The Texas Department of Transportation said it expected to open a shoulder of northbound Interstate 37 to traffic -- from coastal Corpus Christi to U.S. 281 roughly 80 miles inland -- on Wednesday morning to help people trying to leave the city.

CNN: Nervous Texas braces for Ike

The tranquillity of the coastal trail is occasionally broken by the sound of oncoming foot traffic, the enthusiastic chatter sprinkled with Spanish, French and German, as well as British and North American accents.

BBC: Hiking New Zealand��s smallest national park