How many here have a BOL? (bug out location)

[The Heretic]

Depending on the situation, I would imagine that even if you do own it, there is a good chance it could be occupied if it's uninhabited.

Less likely if you already live there and/or your neighbors help enforce your ownership. I know that if someone were squatting on my neighbor's property I would help them. Which, if DON"T own the property and you don't have a right to be at your destination, then if I were a neighbor to the owner, or a neighbor to the person who got there first, I would be helping out with the removal of whomever came and made a fuss because someone else was there first, etc. - so that is one more reason to own or otherwise have a recognized right to your destination (e.g., owner has given you permission).

 

[gimpy51]

Hopefully in about 16-18 months my bug-out will be my bug-in.

That's my present. I have a few hundred acres and am homesteading an hour out of one of the poorest counties in Oregon. Presently, I am creating plenty of defensible clear space and living next to good 'ol boys that will be in the same trenches. Less than a dozen neighbors within a mile radius. Well, Working on solar soon. A pine forest with seasonal river.

I ain't running anywhere.

 

[Angie]

Exactly correct on all counts, so if you think any of the above (or other) is likely enough that you are considering a BOL, you should consider moving to a location where you can better survive before that happens.

I can tell you that the "Felony Flats" area in SE Portland will get pretty interesting within a day or two, and even semi-rural areas near large cities will have a lot of uninvited guests in a shorter time than you would think.

We are on a 5 -7 year plan to get there. Gotta make some $$$ first. Not much of that to be made in the PNW (husband is in marketing and consulting).

You don't necessarily need a piece of property just a destination. You have a shipping container with supplies in it away from the pugetropolis portlandia areas.
Then a truck with a camper shell on up,whatever you can afford,to get out of dodge
I agree most would be better off staying home than moving. And you would need a crystal ball to know when the jump ship early (No no more CG talk).
But it wouldn't be bad for a back up plan. Or if you had a window of opportunity to bail.
Now this is if you live down town where the worst folks will end up.

Where are you at in Idaho? I understand if you'd rather not say My parents and BIL are in Spirit Lake area, so we are up there 2-3 times a year.

 

[Siglvr]

My ex-next door neighbor had what I thought was an ideal Bug out "location". It was a sailboat moored on the Columbia river 7 miles from his home. It was a Cal 22 he bought for @ $4-5 thousand, and he paid @ $100 a month to moor it. It would sleep 6 but he had 2 maybe 3 folks. He slapped a sturdy lock on it and kept it fully stocked, moored in a secure and locked location. If worst case hit, and N Korea touched off an EMP via one of their orbiting satellites, he could have walked to the boat a mere 7 miles away and had what any Prepper would have dreamed of.

1) Mobility: the ability to go anywhere in the world. Right then.

2) Food: - Being on the river, lots of fish, but he could easily silently sail up and down the river to an uninhabited spot and pop a deer, an elk or someones dog or cat for dinner.

3) Safety- a lot of preppers talk about hardening a spot to be defensible. This guy already would have an immense moat around him, and if a crowd started to form or he saw what he considered shady characters on shore, could pull anchor and float a few miles downsteam to safety, or head offshore a few miles. He could also have easily gone to Fuji, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico or anywhere in the world with no power needed (he had sails) as he felt the need.

Meantime, until the SHTF, he'd be relaxing on the river in his boat on his off hours. Trust me on this, in Portland, a sailboat is both the ideal Bug out vehicle, and the ideal bug out location.

 

[3MTA3]

The only problem is that it would be stolen before he could get to it. SHTF is followed closely by WROL where possession is 100% of the law.

 

[The Heretic]

If it wasn't stolen, he would be a sitting duck out in the middle of the river - visible for miles and a tempting target to everybody - in a boat that is far from bulletproof, which someone on shore could take potshots at from behind cover until they were sure everyone on the boat was dead.

I spent four years on various boats in the USCG - on the Columbia (from one end to the other), Snake, Spokane, and on the Pacific Ocean out of Newport. I would not consider them a BOL for most people, especially if they are anywhere near shore. Useful, yes, a BOL? No.

Ask the people who take ships anywhere near Somalia if they feel secure on those vessels and they are a lot larger than a pleasure craft, made out of stout steel and now generally have defensive measures.

