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I should mention that driving to Austin from Houston is normally a 2 1/2 hour drive for me. I go 610 to I-10 to Texas 71. This time I was coming from my parents' house in Mo. City so I took 59 North (which was fine at the time) to Beltway 8 to I-10 to Texas 71.
At 8:20, I left from my parents' house in Mo. City and aside from small traffic on Highway 90, it was a straight shot to Beltway 8 where I pretty much anticipated to be stopped dead in my tracks. And I was. Bumper to bumper all the way to I-10. I reached Beltway 8 around 8:50 am. I wasn't officially on I-10 until around 4:00. The drive from 59 North to Beltway 8 to I-10 would normally take me 15 or so minutes with no traffic. That part of the trip was where the most cycles of "stopping for about 15 minutes and then moving a few feet" occurred. Once you got past the 7 or so toll booths, it was sheer pandemonium trying to merge into 3 lanes again. By the time I was at I-10, I was surprised to find myself with a little more than 3/4ths a tank of gas. I guess what was helping was that I had decided to drive with no AC (didn't want to take any chances).
Well, I still had plenty of energy as I finally reached I-10. We moved a little faster on I-10 but not much more. The distance I would have to drive on I-10 is much much longer. I would normally have had a good hour and a half ahead of me. I started to have hope because when I was listening to the radio for updates, I was hearing that they were turning I-10 into a contralane (sp?) and people were moving faster. When DJs were speaking with drivers, I was hearing that once you got past Columbus (which was at the tail end of my journey on I 10), it would be a straight shot. I figured "cool," that way I could get gas on Texas 71 and most likely moving a little faster. Most everyone on I-10 seemed to be on there to go to San Antonio while I was going to Austin. Once I got to Katy around 7:00 or so, I managed to get on the contralane which had me going 70 or so mph. For a good 15 minutes anyway. I thought I was home free until I came to a grinding hault 15 miles or so miles before Sealy. By the time I got to Sealy, I noticed all the cars camped out on the side of the road and seeing a Sealy gas station pretty much seiged by evacuees. There was no gas but people seemed to be camped out in front of it as if they were waiting for a concert or something. Up until then, I had never seen so many cars at a gas station in my life. There had to have been at least 400 or so people there. However, once I got past Sealy, it got to a point to where I could drive 70 mph again. Woo hoo!! Well, for another 5 minutes anyway, then we came to a grinding hault again. However this time, it was because of gas stations in Brookshire (noticing a pattern here?). Same thing with the gas stations. Hundreds of people camped out with their cars. Also, there was apparently a bad wreck up ahead. Past Brookshire, I would get up to 30 or so miles per hour occasionally, but for the most part it was under 10 mph. Conditions worsened as I neared Columbus, which was only a few miles from the road that I felt would be my savior (Texas 71). It was hell. I was driving with half a bottle of water, reeking of sweat, a little less than half a tank of gas, wondering if I would make it. I'm seeing ambulances driving to and fro, cars parked everywhere, and both the east/west lanes and feeder roads inundated with cars all heading in the same direction. I was wondering how long it would take me to get to Texas 71. People camped out everywhere on the side of the road most likely waiting for FEMA to come to their rescue. Then, to make matters more complicated, my dad (whom I kept in regular contact with for the duration of the trip) calls me as I am actually nearing Texas 71 and he tells me that he has spoken with the police dept out in the Texas 71 areas. They were telling him there's no gas and it's bumper to bumper. I'm thinking to myself "oh shit, what have I gotten myself into." Because I knew good and well that Texas 71 was an hour and a half drive alone with no traffic.
Well, as I turned on Texas 71, it was about 11:50 pm and I still had a little less than a half tank of gas. I was going 70 mph but figured that wouldn't last long. I started coming to an area where I saw a lot of red car lights and figured "oh fuck this is it." My dad calls me and he's like "Kit, stop some place and get some water. I'll try and find you a place to stay but I'm not having much luck right now." As I drove nearer to what seemed to be what was going to stop me dead in my tracks, it was pretty much just a gas station/quickie mart with a lot of cars camped out, but not as much as the other places I'd seen on I-10. I figured, "OK, I'll stop here and get drinks." I went in, stocked up on water, some people are grilling the poor indian guy behind the counter when the next gas truck will arrive. Obviously hating his job right now, he's shooting back "I do not know...sometime tomorrow." I walk out with about 5 bottles of water and a lemonade. The parking lot is covered with trash, parked cars, and desperate faces. I shot down the first giant bottle of water in like 40 seconds (I'm not even joking). Then I head off again. I'm back to 70 mph hour, wondering when this impending bumper to bumper traffic would ensue. Occasionally, I would drive into bits of traffic where we would be down to 45 mph, or I would come across another gas station that would have everybody slowing down and glancing to see if people were having luck with gas. But it seemed it was always the same thing - lots of parked cars but no gas. I started coming to a little more than 1/4th of a tank. My dad calls me and says "Kit, there is gas in Bastrop." Minutes after he said that, I got to Bastrop and went by 3 different gas stations. Again, lots of parked cars. No gas. I got back onto Texas 71. I was still pretty much going normal speed - 70 mph. I finally came up to the sign that reads "Austin - 32 miles" and figured hell, I might just make it with a little more than 1/4th a tank even with bumper to bumper traffic. So, I carried on while scoping out the occasional gas station. At 17 miles away from Austin, I came across a gas station that HAD GAS. Granted as I pulled in, I was initially behind some woman who was holding a friend's credit card and "couldn't find the hole" for insertion in order to begin fueling. I wanted to get out and do it for her before gas runs out. Finally, someone else was finished and I slammed into that space thinking I was home free. I stuck the card in, inserted the pump, and....."click"......nothing. I'm like "fuck!!" Then it hit me..."push up the lever you idiot!!" It's amazing how much a simple process temporarily suspends itself in your mind when the prospect of being stranded with no gas is haunting you. I pushed up the lever, and BOOM!!! ---- an erection of fine gas pouring into my near empty tank. To be honest with you, I probably could have made it with what I had because, contrary to what my dad heard and what I heard while in that one quickie mart, it turns out there was pretty much "no bumper to bumper" traffic on Texas 71. Not while I was on it anyways. Eventually I arrived at my bro's apartment at 1:20 am.
Shit man...for a while there, I didn't think I was going to make it. But I'm here now after, oh my God, 16 grueling hours on the road. I left Houston at 8:15 a.m. and arrived at 1:20 am. Now, if only I had tickets to Austin City Limits this weekend (which is not canceled) - I'd be a complete man. The forecast is that Austin will be right outside of Rita. Actually, I'm just thankful that I'm not parked on the side of the road. I hope everyone makes it. It may not be so bad for H-Town except for low level areas.
I have a weird "driver's tan" right now because of this whole thing. The left part of my body seems more tan than the right side.
Last edited by Kit on Sun Sep 25, 2005 11:53 am, edited 3 times in total.
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eter, aka 
usty 
halk
