Stories From The Road

As my parents make there way to College Station via backroads and highways, we've been in contact with every couple of hours. Currently, they have traveled 27 miles in 6 hours. From what they have been hearing on the radio, the contraflow plan is a miserable failure. No cars have moved on I-45 since the southbound lane was opened to northbound traffic. Other stories include people with horse trailers grazing their livestock on the side of gridlocked roads and kids playing in the fountains of subdivisions along the highway. The temperature is 98 degrees without any heat index so cars are starting to overheat as they sit idle on the road. On top of that, there is nowhere to make bathroom stops because all business along the way are closed. Some people are resorting to creating simple shelters between their front and back car doors and letting it rip.

I hate that my parents would not leave Houston last night but I know that I can't dwell on the past. They have enough fuel and time to make it to College Station and of that I am glad. If they had waited any later they would certainly run the risk of being stuck on the road during the hurricane. At least for now, they can always make a determination in the next several hours about whether to continue on to College Station or trek to nearby The Woodlands to stay with Danielle's family. It's good to have the fall back plan but I would feel a lot better if they could get to College Station.