Archive for October, 2009
Oct
23
Reader Questions
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Welcome back and look, its Friday again already? Where does the time go? We have our first book recipient all set. I’ll be mailing off the copy of “One Second After” to Matt our 15th email requester later this afternoon. I want to thank you all for the emails, yes I know its exactly what I asked you to do if you wanted a shot at a free book but your words of encouragement were very generous! I’ve received a few ideas for additions to the site so if these were from you, watch for them to be implemented in the coming weeks…
Side Note ~
I had a few responses about the book from folks that were NOT subscribers yet, they were after the #15 had already been identified… Please subscribe to the email updates before you email me about the give-a-ways, I don’t want anyone to miss out! Also, I get a few emails from folks that are receiving an ERROR message when they try to subscribe. As far as I can tell, this happens only if you try to subscribe twice… There’s a delay built into the system that allows an administrator to approve anything submitted, including email subscribers. SPAM is ridiculously pervasive and this delay is a must. However, if you are getting an error or not receiving the email alert that a new post is available, email me right away and I’ll make sure I manually enter your email info and so we won’t have any additional problems. I appreciate your understanding as this site is giving me alot of enjoyment but I’m having to learn alot of the ins and outs as well! I will try to respond to any and every email you guys send me but it may be delayed as this is only a part time gig for me and of course the day you need me right away will be the day everyone else does to, please be patient as I do appreciate hearing from you guys!
I owe Ranger a couple of email responses now, don’t give up on me and your support hasn’t gone un-noticed!
Ok, were going to try this again and see if I can’t get through more than just a few emailed questions this time around. Please keep these things coming as this is thought provoking for me too. If you have additional information that we could all benefit from, please email me that as well and we’ll put it all together and be better informed with group participation!
Send your questions to prepper@preppernation.com
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Question #1 - “Do I have any pictures from underneath the mobile home?”
I actually have to admit that I don’t… I can try to answer any specific questions that any of you have. When I was working under there I had no idea that I would be doing this blog and therefore was only trying to get the job done. I can say that I don’t go very far without a camera now. I’m on the look out for anything I think the group might be interested in.
I don’t have any current plans to be going under the house anytime soon but if I do I’ll get some shots. Please email me the specifics on what you are wondering about and I’ll see if I can help you…
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Question #2 - “What exactly is my Real Estate background, am I a realtor?”
No, I’m not a licensed real estate agent. I’m a little leery to say specifically what my business is (OPSEC) but I own and operate a business that handles paperwork for real estate transactions. This would make me as close to an expert in the real estate industry as a person could get. I am familiar with the forms and processes used by ALL the individual players in any transaction. If someone where to have a real estate related question, I would be glad to help. One caveat is that I’m in Washington State and our laws and standard practices could be different than those of your local. However, if I can be of assistance – just shoot me an email!
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Question #3 - “Why don’t I say much about firearms in the blog?”
Before I answer this, rest assured that I’m in no way anti gun. I just feel that since I’m not an expert in this field I should leave it to the guys that REALLY know their stuff. I can say that I have owned a large number of guns in many configurations over the years but there are just to many different variations for me to keep up.
In addition to this, there are plenty of outlets for you to read about and participate in this specific interest group. I do like to discuss guns and I treat mine like the valuable possessions they are. I would be happy to take a guest article on this topic from anyone that cares to write one… I will try to verify that whatever information comes out of preppernation is completely factual, so please do your homework before sending me your article…
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Question #4 - “What are good names in mobile homes?”
I assume that what is being asked is referring to the different manufactures of mobile homes. I can honestly say I don’t know who makes the best product. I hear that this brand is great from one individual and then hear the opposite from another person?
I’ve heard the most good things about two manufactures – Fuqua and Marlette… I can’t say for sure but I have heard that Fleetwood is a low end home. Our BOL is a Fleetwood and if this is low end, its good enough for us! We could go round and round with the finer points of this and that until we’re all just tired of talking about it but in the end it just doesn’t matter much…
First of all, you probably won’t have alot of choices in the used market, based on brand anyway. You should expect to find several homes of interest each month, if you diligently are watching for them. After you find something that looks promising, you will need to go and look at it for yourself. If you’re not handy, be sure to find a trusted friend that will come along with you to check it out.
