Gaye Levy
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There comes a time when every prepper takes a look at what they have done, what they are currently doing, and what they plan to do in the future. Sometimes, they retrench and rethink past preps and improve on what they have done and especially what they have learned skill-wise. Sometimes they take a break because let’s face it, we all need balance in our lives. And then there is the most difficult part which is planning for future preps, if any.
I am very good about asking questions about prepping goals and readers excel at answering. Today I want to turn the tables and share a major preparedness goal that looms on my personal horizon. This is not so much that I expect you to follow suit, but more that it is such a huge goal that you may find the inspiration to set long term goals yourself.
Fair warning. This is not a typical blog post for this site, but one that needs to be written and shared with my readers.
Getting Out of Dodge
There is an old song made popular by Kenny Rogers titled The Gambler. There is a passage in the song that says “the secret to survivin’ is knowin’ what to throw away and knowin’ what to keep”. Those are important words and although taken out of context, something I have considered when taking a look at my own preps.
The world has changed tremendously since I started prepping in 2010 and it has become time to re-evaluate one of my primary pillars of survival, shelter. Is my home safe? Is it protected? If there is a major disruptive event, will I be able to carry on while making good use of my preps?
Sadly, my answer has become no. There are many reasons because at first blush, this island location is off shore, difficult to get to, and abundant in natural resources, most notably in the form of water and trees for wood and biomass. On the other hand, the cost of living is high, and during the summer months, the population doubles with the influx of tourists.
Tourists are not prepared. Should a disruptive event (earthquake, cyber attack, EMP, you name it) occur during summer, this island in the middle of nowhere will be as chaotic as the urban core in a large city. Folks will be stranded and because we are off-shore, will not even be able to walk out.
Looming large is also the strategic location near the international border and close to the entrance to Puget Sound. With certain types of events, what is to prevent our government from stepping in and taking over our island for strategic military reasons? It could happen.
I am planning to get out of dodge.
The Survival Retreat: Is It Time?
This leads me to the goal: finding a survival retreat that offers as least some of the sustainability and security that I seek.
Here is my bucket list.
Minimum of 1/3 acre and preferably more.
Sunny space for a garden. Existing fruit trees a bonus.
Trees in the general vicinity to provide wood and biomass for heating and cooking.
Local source of water such as streams, ponds, or lakes. Bonus if a well can be dug.
Abundant wildlife for hunting as a food source.
Favorable tax environment.
Sufficient storage space for a two year food supply.
Gun-friendly.
Zoning that allows for water catchment systems and auxiliary fuel/propane tanks.
History that shows area is relatively free from wild fires and floods.
Moderate climate 20F low to 90F high.
Proximity to health care within a 20 mile radius.
Very good to excellent cell phone service.
Availability of high speed internet (for as long as it lasts).
Peace, quiet, and no tourist activity.
This list has been in the making for a couple of months and is still a work in progress. Selling my home comes first.
The Challenges
This sort of move does not come without challenges. Selling a home stuffed with ten years of accumulation is a lot of work and, in an area such as ours, can take some time.
Moving is also hard work and we are not as young as we used to be. And then there are the preps. Food, gear, and water storage will be moved right along side our household goods. The logistics promise to be a nightmare but how could I not (move them, that is)?
This will all be happening while I continue to blog and continue to keep up on my skills. Will I even have time to sleep?
The Final Word
Is this type of move to a survival retreat for everyone? Of course not. There are family, job, health, and financial considerations that may need to be met. I am fortunate to be debt free with a home that, when sold, will allow me to find a mountain retreat with plenty of water, trees, and the space and sunshine to grow a bountiful garden. Will I find everything I want? Probably not, but I am going to give it my best shot.
Let me close for now with some additional lyrics from “The Gambler”.
“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em. Know when to fold ’em.
Know when to walk away and know when to run.”
At the end of the day, we all do the best we can. Although we make mistakes along the way, being a resilient species allows us to recover and move on. Wish me luck as I embark upon this new adventure. And thank you for listening.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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Have you ever wondered what preps I value the most? There are way too many to list so those I have listed below are a sampling of items I use all of the time and not simply tucked away for emergencies.
Note: As I was going around the house looking for things to add to this list, I had to stop. There are simply too many items so I will reserve the rest for another time.
UltraFire Mini Cree LED Flashlight: I personally keep flashlights in every single room of my house and you should too. At the time of this writing, these flashlights are with free shipping. These favorites are super mini sized, bright and waterproof. Plus, they use a single, standard AA sized battery.
