Hello James:
A recent letter from a reader mentioned that he was looking for a retreat. If I remember correctly, that person lived in the Washington D.C. area. You had suggested Tennessee and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP) as retreat possibilities.One disadvantage of Michigan’s UP for that particular reader is that to get to the UP, they will have to drive through, or very close to, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, and Saginaw.
The Old Uooper was on-target regarding the challenges of living in many places in the UP both microclimate and soil are key factors. My personal choice would be to live within 20 miles of Lake Michigan or Lake Huron. There, soils are limestone-based and it truly is the Banana Belt. – Joe H.
JWR Replies: Actually, that particular reader lives in New Jersey, and commutes daily to New York City. But the issue that you raise is still quite valid. So much of the eastern US is urbanized that it will make any planned “11th Hour” travel during a crisis a dicey proposition. As I’ve written many times, I highly recommend permanently relocating to one of the the more fertile regions of the Intermountain West. (See my Recommended Retreat Locales web page for some general recommendations, and my book “Rawles On Retreats and Relocation“ for even greater detail, with instructive maps.) I realize that that because of work and family commitments, this is not practical for most preppers that currently live in the east. For those of you that decide to stay where you are, I recommend that you watch the news closely and be ready to bug out on very short notice. You need to be already on the road to your retreat while everyone else is still glued to their televisions, sizing up the situation. This way you can Get Out of Dodge ahead of the Golden Horde. If you hesitate you will end up in a monumental traffic jam. This necessitates having a well-stocked retreat–so that you don’t have to waste any time packing. Also, be sure to do a detailed study of secondary road routes to your retreat–avoiding all freeways and most highways. A lot of the old “”farm to market” routes are ideal. Practice driving those routes, both day and night. A well-prepared family always has a Plan B and Plan C. One of these plans should address a situation where you must hunker down at home.