After you see a number of these homes up close, you’ll be able to spot a deal when you see it. I would look and see how the house is constructed and use this to make your final decision more than I would be concerned about the manufacture. Don’t get me wrong, it’s usually a good indicator what the homes construction will be like based off of a particular manufactures reputation. Having said that, you should expect to see alot of DOGS out there. You will see these in both the more expensive homes as well as the cheapies. Just get out there and start looking at them up close and personal, the education you get will be well worth the trouble.
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Question #5 - “What do I consider to be reasonable OPSEC”
First off, let me be sure that everyone is on the same page – OPSEC, is short hand for operational security, ie. privacy. This is a difficult question to answer. There are two distinct camps in our community. We have James Wesley, Rawles that won’t even tell the readers what State he lives in much less give out directions to the ranch. Then we have Jack Spirko over at www.thesurvivalpodcast.com he’s the opposite and will go almost to the point of giving map coordinates to his home in Texas.
I would have to say that I fall somewhere in the middle. I think that Jack has very good credibility with his audience because he’s so open. On the other hand I would rather avoid any future entanglements with uninvited folks dropping in to “Just Say Hi” and borrow a few cases of Mountain House meals or leave me any surprises when I’m not around.
With the capabilities of the internet these days, I feel that its prudent to use a nickname and keep the detailed personal specifics to a minimum. I am always amazed at how small a world it really is. For all I know one of my employees could even be reading this and not have put 2 and 2 together, yet!
I’m not paranoid about this as you can see, you have all been inside my BOL – if you read Mondays post anyway. I would like to have a get together at some point, maybe next summer. This would be for anyone but particularly folks in the Pacific Northwest. I see the benefit of the camaraderie, we could all use more of that. However, we are a private animal and I see it as first name basis only , unless an individual chooses otherwise.
I already know there’s one email in there from someone that thinks I’ve already shared to much about myself… I’m committed to sharing everything I can with the folks here but there is a line that can’t be crossed. My families safety and yours is paramount. When you email me a question or comment and give me permission to use your name or specifics than maybe I will but unless that is conveyed, forget it. I won’t out you on this blog.
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Well, we have another week under our belts and I’m very encouraged by the responses I’m getting from all of you. I see this blog growing in popularity each week and that’s due to all of you helping me get the word out that we’re over here – You folks reading and contributing now are soon going to be the old timers here and have been in on the ground floor. There are other things coming as far as giveaways and long term projects that I’m putting together for greater group participation and input!
HOMEWORK – I am going to ask you all to do something for me, well, something else for me… Watch the “Mobile Homes for sale” sections in your local publications. I am becoming more convinced that these homes are going to play a role in getting us all more freedom than we have previously thought possible. I would like to start a page on this site dedicated to pointing out good deals for homes across the country. If I find a great deal in my area it won’t help you much in Texas but if we all are watching than the benefits will be greater to the group.
Thanks Again! Have a great, and productive, weekend and I’ll see you on Monday!
Prepper
Oct
22
Book Review – “One Second After”
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Today I’m bringing you book review #4. This is a book that a lot of you have probably heard of but it seems that many haven’t found the time to read it yet? I’m personally very busy these days and have to weigh the priorities of my time before I can sit down and read a new book as well, so I do understand. Even though this book is nearly 350 pages, it won’t take you long to read – you won’t put it down! It’s that good! I would say that this book is destined to become a classic, at least among people of our caliber. Preppers and just plain readers will all enjoy this one!
As I mentioned yesterday, I will be giving this book away today. The way it will work is when I publish this post it will be early Thursday morning and so I want you to email me ASAP if you are interested in receiving it. I will take the 15th email that I receive from a subscriber interested in the book. I did want those of you that actually sleep through the night to have a chance at it too. I will get back to the winner Thursday afternoon via email to confirm their win and ask them to email me the shipping address at that time! Good luck!
