Finally -- after three days of ominous silence -- Aviana checked in. She and her family were safe in Austin, she reported, following a harrowing sixteen-hour ordeal on the evacuee-choked roads leading out of Houston. Even the side roads were filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic, she told me. All this along a route which normally takes three-and-a-half-hours at most to drive! Aye, they had experienced stiff gusts and some rain during their flight to safety, but otherwise the miles-long traffic jam had been the worst event in the whole affair. For Ryleh this was WONDERFUL news: hearing Aviana's voice again, knowing she and her family were safe and sound -- it all came as an enormous relief to me after days of constant worry. Even better, Aviana had managed to talk with Ben during this time so she could also reassure me that he and his family were (relatively) unscathed by Rita's passage. Still, there is nothing more reassuring than actually seeing your friends and family in person, shaking their hands and talking with them face-to-face to erase any lingering doubts or worries. Needless to say, then, but Ryleh had plenty of incentive to make the long drive from Arkansas to Texas for Opening Weekend 2005 at the Texas Renaissance Festival -- still scheduled for the weekend following Rita's rampage!
For that trip, Ryleh added a ten-gallon gas can to his usual assortment of garb, tents and other camping gear. At that time, you see, gasoline shortages were still being reported all around the Houston area, with some gas stations even running dry due to demand. Just to be on the safe side, Ryleh decided to carry his own gas supply in the event he couldn't find any gasoline available when he got there. Fortunately, Ryleh's concerns were unfounded. True, gas prices skyrocketed once he passed Dallas heading south; true, there were a couple of gas stations still closed along I-45 just north of Conroe when he drove by that Thursday; true, there were also quite a few cars and other vehicles abandoned along both sides of the expressway following the slow-motion exodus of the weekend past; but Ryleh was never in any danger of entering an area where gasoline was unavailable for any price! As to the journey itself, it took Ryleh exactly twelve hours to drive between his doorstep in Arkansas to the campground entrance at TRF. In itself, that isn't very remarkable: 600 miles in twelve hours is about right for a leisurely jaunt from Arkansas to Texas. What did make it noteworthy, however, was the fact that Ryleh drove straight through the night, without once taking a "time out" along the side of the road. It was most unwise of him -- even bordering on the foolhardy -- but the anticipation and excitement of seeing his faire family and friends again after such a near disaster just wouldn't let him relax long enough to sleep! So as the morning sun rose over Conroe, Texas, Ryleh rolled into the Wal-Mart Supercenter there, looking to buy some Fire Ant poison before heading on to the TRF campground (by hard experience, Ryleh has learned to secure his campsite first with insecticides as proof against these stinging pests rather than risk a very unpleasant "wake up" call in the middle of the night!). As luck would have it, Ryleh also ran into a former co-worker while shopping there. This was a most pleasant and unexpected surprise: Ryleh hadn't seen Robert since 2001, so this was a wonderful opportunity for a lengthy chat early in the morning. We managed to catch up on all our personal news, gripe about work and exchange contact info so we wouldn't lose touch again before Ryleh had to move on to TRF. Meeting an old friend, unexpectedly: certes, but Opening Weekend was definitely off to a very good start!
out his truck -- by which time Ryleh was definitely feeling the need to sleep. Unlike previous years, however, Ryleh did not retire to his tent for a much-deserved rest. In fact, both tents at his campsite were used for storage, only! Over the summer, you see, Ryleh had purchased an inexpensive campershell for his little truck: outfitted with a futon and several foam pads, throw in a couple of pillows, sheet and light quilt and she transformed instantly into a perfect "tent on wheels!" Even better: she doesn't require an airconditioner powered by a roaring generator to stay cool. Just park her in the shade, open the screened air vent and side windows and let the playful breezes romp on by. All Ryleh had to do was lock himself in and he was out like a light -- immediately! -- just as soon as his head hit the pillow. Only to wake an hour later, filled with nervous energy and the excitement of being at faire, once again. So after a quick, light lunch, it was off to the Patron Campground (Photo, Below) to see who had showed up, meet and greet his faire friends and generally make a nuisance of himself while they were trying to set up their own camps and campsites!!!
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