 

[edslhead]

My ex-next door neighbor had what I thought was an ideal Bug out "location". It was a sailboat moored on the Columbia river 7 miles from his home. It was a Cal 22 he bought for @ $4-5 thousand, and he paid @ $100 a month to moor it. It would sleep 6 but he had 2 maybe 3 folks. He slapped a sturdy lock on it and kept it fully stocked, moored in a secure and locked location. If worst case hit, and N Korea touched off an EMP via one of their orbiting satellites, he could have walked to the boat a mere 7 miles away and had what any Prepper would have dreamed of.

1) Mobility: the ability to go anywhere in the world. Right then.

2) Food: - Being on the river, lots of fish, but he could easily silently sail up and down the river to an uninhabited spot and pop a deer, an elk or someones dog or cat for dinner.

3) Safety- a lot of preppers talk about hardening a spot to be defensible. This guy already would have an immense moat around him, and if a crowd started to form or he saw what he considered shady characters on shore, could pull anchor and float a few miles downsteam to safety, or head offshore a few miles. He could also have easily gone to Fuji, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico or anywhere in the world with no power needed (he had sails) as he felt the need.

Meantime, until the SHTF, he'd be relaxing on the river in his boat on his off hours. Trust me on this, in Portland, a sailboat is both the ideal Bug out vehicle, and the ideal bug out location.

Unless SHTF was some terrorist blowin Bonneville dam

 

[3MTA3]

Less likely if you already live there and/or your neighbors help enforce your ownership. I know that if someone were squatting on my neighbor's property I would help them. Which, if DON"T own the property and you don't have a right to be at your destination, then if I were a neighbor to the owner, or a neighbor to the person who got there first, I would be helping out with the removal of whomever came and made a fuss because someone else was there first, etc. - so that is one more reason to own or otherwise have a recognized right to your destination (e.g., owner has given you permission).

And this brings up another thing - unless the incident is fairly short you won't be able to go it alone. Eventually food supplies run out. Eventually things break that need repair. Eventually there is an accident or medical issue you can't handle yourself. You need people who can help you and that you help in return, even if it's just trading something you are long in for something you need.

 

[Siglvr]

Not trying to prickly, but don't agree.

It the Stuff truly did hit the fan, what kind of an idiot would be randomly wasting their precious bullets to take potshots for no particular purpose AND by doing so open themselves up to retaliation from a better shot on the boat taking them right out? Even if you had an abundance of bullets, you could use them for trading material easier and safer. The river is so wide at spots that you would be pretty safe from even a skilled long range shooter, and if irrational shots were to come out one could easily release the anchor and drift to safety.

As far as it being stolen before you could get there, highly unlikely for several reasons. 1st) He had one of the smallest/worst looking boats in an area stuff full of other boats. 2nd) Getting a sailboat out of the moorage takes a certain skill set. Anyone with that skillset who was able to pass the locked gates would not want to take his boat with so many better ones nearby. 3rd) His was locked up more securely than about everyone elses. Even a curusary glance and an idiot would immediately see that it would be one of the harder ones to get operational. Why not take any one of a 100 better boats that clearly and visibly would be easier to launch out? But regardless, if you are a planner and have a stashed radio in a Farraday cage, you would know the circumstances of that situation and be acting before anyone else had even rolled out of bed. Most of the irrationals, if it would to go to hell, would be busting windows to steal TVs at that point and nowhere near you on the hike to the boat.

I have not followed that path and have my own, less secure gig plotted out, but can see that the plus's are much stronger in most scenarios than the minus's. In the event of an actual Nuclear war or fallout situation for instance, boat guy can get out of the fallout area much faster and much further than any of us with our non-operational vehicles could. Earthquake, same thing. Everyone here seems to think that they'll be driving the roads normally. The reality is most likely otherwise. Hurricane (which we don't see) his boat would be wrecked so not a good plan in that scenario.

As far as the dam being blown, Not going to happen. Head up there and see if the feds have ignored the security of it after 9/11. If the shtf and the power goes out and the dam is evaced, no one would have the ability to get that kind of explosive set up in place to pop the dam open. I was the EOD guy on my team, I blew a lot of stuff up and have a slight familiarity on this subject, and it just ain't gonna happen.

Edit: as far as the Somalia comment, would you rather be up on shore with all the skinnys running around armed to the teeth, or in the middle of the ocean sailing the other direction?

 

[edslhead]

Not trying to prickly, but don't agree.