Send your emails to -prepper@preppernation.com
Where do I begin, this book is kind of an anomaly in that its main stream but at the same time so interesting to folks like us. I guess that it really isn’t a piece of Doomer fiction and so the sheeple wouldn’t get to up in arms over it that the publisher allowed it to get through.
This would be the ideal book to have your unenlightened spouse or even mother-in-law read. It is written in a very true to life way that doesn’t deal much in fringe and paranoia. WAIT, don’t let that last statement stop you, its definitelyworth the read. There is still the elements of DOOM to keep the most hard core of our group satisfied. It is just done in a refreshingly realistic way. I’ll try to fill you in on a bit of the story line but refuse to be a spoiler and I know in the end you’ll appreciate that!
For what its worth, the books foreword was done by Newt Gingrich. This means very little to me but does show the degree of mainstream this book is in. If your a Newt fan, I guess that this would be a plus. I’m not what you would call a fan but I can think of a pretty extensive list of political types I like less too!
“Though this book is a work of fiction, it is also a work of fact, perhaps a “future history,” that should be thought provoking and, yes, even terrifying for all of us. I know this from personal study, across decades, of the very real threat to American security that is posed by this particular weapon that Bill Forstchen writes about in One Second After.” ~Newt Gingrich
The book takes place in modern day North Carolina. The lives of the main characters are as ordinary as any you might expect to find. The author does such a good job of character development, at least I thought so, you really start to care about these people and feel their pain by the time you reach the books conclusion!
It takes just a short time to get the ride underway and then your off – It all starts the way you might think it would at your own house. The power goes out on a nice sunny afternoon. None of us would make much stink about this, a reasonable explanation would be forthcoming and we could use this as an excuse to barbecueor divert from our regular activities. It’s in this exact type of non-descript , easy going way that I can envision a real SHTF being kicked off with.
These charactersare so believable that it is easy to be both distracted by their simplicity but also alarmed at the same time as you realize these are average Americans and this is how they would act in real life. From start to finish it’s the everyday issues that this small town deals with, that will cause each one of you to sit back and assess what your families capabilities are. We also are a group of, for the most part average Americans. Even if you don’t want to be lumped in with the “Joe six packs”, you have to admit most of us live on a street with a lot of them surrounding us.
I read this book and realized that if I were faced with the same disaster that they faced in the story, I may not have my ducks in that good of a row either. I have made many of my plans around the idea that in the eleventh hour I will be hitting the road to beat feet to my BOL. Actually, I keep a pretty good watch and will try to do the beating of the feet closer to 9:30 rather than waiting all the way to the “eleventh hour” but you know what I mean!
In my own delusions of grandeur, think that I will probably be able to pull off that last minute get out of dodge. Not if this scenario were to come to pass! They found themselves in a new dark-age, post (EMP) or electromagnetic pulse. They slowly come to the realization that for the foreseeable future they will have no electricity, automobiles and in short order food and water. Put yourself in this situation, what are YOU prepared for? If it seems that I am trying to poke holes in all your well meaning plans – I AM! Although, not just your plans but my own as well. This is a team effort and I’m finding daily that the more I get done the more I find still left undone? I’m willing to bet that this is or would be the case at your house as well, if you are honest about it.
I am trying to restrain myself from blurting out all the twists in this story but it just wouldn’t be fair and I want each one of you to read this book. It is so important that we live in the reality n0t in the fantasy that is easy to slip into. We have the firepower to accomplish anything that needs doing, I probably have a similar safe as many of you and I was left really wondering what I would do in these folks situation. I know that I’ve been reinvigorated to take the food storage to a new level and would like to hear your thoughts after you finish this book!
I couldn’t recommend any book higher than I do this one! Don’t take Newt Gingrich’s word on it, take mine – BUY THIS BOOK! This book will be one of the stories that us doomers will refer to over the coming years as having had an influence on how we prep, read it now and stay up with the rest of the cool kids! You know you want to read it – This is my attempt at peer-pressure!
