Rita Roadtrip

Houston FZJ80 · 09-21-05, 12:32 AM

Well the first long roadtrip test of the ole cruiser.

We are packing it full of labs, kid and keepsakes and heading to Austin tomorrow. Could take very long with evacuation traffic.

Have done as much PM as I could have... cooling system is all new (thank god).

I will let you know how she holds up. Anybody else from Houston heading out tomorrow?

Rita is expected to come in 37 miles south of where I live so we aren't taking any chances.

See you on the other side.

-Spike- · 09-21-05, 01:55 AM

Glad to see we won't be reading about you on a roof holding a sign asking for help...

-Spike

UltraFJ · 09-21-05, 05:19 AM

Glad to see you are heeding the warnings. It's nice to hear that there are still sane people out there.

You do drive a Cruiser, so that should have told me something.

BTW, thats your rig in the avatar? If so, could you post up a decent size pic?

It looks like mine.

Doug

re_guderian · 09-21-05, 06:47 AM

Stay safe! Glad to see you're heading out. Did you get the Snorkel installed just in case??

Grouseman · 09-21-05, 06:58 AM

Good luck..

Grouseman

TLC42TD · 09-21-05, 08:42 AM

Hope you and your family have a safe trip.

tarbe · 09-21-05, 11:09 AM

We are heading out at 0300 Friday morning. I have a room at the Hampton in OK for three nights. We are taking both vehicles so I can send the wife and kids on up to family in Wisconsin if it looks like school/power will be out for a week or more. I'll probably come back to check on the house and the office.

I am leaving as much to avoid no air conditioning as much as anything!

dryfly · 09-21-05, 11:43 AM

Take care guys.

FJ40onNOS · 09-21-05, 11:50 AM

well i live 80 miles inland and im staying, been here all my life! ill take my chances, but i really dont think its anything to leave for this far inland! just me though, and im a boyscout and i own a Cruiser, so im better off then 98% of the people around here!

flintknapper · 09-21-05, 11:52 AM

My brother, his wife, and two kiddo's are coming up here for the weekend. They just bought a new home near Magnolia just north of Houston. Just got moved in.

We'll probably get some pretty stormy weather even this far north. Good luck to all!

97 FZJ80 · 09-21-05, 12:12 PM

The hotels in the north Dallas area are completely booked - it looks like our extended family from Houston will be staying with us.

flintknapper · 09-21-05, 03:47 PM

Well, I'll be headed to Houston sometime this evening to help my older brother board up his new home. Its gonna be one hot, humid @%&*@#^ down there.

Depending upon when we get finished and how bad the "traffic out" is, we may come back up here, or ride it out down there.

Should be interesting...he has a lot big oak trees all around the house.

Zack1978 · 09-21-05, 05:45 PM

godspeed!

flintknapper · 09-22-05, 07:13 AM

Older brother lives just North of Houston. Has decided that based on the storm tracks he has seen that he will send his wife and kids up here to stay with us and then "ride out" the hurricane rather than take a chance on getting stuck in traffic.

If he had stuck to our plan of bringing his family up here yesterday.. and then he and I go back down, board things up, and then head back up here...we'd be most of the way back already.

I don't get it.

I just got off the phone with him and reminded him that his first responsibility is to his family. How is it that intelligent people make such poor decisions.

fsusteve · 09-22-05, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flintknapper

I just got off the phone with him and reminded him that his first responsibility is to his family. How is it that intelligent people make such poor decisions.

Eggggzactly. What does he think he'll accomplish by staying, hold the house down? Dude, it's just a structure, leave. Trust me, it ain't worth it and to be honest I wouldn't worry about boarding up. This one is beyond plywood and screws....

swank60 · 09-22-05, 07:28 AM

You need to talk some sense into that brother of yours. Rita needs to be taken very seriously at this point.

Bohot · 09-22-05, 07:42 AM

The outbound traffic is amazing today. I live NW of Houston and take the tollway south in to work every morning. This morning, since the tollway was opened to all with no tolls, the northbound lanes were practically gridlocked with traffic exiting to San Antonio and Austin.

-John

davegonz · 09-22-05, 08:33 AM

I've got 20 persons coming to stay with us and have yet to make it here. I called my folks and they said 290 was a parking lot.

Now back to figuring out how 20 persons are going to sleep in my house....

Houston FZJ80 · 09-22-05, 10:11 AM

Well we made it to Austin... traffic wasn't bad after we got out of Houston area... we were also fortunate enought to be able to leave a little earlier than most. We left yesterday (Wed) at 11:15am from Seabrook, southeast Houston and made it to Austin in a little over 4 hours. People are now stuck on the highways we were using and have moved very little in 8 hours.

Thank god my PHH blew when it did and I replaced the cooling system last month. 195-205 degrees on the autometer water temp guage the whole way up in 98 degrees with a full load of people, labs and gear. I was very concerned of breaking down in the stop and go traffic, but it ran like a top and blew cold air the whole way. Some things are meant to be. If that PHH hadn't of blown when it did, it would have probably done so on this trip.

Now looking towards next week of going back into the war zone that will probably be left, I am glad I have a vehicle as capable as the 80.

Good luck to all other Houstonians. Hopefully you have gotten out by now. It is not going to be pretty. We are at in Round Rock.

Jman · 09-22-05, 10:16 AM

Might want to pick up some cans of "fix a flat" or tire plugs and compressor if you don't have them. Driving back into the war zone might mean a few flat tires if there's lots of building material debris.

Good luck.