Berkey Water Filter System: For in home use, nothing beats the Berkey. My own Royal Berkey represents a key component of my water preps. The Berkey system removes pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites entirely and extracts harmful chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, VOCs, organic solvents, radon 222 and trihalomethanes. It also reduces nitrates, nitrites and unhealthy minerals such as lead and mercury. This system is so powerful it can remove red food coloring from water without removing the beneficial minerals your body needs. Virtually no other system can duplicate this performance.
NALGENE BPA-Free Water Bottle: These water bottles have served me well. I fill them up with water from my Royal Berkey and keep one bedside, one at my desk and another in the bathroom. Keep in mind that price-wise, some colors will be more expensive so if color does not matter, go with the cheapest (currently the green version).
RAVPower 15W Solar Charger with Dual USB Ports: This compact, three panel, solar charger will charge two devices at once, including tablets, smartphones, Kindles, and even AA/AAA battery chargers. For more information, read: Gear Review: RAVPower 15W Solar Charger with Dual USB Ports.
First Aid Ammo Kit: Okay, this is an article and not one single item but I use my first aid kit at least once a week.
Panasonic eneloop AA New 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries: These days, I try to use eneloops as much as possible. They hold a charge forever – or so it seems – and work well in flashlights and small electronics.
Grabber Outdoors Original Space Brand All Weather Blanket: I was interested in a re-usable emergency blanket so I purchased one of these based upon the excellent reviews. This space blanket is definitely “heavy duty” compared to the cheapies (not that they don’t have their place because they do).
Maximal Power FC999 Universal Battery Charger: This nicely built charger will charge charge AA, AAA, C, D, N, 9V, Ni-MH, Ni-CD, and Alkaline batteries. It has an LED display so that when you first put a battery in the charging bay, you know whether it is viable for charging or simply bad and ready to go back to the recycle box.
Amprobe BAT-250 Battery Tester: I do not know anyone that is sorry they purchased or gifted an inexpensive battery tester. Mine sits in my desk drawer and is used 3 or 4 times a week. This newer version is an upgrade from the BAT-200 and well worth the additional dollar in cost. I especially like the redesigned side cradle that holds batteries securely in place during testing – no more erratic battery readings from movement off contacts.
Morakniv Craftline Q Allround Fixed Blade Utility Knife: ANOTHER FAVORITE! Also known as the Mora 511, this is now my favorite knife. It is made of Swedish steel and is super sharp. Many Backdoor Survival have emailed me indicating this is now their favorite knife too.
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54 Responses to “Getting Out of Dodge: The Survival Retreat”
Hi P, responding to your comment about the super deep snow on the UP in MI. Perhaps an A-Frame house would be best? Are there people who just don’t leave their homes all winter? Prepping for such a severe winter is very much in line with what we’re doing as readers of BDS.
Any idea how many cords of wood it takes to get through winter? I guess the biggest issue is building a home with space to hold five cords. Just guessing.
Having an attached structure that is accessible from the house, while heavily insulating the house from the structure, would provide wood storage plus frozen meat could be stored there too.
And bagged garbage. And tightly sealed compost bins for storing the sawdust and humanure from the composting toilet until it can be taken outside.
And some way to access the snow without creating an avalanche coming through the door. Melted snow could provide water for the whole winter. Maybe an upstairs window.
Trappers must have lived in this area for centuries without utilities. The trick is finding unzoned land.
I am so miserable in the heat and humidity where I live now. I barely leave the house from May-October. But everyone else is outside. Being snowed in but able to enjoy summer sounds really good to me.
Summers are extremely short so any gardening of warm weather crops would have to start indoors. I’ve been in the UP in winter but never lived there. I did homestead in MN years ago in a similar climate but minus such deep snow. It takes A LOT of snow to make any quantity of water plus a lot of heat energy to melt it! You wouldn’t want to store more than a days worth of wood in the house (bugs….) usually a lean to close to the house is best but not against the house (bugs including termites). How much woods depends on the type of wood. Soft woods burn fast so you need more than with hard woods. You will also need to “season” your wood for a year (dry it out) before using. Most of the year you will be living on the food you stored so you need to be an efficient gardener and very knowledgable of proper planting times for each crop as with a short growing season a week can make the difference weather you harvest a crop or not.