See you tomorrow!
Prepper
Oct
20
Reader Questions
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I’m going to start something new today… “Reader Questions” or more accurately, questions that you guys have emailed to me. Some of these I have answered directly back to the reader but many I have held as I plan to either answer them in a format like this or dedicate an entire post to that particular topic, whatever it might be! I’ve received a number of inquiries on similar subjects, so if you see something that seems to be your question, it may be but answered in a way as to cover multiple specific questioners.
I would like to answer anything that you guys want to know so please keep the questions rolling. If anyone isn’t sure how to send me a question, it really is simple – just send an email to prepper@preppernation.com. I’m starting to get more emails but not to the extent that I’ll have an issue getting back to you in a timely fashion. I look forward to hearing from you!
Prepper
***UPDATE*** I am adding in a link to the solar video from yesterday, I had a message that when I took it down the person couldn’t find it on youtube… So here it is… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_P9XDKQP34
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Question #1 - “How do you keep your BOL secure when you’re not there regularly?”
Well, this is a good question and I can only answer it with the truth as it is right now… Meaning, this is always a concern and I’m actually still concerned about it. Our particular location is in a lightly developed area, kind of a rural sub-division. Now I know what your thinking – “Thats not rural, it can’t be if you have a slew of neighbors running around”. Yes and No, we are rural by definition of the fact we are a good ways from any city or population center larger than a few thousand souls. It is very difficult to really get to what I myself imagine as rural. It sounds good to be way out in the middle of the sticks 20 miles from the nearest town but it isn’t practical by my estimation.
The “Sub Division” as I referred to it is really a large ranch that was purchased back in the 50′s or so and then got divided up into a minimum lot size of 5 acres. Many of the so called neighbors have at least 10 acres like we do, so the homes are fairly spread out, the majority of us can’t see a neighbor even if we wanted to, in any direction. As 10 acres is large to me, a guy coming from the city, it really isn’t that big when you consider the way sound travels. We can hear the neighbors from time to time if they’re using equipment, running a chainsaw or definitely when someones target shooting. This isn’t a big deal and as you’ll see has some advantages.
So, back to the question… We have made friends with a couple of neighbors that live fairly close. These folks are there full time, so they know which cars and people belong in the area and which don’t! I guess you would say that this is our first line of defense, “Eyes on the ground”. Our driveway is almost directly across from one of these guys and even though the neighbor can’t see our place from his, he can see the entrance to our driveway. After someone were to start down our driveway they have to stop and remove the logging chain, which is padlocked into position. This would make noise and therefore tip the neighbor off that something wasn’t as it should be. From there they continue up the drive passing a clearly posted “NO TRESPASSING” sign, at this point it would be difficult to explain how you missed the chain and sign. Proceeding further they would see a vehicle parked in the driveway. This is left there for the specific reason of causing someone unfamiliar with me or my property to have second thoughts about us not being home. If this doesn’t change their minds and they come to the house, they will see the dog chain and food dishes on the porch, these are good sized, definitely not for a poodle!
The reality is if someone wanted to burglarize the place they could as long as they were quiet. Unfortunately for them, unless they were looking for housewares, they wouldn’t get much. We don’t have anything worth over say a couple hundred bucks, stored in the house. Honestly, we have a lot of stuff around the property but nothing much that a tweeker could pawn for needle money… I know that no place is safe and I won’t knowingly put myself at risk. The truth is this place is deep in gun country and I am always amazed at the integrity of “Country” people.
In addition to the above statements, I have yet to see one individual that looks like they might even qualify to be an extra on the gangland television show, much less an actual gang member/hoodlum? Stealing would be out of the ordinary, houses that get TP’d in town actually make the local paper…
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Question #2 - “What else do we have planned for the BOL?”
