Category: Retreat Locales

Letter Re: Retreat Locale Recommendations in Texas

Dear Mr. Rawles, In answer to your query, let me share a few observations: 1. Gillespie and Kerr Counties are a paradise. The Guadalupe is a good river, and there is a lot of fertile and secluded canyon-bottom where folk can live their lives in peace. Those secluded canyons are frequently bordered by godless rocky outcrops. The other good thing about that part of the world is that the Germans that populate the area don’t tolerate lawlessness. Period. Fredericksburg in Gillespie is so German that municipal politics is still Protestant-Catholic. Kerville is little different. New Braunfels is similar, but is …


More Poll Responses Re: Best Places for Retreats in the Eastern U.S. and Overseas?

Dear Jim: Glad you are open to suggestions from those of us East of the Mississippi. For those who are unfamiliar, a great starting point of identifying the places to be and not to be in your state is the work of Bruce Beach and, as recently noted of SurvivalBlog, be sure to see some more recent maps by the folks at SurvivalRing and then consider wind patterns in your area, and the jet stream. Just remember to consider: major military targets, state or federal government centers, nuclear power plants, large power plants and electric generating dams, or any key …


Poll Responses Re: Best Places for Retreats in the Eastern U.S. and Overseas?

Jim, For those of us stuck in the Northeast due to family and or business reasons, I suggest the the area in New Hampshire north of the White Mountains and east of the Connecticut river. Generally from Woodsville, NH to Lancaster, NH. Including the area around Lisbon, Littleton and Whitefield in the Ammonoosuc River valley. Distance to Boston is approximately 150 miles, and Montreal 170 miles. – Art   Dear Jim, For retreat sites east of the Mississippi, one of the most uninhabited areas is in West Virginia south of the WV Turnpike down through the eastern corner of Kentucky …


Polling the Blog Readership: Best Places for Retreats in the Eastern U.S. and Overseas?

I’m in the final stages of writing my upcoming nonfiction book, “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”. In it, I give my recommendations on retreat locales in 19 western states. As you know, I am not a proponent of retreats east of the Mississippi River, due to the higher population density of the eastern states and their downwind location. That would make them vulnerable to a full scale nuclear attack. And I’m the first to admit that I’m biased toward the Western U.S., since I like my “elbow room.” But for those of you that do choose to stay in the …


Letter Re: Real Estate Crash Followed by a Hyperinflationary Recession?

Mr. Rawles, Again, for your very useful posts, thank you. I have a question if you have the time. It was in regards to your real estate post: “My advice to home owners is pay it off and my advice to prospective home buyers is wait for the crash and pay for it with cash.” This is my current plan: I’ve sold my home and am renting now. But do you believe (in the hyper-inflation scenario) that there will be a lull to allow for your statement above? Will there be a time in between when recession/depression and when hyper-inflation …


A Survival Retreat for Under $1,000, By Wolverine

Call it a survival retreat, hunting cabin, or summer cottage, a place away from the crowds and turmoil of the cities is a dream most of us share. Some folks plan out a survival retreat in such detail that long-term storage, over lapping fields of fire, and fuel supplies are worked out. Others, like myself, approach it as a vacation spot that can be readily converted if need be to an alternate living location. Back in the late 1960s my family had a small two-room cottage on a lake in northern Michigan. The cottage had no electricity, no running water, …


Letter Re: Indian Reservation Boundaries a Determining Factor for Retreat Locales?

Hi Jim, Excellent web site! Regarding the recent discussion on living near or in a reservation, I have a couple of informed comments. I have been living near the Navajo Nation, and working in the Navajo Nation for about one year. I am of Caucasian descent. Here’s a couple of observations: 1. Native Americans seem to have a subtle racism/dislike for whites … when TSHTF, I am sure that they will draw together, and whites will find themselves an “outgroup.” 2. Most reservations and reservation residents, even though proclaiming sovereign status, are actually very dependent on the US government for …


Letter Re: Why Christianity? and Recommendations on the Great Lakes

Mr. Rawles, I just finished your novel (“Patriots”), after a marathon reading session that consumed my entire weekend. It was marvelous. I loved every aspect of the book except all of the religious references aimed towards Christians. Can a man of your obvious intelligence really believe that “being a good Christian” elevates someone morally to a higher level than perhaps a Muslim, Jew (yes you showed respect in the book for [a Jewish character’s] beliefs, but…), or myself a fence riding atheist? I want so much to believe in god, but it appears that god has abandoned this world. Secondly, …


Letter Re: Indian Reservation Boundaries a Determining Factor for Retreat Locales?

