we could see fires were surging all over Oregon and Washington, adding smoke and danger to what was already happening just north of us here in California. Going north would be driving into an inferno.
     To the east, where cleaner air appeared to be, smoke was billowing fast in that direction, filling cities like Reno, Nevada with air even more foul than that in San Francisco.
     And so we ultimately decided to simply stay put - for the moment.
     By the way, thanks to all the folks between San Francisco and the East Coast who offered us safe harbor. It's very much appreciated. And please keep your porch lights on.
     By mid-day Tuesday, staying put proved to have been a good bet. The air cleared sufficiently to make breathing a lot easier (see AirNow's reading below). Predictions are for relatively clean air all this week.
     As comforting as that might be, The Red Writer is still locked and loaded if we need to bust a move.

Point Richmond, Calif. Tuesday