Another BOL question… Well, as I know you’ll understand it takes literally years to turn a place into a real homestead. I’ll try to think through the next few years of plans and describe what I think we’ll get done…
High on my list is going to be finishing up the projects and upgrades to the mobile home. I actually have a couple other small projects that I’ve been working on that I haven’t posted about yet. Also, we would like to add covered porches to both the front and rear of the place. As I showed you in some photos a while back, we need to replace the roof. I have contemplated breaking OPSEC and seeing if you all want to come have a work party at Prepper’s place… Just kidding… We have lots of small individual repairs to do on the home itself but it just takes time and MONEY!
Outside of the work on the mobile home itself… We are going to be adding more irrigation in the Spring time to allow for additional fruit trees to go in. We will try to add more trees and bushes to our permaculture crops each year. I have some raised bed gardens that I would like to see put together next Spring as well. We will use this same irrigation for the gardens as we couldn’t even attempt gardening otherwise.
I have an area picked out to dig a pond, it will most likely be a shallow version but I want to try my hand at some aqua-culture and maybe fish farming in the future too. Fish seem a little less labor intensive than small stock but time will tell. This pond as well as the garden/orchard expansion I want to do all are pretty close to the house site. I guess I’m thinking we will make the improvements closest to the house first and make our way out from there.
I showed you the new cargo container I just added last weekend and described how the future garage/barn would be situated. I plan to get this project underway in the next year too. Oh yeah, I plan to introduce bee keeping to the BOL as soon as possible and I have found a mentor that will help get me started off on the right foot. I’m starting to feel overwhelmed just thinking about all these projects… Might as well build some chicken coops too, so they’ll be ready when we make the move to the BOL. Add a greenhouse and solar power while you’re at it… Lets see, I guess thats all that comes to mind right of the top of my head…
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Question #3 - “What am I personally prepping for?”
Alright, this ought to be good… What aren’t I prepping for, do you see anything good coming on the horizon? OK, OK, I’ll get serious, even though I don’t see alot of bright spots in our near future, as a nation anyway.
Seriously, I prep as a way to make myself and family more secure. I don’t prep for any one reason and don’t recommend you limit yourself to this type of thinking either. I prep for freedom, the only way I can see myself having freedom is by preparing today for what I’ll need tomorrow. For example, I know without a doubt that I will need to have a place to live that doesn’t have a mortgage on it if I ever want to be able to leave the city behind me. This prep alone has so many possibilities built into it… A place to live, a place to grow food, a place to produce my own energy, a secure location if the world blows up – literally or figuratively!
I don’t want to look at my preps in a limited way, I do understand that you have to start somewhere but you need to see a destination on the horizon. This isn’t a real destination or stopping place but a level that you personally would like to reach. Your destination doesn’t have to be the same as mine, actually it probably shouldn’t be! You may not see the need for a BOL, maybe you are comfortable with the 72 hour kit FEMA suggests. Thats fine but do get off your butt and get it. I don’t want your goal to be my goal but you have that nagging feeling inside you for a reason, listen to it.
So, for me and my family, prepping is growing into a lifestyle. I want to achieve the highest level of self sufficiency I can. This will allow us to be prepared for anything up to that point. Whether its just a storm, zombies or full on death squads, all of our preps will work together to help in any situation. We’ll keep layering until we have achieved the level we’re comfortable with.
As Jack Spirko over at www.thesurvivalpodcast.com says, “helping you live the life you want whether times get tough or even if they don’t”. Lots of wisdom in this line of thinking, prep for a lifestyle that will make everyday life better! Anyway, thats how we approach prepping!
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I had hoped to get through more than just these three but it looks like enough for one day. Please keep sending me your questions and if I can’t answer them myself, I’ll hunt down the answers and we’ll all get to learn something new! Until tomorrow!
Prepper
Oct
19
Interior motives…
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Welcome back! Its another wonderful Monday morning and the beginning of another work week… Have I ever mentioned that I can’t wait to get off the rat wheel?