James, In your posted list of ‘Recommended Retreat Areas‘ you address Indian tribal government as a ‘minus’ because of an extra layer of bureaucracy only for Oklahoma. Doesn’t this apply to each and every state which contains reservations? Your top 12 recommended states all have reservations on them. Might not that Indian Nation independence be a benefit? Or, since my knowledge on Indian Tribal Lands and their political position being quite slim, might I just be missing some very basic information which would lend one to see the true position? I have been doing some research but haven’t uncovered anything …


Letter Re: Asian Avian Flu and Waterfowl Migratory Flyways

1) I don’t know if you’ve seen it yet, but there is a map of “Waterfowl Flyways of North America” (put mouse cursor on icon in lower right corner and click to enlarge). This shows the routes that migratory ducks and geese follow when they return to the southern USA in the fall after mingling with Eurasian migratory birds in the subarctic over the summer. 2) That is, the map shows the primary routes along which Avian flu would be transmitted into the USA: a) Coastal bays like the Chesapeake and Delaware on the East Coast and San Francisco on …


Letter Re: The “Sell Your House and Rent it Back” Option in a Falling House Market

James: In a recent e-mail, you suggested considering selling my house and renting for a period of time, or at least until the real estate bubble stabilized. [JWR’s replies are in-line, in bold text.] 1.) Do you still recommend doing this? Yes, if you are living in a bubble region that is likely to see steep house price declines. The big question now is: can you find someone willing to do this? A year ago or even just six months ago, it would have been fairly easy, since the market was still rising. Now, with prices falling, it might be …


Letter Re: East Coast WTSHTF: You Can’t Get There From Here

Sir: In my role as “the good citizen” and amateur radio operator, I have just competed a state sponsored FEMA “Incident Command System” class (IC-700). My worst concerns regarding bugging out from my coastal home in Connecticut were confirmed at that class. Here in Connecticut we have no mass evacuation routes available or realistic plans in place to deal with a catastrophic scenario resulting in the exiting of the people who live in this area. You see we already have quite an impressive rush hour traffic pattern which as gotten geometrically worse over the past 30 years. Back in 1976, …


Letter From Buckshot Re: Housing Bubble Schizophrenia

Hi Jim, I was over on Realtor.com and checking on housing prices for the bubble. On the right hand side was books advertisements. The first one listed was Cash in on the Coming Real Estate Crash, the second book was Learn How to Profit from Foreclosures Without Risking Your Savings! the books are from Wiley real estate.   Talk about Wiley Coyote stepping off the cliff on part of the page they are trying to sell houses and the other part they are saying Real Estate is going to crash. Only in America. Here’s the link to Wiley


Letter Re: An Urban/Suburban “Stay Put” Survival Strategy

Hi again Jim, I felt I must respond to David’s earlier post regarding self defense weapons and Buckshot’s suggestion of a .30-30 lever action as being your sole means of self defense. While many of your readers may live in rural areas with ready access to hunting and lower population densities there are many millions more like myself who live in major urban areas and make our living here. Many of us have a dream of some remote survival retreat well stocked and self sufficient with water and food but its not a reality at the moment.  Depending upon the …


Letter Re: Hunkering Down Close to an Urban Area

Hi Again Jim, I live along the coast of Southern California about 20 miles from the core of Los Angeles and have no way of bugging out if TSHTF and have therefore made plans to bug in and hunker down with my survival family and a few very select friends. I have a 1/4 acre place with a small raised bed garden and about 10 fruit trees and have been following this web site for a while now with great interest. You may share with other readers if you feel there is interest. Regards, – DC