We also are looking to find that ‘perfect spot’ to up and move to. Everything on the list is on ours, but I think I would add to your list – given the climatic changes ahead for our world, an area that doesn’t have tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis and brutal winters with abundant snowfall. PLEASE please let us know what you find….I am hopefully there is actually something out there that might meet all your criteria, but believe that there will have to be compromises. One compromise I am not willing to make at our senior age is access to medical care – very necessary and critical at this point in our lives – and not only access but quality.
We currently live in King County WA. Can’t tell you how many people I meet in dr waiting rooms here who have made the trip from places like Blaine, Bellingham, Mt. Vernon – all because they wanted/needed the highest care possible by the best dr/surgeons. Not willing to travel 2 hours to access that.
We were vacationing on Kaui in 1992 during Hurricane Iniki – and the aftermath was as you describe your fears – an island full of tourists that needed to be relocated asap. We were thrilled to be able to be flown off the island 5 days after… which really brought to light what it is like after a natural disaster, especially on an island which is only accessible via water or air.
Monique, Thank you so much. This is wonderful information. I’m excited about directing my research efforts there. My ex is from there and I sort of felt like I need to stay out of his turf, but what you described sounds perfect. I really like the sense of community you described with local food. Thank you again.
By those criteria, I am already there, consider if you will, Ohio, lots of natural resources, proven agricultural land, and you can buy acres for relatively reasonable rates. Amish country provides even better steps for prepping, lots of non electric machines, already lots of homesteading going on, and buying local is easier than ever, oh, and many folks round these parts already barter
Monique, I’ve been looking at the far north of Michigan on a map. I’m very interested in learning how strong is the separation from the highly populated Detroit area. Would the urban and suburban people’s go that far north in a disaster? The lower part of MI is already economically depressed, and there was that big water crisis. People there have already suffered a lot.
And what about that northern peninsula that connects to Wisconsin? Does that belong to MI?It really looks like the perfect remote area. Thanks in advance for your input. BTW I don’t care how cold it gets.
Karen, I have to start by saying that we did not choose Northern Michigan for ‘prepping’ purposes; we had the option to come here from Houston for my husband’s work. After a couple of visits we decided that yes, we would like to move here for the slower pace, lack of traffic, proper seasons and overall beauty of the place. At that point I was just starting to become interested in prepping and the more I learned, the more I realized what a great place this is. There is water everywhere, there are woods everywhere and land and property is cheap. It is very easy to be remote but still within very easy distance from a town with the necessary amenities. There is also a strong local food culture here, with people growing their own food, excellent farmers markets etc., as well as a strong hunting and fishing culture.
To answer your questions: it is a good 4 ½ hour drive from where we are to Detroit. It is my feeling, based on no real facts, that people from the Detroit area would be more likely to move south in a disaster, knowing that there are lots of big farms in the central states where they would expect to find food. Because Northern Michigan kind of ‘dead ends’ in the Great Lakes I think most people would not consider it a good direction to go.
The peninsula that connects to Wisconsin is the UP, the Upper Peninsula, and it is part of Michigan. It is further north from where we are and consequently colder, but that obviously doesn’t bother you. I haven’t visited there yet but it is very popular with hunters and fishermen and is by all accounts very beautiful.
All in all I feel that we are kind of ‘away from it all’ in this relatively undiscovered little corner of the US and that makes me feel quite safe.
I would caution anyone considering moving to the UP to visit there in January! It is DEEP snow country. When you see pictures of people digging down in the snow to their houses that is the type of snow I’m talking about.
as I write this from my son’s I am also struck by making sure we stay healthy. We (DH & I) took off for our son’s in GA last Thursday . I had what the doctor called a slight sinus infection and gave me meds to take. Unfortunately by the time we got to GA it had developed into a severe enough infection that put me in the hospital AND to add insult to injury, my car which HAD been checked out blew the timing chain and two valves in
TN on the way down.I want to find something to go to when SHTF with the family and friends but I do declare Fate seems to be working against right now I hope you find what you want and it won’t take too long to acquire the land. I have a friend that after 4 years of fighting they may lose the land and everything they’ve put into it
God Bless Gaye.
Blessings back to you, Kathy. I hope you are on the mend and don’t give up on your quest to find the a place to land if the SHTF. Proximity to good healthcare is high on our list given our ages. As much as I do as much as I can with essential oils and natural remedies, they can only go so far. I have many books on Survival Medicine just in case but still, I hope it never gets to that.