I noticed an interesting thing over the weekend, preppernation.com has past its first milestone, 10,000 page views. We are at the 2 month mark and 10,000 views both in the same weekend. I say milestone more for me than the site as this is a new endeavor for me andto have literally 1000′s of folks interested in what I write about is kindof cool! The emails that I have been receiving are for the most part kind and encouraging, thank you! I will continue to try to improve the site and keep you all interested.
I would like to ask all of you to keep helping me spread the word about preppernation. Also, please keep the feedback coming, when I see a trend in the questions or comments I can use these to make adjustments and even add content that will benefit all of us!
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Like I said, when I get multiple emails asking about something specific I will try to accommodate you with an answer publicly so others that want to know get the benefit as well.
A number of folks have asked about the interior of the mobile home, so I thought I would share a few photos and describe it the best I can… First, it is a home manufactured by Fleetwood and is the Barrington model… As far as I can tell this particular model has a unique floor plan. The way the kitchen is setup, kind of divided off from the living room with a built in bookshelf on the living room side. Also, the bedroom’s are at opposite ends of the house. This is a nice feature but I think the homes with bedrooms all at one endare a little more efficient. Either way this home is what we found that met our quality criteria.
Living Room view - Pergo floor
The home is what’s referred to as a 14×70, that is 14 feet wide by 70 feet long. It sounds so strange to hear it described this way? It seems like with those dimensions it would have to feel like living in a long skinny tube. It really is quite homey and more than comfortable enough on the inside. As you can see in the photos we have a good sized sectional couch that maximizes seating capacity in the living room but doesn’t mess up the scale of the room either. Its not like there are more than 3-4 people at a time using the place but it’s nice to have more than enough capacity if we were to need it!
At 14×70, we have just under 1000 square feet. 2 bedrooms and 2 full baths. As you can see in the photos, the kitchen and living room are adequate but no dining area to speak of… We have the laundry area in the hall way just inside the back door. There is more than enough space for a full sized washer and dryer, Mrs. Prepperwas quite happy to have these. That sounds kind of sexist but she really is happy to have em, just ask her!
Nice sized Kitchen
The bedrooms could have been done more efficiently but hey there’s two of them and that fits our minimum requirements. The inefficiency is in the size disparity. The master bedroom is very roomy but the 2nd bedroom is overly small. So small that it would be nearly impossible to have even a full sized bed in there without it being pushed into a corner and the whole room feeling claustrophobic. We haven’t come to a conclusion with how to have that room permanently setup yet, so we just have a full sized futon in there now. I haven’t personally slept on it but the folks that have thought it was adequate. Time will tell, maybe some bunk beds or a Murphy bed, so we can close it up during the day and have more space.
The master bedroom isn’t what I would call a master suite by any means but is plenty large enough to accommodate a king size bed, a dresser or two and still have room for a couple chairs or a couch. There is also a walk in closet, not a large one but a walk in none the less. It probably measures 6×6 and is more than enough for us at the moment.
Master Bedroom
As I was saying there are two full baths. The smaller bathroom is directly outside the 2nd bedroom. Between the bedroom and living room, it has all the fixtures but not alot of elbow room. The master bathroom is much larger. It doesn’t have the jetted bathtub but it does have what’s referred to as a soaking tub. Its much bigger than the standard home sized tub. Now, I have yet to try it out myself but have heard on good authority that it’s real nice and roomy. There’s also a large closet opposite the tub, we use it for all kinds of stuff. Plenty of room for the linens and blankets as well as cleaning supplies and the vacuum cleaner.
Kitchen Layout
As I’m sure you can all tell, I like this place real well. It isn’t perfect but it is a far cry better than just a place to get out of the weather. I also want to, reiterate that this is my first and could be my last mobile home. I have owned and lived in traditional stick built construction all of my life. Its with this stick built background that I make my comparisons. I haven’t yet found anything about this structure that I’m uncomfortable about or thats much different than other homes I’ve owned.
