A Flight to Nowhere

We had planned this trip for a long time, and in august the weather would be perfect to go to Alaska. It wasn't a cruise or anything- but it was a packed vacation.
I remember spending almost two hours packing clothes the night before and I was so excited that I could visit Alaska. My parents had told me that we were going white water rafting, hiking, and potentially renting ATVs to ride in the forest. I was pumped.
However when we boarded the plane, there was some notice that we might not be able to take off because of a volcano that had erupted that day and ash was spreading in the air.
If ash were to get caught in the engine, then the plane would be in trouble. But nonetheless, after moments of waiting, we finally were able to get up in the air. About three hours into the plane ride, they sent another notification saying that we were above Washington, near Canada and the ash would not permit us to go any further. We couldn't land in Seattle because there were already 40 planes that had done so.
What else to do, but turn around and go home for another three hours. Unfortunately we weren't able to go to Alaska, but at least I can say- I've taken a six hour flight to nowhere.