I live just north of Dallas, Texas.

I have a Ford Ranger with almost a foot of clearance. It normally has enuff supplies in the back to make do if I had to... tent, sleeping bag, bug-out-bag and misc food supplies. I work about 20 minutes from my house via the side streets, so with reasonable warning and depending on the crisis I could make sure the truck is stocked. However if I need to cut and run, I think I would be ok.

My concern is if the media were to announce that some emergency had just happened or would happen soon and they needed to evacuate the northeast part of the state it would be choas.

There are probably a dozen paved roads leading north of town with 3 having 4 lanes or more. But you try to get 5+ million people to move in an orderly fashion and there will bottlenecks and choas.

So I was lookkng at alternate roadways... I saw a post earlier that mentioned the forest service road. I think I could easily use those after I got north of town a little. But that got me thinking... the electric company easments for the high power lines... fairly flat, grass and weeds are not terribly high or thick. Rail roads...usually have a gravel bed that is wide enuff to drive on. < I am not saying everyone should do this.. it would be dangerous >

Any one have other alternate roads? or know if there are maps that would cover the ones I mentioned?

thanks

"Shortcuts make long delays."- Bilbo Baggins, Lord of the Rings. There are a few problems that may counterbalance your plan. 1. Relief agencies may themselves utilise your routes heading south as you bottleneck things going north 2. If you encounter any problems you are 'off the radar' of allready overtaxed relief agencies 3. the mythical pagan biker gangs out to sieze your freeze dried lima beans and 12 guage shells will likely ply these routes with 10 guage shotguns.

Another thought...you will only get as far as the fuel in your tank, and any extra you may be carrying, 'cuz all of the gas stations will be packed, and once they run out, the fuel tankers will not be able to get to them. One more reason to always have at least a half tank in every vehicle you own...

Ok. As a card-carrying member of a pagan biker gang that takes great pride in keeping itself stocked in freeze-dried Lima beans, I have to ask: Could you elaborate on this point please?

Guys with 10 ga shotguns have a jones for lima beans? Either that or it's better to stay on designated routes so you don't get into trouble unknown to authorities. Get off the radar and YOYO. But we knew that.

"...the mythical pagan biker gangs out to sieze your freeze dried lima beans and 12 guage shells will likely ply these routes with 10 guage shotguns..."

Good point. If things go really really bad, there will be bands of roving bag guys just looking to take your food, water, wife, 12 year old daughter, you name it. Just look at what happened inside the N.O. Superdome after one little hurricane. Think Mad Max, Road Warrior, Deliverance, all that bad stuff WILL happen. There will always be bad guys who figure, why prepare yourself, just take from those who do. So, if you head out into the boonies, you'be better get WAAAYYY out in the boonies, and, no matter where you are, be ready, willing, and able to defend what is yours all cost...

Agreed. I had a problem with the whole "might makes right" thing, but the fact of the matter is that once trespassed onto someone else's property for whatever reason, you are on your own.

My 'tongue in cheek' reply was meant to poke fun at ALL of us. Subconsciously I think we are all Walter Mitty's and survival scenarios our daydream of taking control in a situation out of control. I used the 10 guage as metaphor for the reality somebody, or even SOMETHING, like a 13" obstacle for our poster's 12" wheel clearance may stand in our way. No plan is 100% perfect for 100% of possible situations 100% of the time. But our very posting here gives us all a few % over the majority of folks. Hopefully enough to hang tough till aid groups can respond in full.

actually, when the hype died down, they realized - not much happened inside the superdome - yeah the bathrooms broke, things got wet, but there was not the big crime spree the media reported (made up?)

BTW you know where NG HQ was durning the storm? In the dome...

You better scout those powerline roads before you need them. Most are designed to provide access to the lines, not as thruways.. They look good, but you will find many blockages like swamps or streams, bolder fields etc. The crews know where they blockages are and they either enter the area from one end of the road or the other.