Attempting to (Temporarily) Escape ETX

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ON THE ROAD —It took three attempts to get out of Longview toward Austin after a long night of thunderstorms and sheets of rain that terrorized the dogs. They stood on the other side of the door leading into our second story, where all the bedrooms are located. Rosie whined. Sam thumped his tail nervously. I only know this because it awoke my light-sleeping Beautiful Mystery Companion. The noise-maker fan muffled the dog’s whining, but the thunder roused me frequently.

Sam and Rosie were not happy at our departure as the rain continued. A house guest would arrive by dinnertime to take over dog duties while we took advantage of Spring Break and spent a few days in the big city. That is, if we could get out of Longview. Our first foray was stymied by high water and police barricades just south of Hwy. 80. So we cut through downtown, hoping to hit the road to Kilgore on the other side of downtown. Again, high water forced us to turn around and go in yet another direction. Third try worked. Little did we know that our city was enduring some of the worst flooding in decades, as we finally got on the road.

As my BMC drove and we approached Kilgore, I discovered what would be an extremely useful phone number while figuring out if we would be able to safely drive to Austin. I was Googling and squinting at maps on my iPhone when I found a phone number for TxDOT that one could call and learn what roads were flooded, or blocked by wrecks. I figured this would require an hour on hold, as do most phone calls to corporations, state agencies and especially AT&T. I have devoted far too many hours to conversations with those folks.

But after a couple of automated prompts, a human answered! All is not lost in America. A woman checked and told me that Hwy. 31 appeared clear from Kilgore to Waco. We headed west. Water came close to the shoulder in a number of places but never close to flooding. At a drive-thru for caffeine, a hand-written sign said, “Please turn off your windshield wipers.” The young woman said she kept getting splashed with rainwater from oblivious drivers.

Down the road, a sign announced “Guardrail damage ahead.” Sure enough, there was a smashed rail and stanchions. It seems to me this would only be an issue if one hit the guardrail. I suppose what the sign implies is that if one is predisposed to slam into a guardrail at 70 mph, the one up ahead would not be a wise choice.

As we made it through Tyler, slowly because of the rain, I noticed a mattress store was having a sale. When is a mattress company not having a sale?

We headed south on IH-35 out of Waco. The rain had slowed to a steady drizzle, and traffic was reasonably light. As we approached Temple, it seemed a good time to visit the latest shrine to capitalism gone amok — Buc-ee’s. The line of vehicles headed there stretched about three-fourths of a mile, but the wait is worth the spotless restrooms. Plus, I needed to make a phone call.

A few minutes earlier, I had noticed a flashing highway sign: “Incident at Salado. Detour to…” I did not catch the highway number. So I called TxDOT back. Again, someone was on the line in short order. He checked his computer and returned to the phone. An 18-wheeler had blocked all southbound lanes about 25 miles south. The TxDOT fellow provided an alternative route, which involved a leisurely drive through the country to Taylor, roads I have traveled before. It worked perfectly and probably saved us a couple of hours of sitting at a standstill on this infernal interstate.

We eased through Hutto, admiring all the hippo statues, then took the toll road at 80 mph until cutting through and getting to the Airbnb condo I had rented. Paying attention to signs had saved us from hours of frustration. Still, a five-hour trip stretched to seven hours given the delays and detours.

After dumping our luggage and admiring the hip place we had rented for a reasonable rate, we trekked to Gueros on South Congress, a required stop. Traffic was horrendous, as always at 5 p.m. in downtown Austin. It took an hour to drive nine miles.

But that is another story.

(The toll-free number for road conditions is 800-452-9292.)

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