Oh god I didn't even think of that. But surely that would be in the opposite direction from me?

There are plenty of stories you can look up from the 2017 event where people did not consider the traffic. Reviewing some of those might give you a better idea of what to expect for places in the path

Don't expect to be able to leave the eclipse area for hours after.

Traffic will be in all directions. If you can just chill for several hours and then leave.