Finally everything (almost) is packed and we will be heading up tomorrow to get our passes (fingers crossed, I have issues every year) and set up camp. I know all about how the weather is supposed to be and UGH, but we'll get it all done, I've set up in rain and wind before.
We've moved recently and I've never driven from this part of town (just north of the Heights) to Faire... As a long time northsider, I know enough back roads out to the 1960 area to get us past the worst of 290, I know for darned sure that 249 will be a huge mess out to Tomball at least. So I am thinking that our best bet will be to go out 290 and cross over in to Magnolia or Todd Mission via the FM roads...
Does anyone else drive this route?
I think US 290 to FM362 then up FM1488 to Magnolia will work quite well and get us to 1774 without too much trouble. However I'm looking at a map and I see that it LOOKS LIKE I can turn from 1488 on to Bower Road, follow it to Riley road and basically hit Renfaire road... Does anyone know if this works?
Better route would be to go past 1960/Hwy 6 and go north on Telge all the way to 2920, then east to 249 in Tomball and north to Magnolia.
You could try 2920 to Roberts Cemetery to Nickolas Sawmill, take a right and follow it till it hits 1774 in Magnolia.
We take 290 to Cypress Rosehill, to Decker Prairie Rosehill, to 249. I puts you out on 249 past Tomball, so you miss Tomball traffic.
Singed, you have a Jeep, just point it in a straight line and drive :D
For what it's worth, I never have any problems running straight up 249 all the way from Beltway 8 to magnolia. There's a little bit of a slow right at Tomball, because of a few intersections, but it's not really that bad at all (they've widened in places since the hospital went in). During the day, the traffic is almost non-existent, so if you can drive when it's not rush hour, you should be fine :)
The only case where I HIGHLY recommend finding another route is during really really bad storms.. the northern end of 249 still floods terribly, and nothing sucks like sitting in a road you can't turn around on because the cars in front of you just realized they are NOT as tall as the tractor trailer they saw go through ahead of them.
249 now has the bypass at Tomball too, so you don't wind up sitting for all those lights. I tried two different routes this weekend (having moved since last season), and the 249 one is still the best. (I used to be going from by the horse track, now the Heights.) Have seen the flooding - we thought we wouldn't get back from Lawrence's sister's place in Tomball one night. Nothing yesterday despite all the wetness.
I come from Austin and I have always taken 290 east to FM 1488 into Magnolia then North on FM 1774 the six miles or so to fair. I have never had a problem and traffics has never been all that bad. I have arrived in the dead of night on Friday as well as 7-8 AM Saturday Morning and have been OK beside what is expected as a little bit of traffic that starts in magnolia, but it is only 6 miles to the grounds from there.
It takes me 2.5 hours almost to the minute from leaving my driveway to park at the fair grounds every time I have gone.