Thank you Gaye,I am on the mend , got the car back yesterday but coming up the mtn the V-Tech valve blew. We limped back to son’s in GA and one of their mechanics got us in this morning and we have (knock wood) a car to make it back to Michigan. Monique, it sounds like you all lucked out, congrats. We are central MI and while there is farm land around. It has been “poisoned” IMO by the GMO crops AND I fear the few “organic, natural” truck farms will be forced out.This is the first time in quite a few years the hubs and I have not grown anything, due to health issues and surgeries.SO I am also worried about being physically able to provide.Plus we are so close to a major city that we WILL be over run by those that think they can just take what I’ve put back. I have REALLY tried to talk to DH but he thinks nothing is ever going to happen and I’m “preparing for Armageddon” but I just can’t shake off my uneasiness about what is coming. I NEVER used to be this way, you know, just made sure you have “emergency” supplies and make do, use up,etc.
Karen, You probably won’t have to worry about the Detroiters heading that far north,too cold and it’s mostly state land, they’ll most likely hit the central and south of Michigan,first.Where most of the Amish, Mennonite farms are and they will keep heading South like locust. Sorry for the vitriol but I was born and raised in the Detroit area and have watched Mayor after Mayor and Council members treat the City like their private fiefdom and ruin it.
Before it gets too bad DH’s job took us to where we are now that’s why I’m not there still.
Your article made me feel pretty good about my situation. We have sold our home in the Houston, Texas area and buying a small home about 100 miles north of here, with several outbuildings and a 14 kw Generac, backup generator already installed. Heat is propane. The property is adjacent to forest, so have plenty of wood available if needed. There is about a 1/2 acre of cleared area for a nice sized garden. One thing I really like is that we are more than 20 miles as the crow flies from any major highway and about 5 1/2 miles from the nearest town. We have a small pond on the property, so will always have access to water. One thing I hope to add is a couple of bee hives for the garden and the honey. Although we have lived in town for over 20 years, I have a small garden and 6 laying hens on a small city lot. I am more than ready for this move.
Hey Don, we used to be in Tomball, just outside of Houston and the thought of being that close to a couple million people in the event of a serious situation is terrifying. We moved to Northern Michigan and convinced my adult son and his girlfriend to do the same. We have 4 acres, a garden, chickens, a well with a hand pump in the event of a power outage, and a defensible situation. I sleep so much better …
Hi Gayle, it sounds like you are making a wise decision moving from where you are. I know that you want to get into homesteading and because of that I would like to make one suggestion: go for more than 1/3 acre!! You don’t need big barns and big machinery, but to make the whole system work you DO need space for a good-sized compost heap, cold frame(s)/greenhouse, chicken coop and/or goat shelter and the ability to rotate your crops. From experience I would suggest that 2 acres should be your minimum. Best of luck!
Sorry Gaye, autocorrect got your name wrong!
Northern Idaho is pretty spot on for everything except for your climate requirements. I hit -20°F but I am waaaay in the mountains. Lower down it only goes to about 5°F. Wildfires are also a problem. However, the people are great and mostly like-minded; fishing, hunting, and trapping abilities are not just allowed but strongly encouraged; tons of lakes, creeks, and rivers that are full of fish; gun ownership is viewed as common sense; the homestead tax exemption means your primary residence only pays 1/2 the yearly tax; sales tax is 6%; and Coeur d’Alene and Hayden have a surprising amount of stores with Spokane being within driving distance for true emergencies/rarities. -Northern- Idaho also enjoys a complete lack of venomous snakes, scorpions, and almost no dangerous spiders. Southern Idaho is a different story.
On the Con side, you have the weather, trees, and employment. Weatherwise, the winters can be incredibly tough. Several feet of snow is not uncommon, neither are thunderstorms in the spring, both of which lead to powerouts. The trees are primarily pine, and pine is not good for cooking, burning, growing under, or really doing anything except extracting tar and carving. Depending on your job, employment opportunities can be harder to come by. Then again, that’s kind of common all across the country these days.
Best of luck to you and your family. I used to live on Whidbey and my Grandpa told me all about when they mined the Sound in WWII.
Gaye, The mountains of western North Carolina meet all your criteria and there is much land available. Anything from 1/4 acre lots right on up to 150+ retreat acres with woods, water, privacy, grazing areas, out buildings in place and more. Check out http://www.MoonDancerRealty.com and we can find you what your looking for.