Linda took this cell-phone photo of some of the trucks heading east on the Thruway Saturday.

My lovely wife, Linda, and I just got back from taking our son, George, off to college at Stony Brook University.
We moved up his move-in by a couple of days to get ourselves off the island well before Hurricane Irene was due to hit. At this writing (about 3 p.m. Saturday), Irene was expected in Long Island about 3 a.m.
Sunday.
The college has stout buildings and I'm told it occupies the highest ground on Long Island, so I'm sure George will be safe. I also suspect, though, that he's in for quite an adventure, because the computer models show the storm hitting Long Island with quite a wallop.
We got into the hurricane zone and got out ASAP. Nevertheless, we did come away with a few observations that were interesting to us:
• Everybody in Long Island and Connecticut seemed to want to gas up at the same time. Some stations were dry except for high-test all had long lines and suspiciously high prices . We had a half-tank, but nevertheless we filled up.
• Traffic was heavy, but nothing like the photos we've all seen of evacuations down south. I suspect it may pick up as the day progresses. Curiously, it was heavy in both directions.
• As we traveled on the New York Thruway, we saw well over 100 utility trucks (cherry pickers and trucks with big pole drills, mostly Verizon) headed in the opposite direction. It was a sight to see.
Anyway, I'd love to hear about your experiences. I'm sure there are more exciting tales than mine.
Please comment below or send them to kwanfried@oneidadispatch.com