My trek started at 3am Friday morning, Singapore time, when the alarm rang. Flight was at 6am.
It's easier to do this one all in Houston Time as I was covering 13 time zones and a crossing of the dateline again. So 6am Friday the 12th in Singapore is 5pm Thursday the 11th in Houston.
Projected path of Ike looks to have dead aim on Houston and right over our house. My planned landing in Houston is 4:20pm on Friday the 12th with the last leg being straight down from Minneapolis. Talked to Alice again. Then in line to board I overhear a guy saying he's heading for Houston and that the airport will close at 2pm on Friday. Not good.
Seven hours to Narita airport, Tokyo arriving about midnight Thursday night Houston time. At the connections desk I book a flight to Austin instead of Houston. They can't assign a seat. Bad sign.
Ten hours to Minneapolis, arriving about noon (Houston and Minneapolis time) Friday. After customs, at the baggage recheck, I have to sort out somewhere to send my bags that will match up with where they can get me. Can't get a seat to Austin but seems I can to San Antonio. After security and checkin to the flight, I talk to Alice. Plan is for me to get to San Antonio and use a one-way car rental to get to Houston. Projections for Ike have moved east a bit, which is good. Puts most of Houston including our place on the "dry side". Called Hertz to get the rental car set up.
Bit over a three hour flight from Minneapolis to San Antonio, arriving 5-ish. It's now been 24 hours since I took off in Singapore. Ambien-forced sleep on the ten-hour leg but still exhausted. Also starving, NWA is a per-for-snacks airline and I'm cashless. Never took time in Mpls to get money or food. Have multiple voicemails from Alice. Trying to get bags and listen to them is beyond my capabilities so I wait until I have my bags and my rent-car agreement and can sit down.
Gist of very long voicemails is that they don't want me driving in to Houston at this point. I'd arrive about 9pm and the outer edges of the storm are already causing rain. What we'll find out at some point is that the inbound freeways were being closed at 6 or 7pm. Aryn has been online and rented me a hotel room at a Holiday Inn Express in San Antonio. Damn good thing she did that or I'd've had to sleep in the car. San Antonio hotels are bursting with evacuees. Alice and I talk some more. Aryn has "bullied" her into coming up to their place. That puts everyone together, a few miles further from the coast, and in a more protected location. I find the hotel and check in. Then we talk some more. I'm really not sure this is the right thing. Really wanting food, water, and to get on the road home to be with them.
I get talked out of leaving but still feel guilty for being in a comfortable hotel room while they get pounded by Ike. I walk across the street and get pizza. Want beer but there's none handy and I'm not feeling like driving anywhere so I settle for a big lemonade. Settle in front of TV on the Weather Channel until maybe 10 or 11. Then a full belly and exhaustion overrides worry and I get a little sleep. Miles calls at 1am. A bit after that I get a couple of texts from my daughter. Power just out there. Wind and rain whipping.
After a bit I take an Ambien so I can sleep. Drive to Houston tomorrow.
Updated: Added screen grab from radar archive. Houston at 2am on Sept 13.
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