We relocated to Austin

After all the talk about not leaving Houston and staying put for the storm, 3 things happened. A friend offered a place to stay in Austin, traffic out town got much better, and Rita started woobling to the west. Our safety margin was 30-50 miles. That was a bit too close for comfort. So we packed up and drove out to Austin last night. We are now safe and out of harms way.

The trip took 6 hours, about 3 hours longer than it normally would. But considering the circumstances, we were very lucky. I-10 reminded me of the road taken by a retreating army. There were cars parked on the shoulders every 100 yards or so. And with the 2 streams of red taillights (contra flow on I-10), it was a scene that I won't soon forget. Yet, despite the hardship and tough conditions, it was quite orderly and quiet. No one honked, no one yelled, there was just the orderly flow of traffic. Now I wonder how are they going to get all these people back into town.
I'm already looking at all the backroads to get us back to Houston (thank you google maps)

It's looking like Rita is weakening a bit and staying east, so that's good news for Houston.