It the Stuff truly did hit the fan, what kind of an idiot would be randomly wasting their precious bullets to take potshots for no particular purpose AND by doing so open themselves up to retaliation from a better shot on the boat taking them right out? Even if you had an abundance of bullets, you could use them for trading material easier and safer. The river is so wide at spots that you would be pretty safe from even a skilled long range shooter, and if irrational shots were to come out one could easily release the anchor and drift to safety.

As far as it being stolen before you could get there, highly unlikely for several reasons. 1st) He had one of the smallest/worst looking boats in an area stuff full of other boats. 2nd) Getting a sailboat out of the moorage takes a certain skill set. Anyone with that skillset who was able to pass the locked gates would not want to take his boat with so many better ones nearby. 3rd) His was locked up more securely than about everyone elses. Even a curusary glance and an idiot would immediately see that it would be one of the harder ones to get operational. Why not take any one of a 100 better boats that clearly and visibly would be easier to launch out? But regardless, if you are a planner and have a stashed radio in a Farraday cage, you would know the circumstances of that situation and be acting before anyone else had even rolled out of bed. Most of the irrationals, if it would to go to hell, would be busting windows to steal TVs at that point and nowhere near you on the hike to the boat.

I have not followed that path and have my own, less secure gig plotted out, but can see that the plus's are much stronger in most scenarios than the minus's. In the event of an actual Nuclear war or fallout situation for instance, boat guy can get out of the fallout area much faster and much further than any of us with our non-operational vehicles could. Earthquake, same thing. Everyone here seems to think that they'll be driving the roads normally. The reality is most likely otherwise. Hurricane (which we don't see) his boat would be wrecked so not a good plan in that scenario.

As far as the dam being blown, Not going to happen. Head up there and see if the feds have ignored the security of it after 9/11. If the shtf and the power goes out and the dam is evaced, no one would have the ability to get that kind of explosive set up in place to pop the dam open. I was the EOD guy on my team, I blew a lot of stuff up and have a slight familiarity on this subject, and it just ain't gonna happen.

Edit: as far as the Somalia comment, would you rather be up on shore with all the skinnys running around armed to the teeth, or in the middle of the ocean sailing the other direction?

You can easily get a boat to the dam from the Bonneville pool and security is almost nil navigating through the locks. It could happen.
Forgot. You can drive a big ol truck right up next to the fish countin station

 

[The Heretic]

I doubt anybody could or would blow the dam.

Scale 8 to 9 earthquake? That might impact a dam or two. It has before.

 

[The Heretic]

As for people shooting at boats - you are assuming people are going to act rationally.

Not a good assumption.

 

[edslhead]

I doubt anybody could or would blow the dam.

Scale 8 to 9 earthquake? That might impact a dam or two. It has before.

View attachment 305917
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Thats more likely. Or maybe a train derailment with a huge fire

 

[Diamondback]

As for people shooting at boats - you are assuming people are going to act rationally.

Not a good assumption.

"A person can be smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it!"
--Agent K of the Men in Black

 

[Ura-Ki]

I doubt anybody could or would blow the dam.

Scale 8 to 9 earthquake? That might impact a dam or two. It has before.

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What damn was this? What country?

 

[The Heretic]

What damn was this? What country?

It was was a dam, not a damn.

Shih Kang

Taiwan

 

[The Heretic]

Lessons learned from the earthquake performance of concrete dams - International Water Power

 

[IronMonster]

I doubt anybody could or would blow the dam.

Scale 8 to 9 earthquake? That might impact a dam or two. It has before.

View attachment 305917
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Damn

 

[Siglvr]

Lessons learned from the earthquake performance of concrete dams - International Water Power

It's a good point The Heretic, but the lesson isn't valid. Per your link: Shih Kang Dam (see Figure 6) in Taiwan is especially relevant to the study of performance of concrete dams subjected to earthquakes as it 1) is the first concrete reported to have failed due to an earthquake and 2) the dam is located directly over a branch of the fault'.

None of the Columbia dams are on a fault, and only one dam in your study failed. I'll go with your conclusion "In general, it can be concluded that concrete dams have performed very well when subjected to high intensity accelerations. "

I'm not worried.

....Wait....'Serious problem': 65-foot crack found in Columbia River dam


grrrrr

 

[waglockfan]

Yessir. I have a cabin on 20 acres, as well as a bumper pull 21' trailer.

Options man, options.