There are a number of upgrades that I would want to complete at some time in the future. The kitchen and bathroom cabinets are of the lowest quality and even though they are still quite serviceable will need to be replaced as soon as they make the top of the to do list. The interior walls are only 2 1/2 inches thick but you have to really look to even notice, really only possible to see when examining the interior doorjambs. I will want to upgrade the doors from the plane jane stock ones to something more substantial and aesthetically pleasing when I get that far down the list as well. Lots to do but nothing that’s critical or even sub standard in anyway that matters much.
Master bedroom looking into bath
“Two is One and One is None”…
Posted by: Prepper | Comments (1)Before I get into today’s post I want to encourage all of the readers that haven’t signed up for the email updates yet to go ahead and do it today. This is a private email list and I will not sell your contact info to anyone, anytime for any amount of money!
Starting with tomorrows post, a book review, I will be doing something different. Whenever I do a book review from now on, I’ll be giving the book away. I always have at least a few emails from readers thanking me for the review and they tell me that they have decided to order the book from someplace on line. If people are going to buy the book, that’s great but its secondary to my desire to bring all of you a report on something I have read recently and my take on it, good or bad.
With this in mind I thought that it would be a nice jesture to my subscribers if I would donate my copy of the book to someone that would like to read it and save that person a few bucks in the process. Obviously, this will be a used copy but I try to take care of all my stuff and books are no exception. I am willing to donate the book and ship it anywhere in the US. So this isn’t going to cost that person a dime, they will however, have to give me an address to ship it to.
The way that this will work is, at some point in the book review post I will give out an instruction that says I’ll be giving the book to say, the 10th person to send me an email stating that they are interested in having the book, this is just an example… I am going to narrow the criteria a little bit and require that the book go to a subscribing reader. This is a free email updates subscription, so really anyone can qualify but I do want to reward the folks that are regular daily visitors to the website. So just take a second and submit yours or any email address and then email me from that address if you would like the book, its really that simple… This will start with tomorrows post so lets see how it works out!
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Alright on with the show. I want to talk to you about a concept that I’ve heard about for as long as I’ve been prepping and more specifically reading about prepping. Its call the “Two is one, One is none” principal.
This is referring to the idea that is you only have one of a particular item or one way to accomplish some task than you essentially have nothing. While I realize that this is not literally true, the concept is sound to my way of thinking. It is very easy to have something break that you’ve been counting on. It would seem that the more redundancies you have built into your system the better off you are.
This is applicable to almost anything that is on the level of keeping you and yours safe and or even comfortable. While that second television is probably not a good example, since one TV is really one to many, it does illustrate my point. If you’re getting ready to sit down to watch the Super Bowl and your 72″ movie screen, whoops – I mean TV, decides that now is a good time to crap out… What are ya gonna do? That’s right, go in the bedroom and watch it on that TV, maybe you grumble but no harm, no foul… See what I mean!
Now imagine that you have only one of something critical? On almost any day that wouldn’t be a problem but on the day that it is a problem, its a BIG problem. I want to tell you about something that happened last week in the Central Washington area.
Landslide in Central Washington
I became aware of the issue I’m about to share when I was on my way back home from the BOL, the weekend before last. Up here in Washington we have the annual “Lets do road construction on every road at the same time” campaign. This requires that regular travelers such as myself, come up with creative ways to get back and forth across the state without losing to many hours in the construction traffic.
I thought I had found the best and relatively little traveled road to take as an alternative to the main East/West mountain crossing, which is called Snoqualmie Pass. This is a smaller pass to the South of Snoqualie, its called Chinook Pass. It is only open through the summer months as the state DOT doesn’t keep it open once the snow flys.
Anyway, we had decided to go out of our way to take Chinook Pass this year in our attempts to avoid Snoqualmies traffic. We were already committed to going this way home when I happened to make a stop at a roadside hamburger stand. While I waited for my order, a few other people standing there were discussing the landslide… Wait, what landslide I asked them? They gave me the where’s your box you moron, look… You know the box I must have been sleeping in only moments before? I persisted with getting them to explain.
Completely covered the road and blocked most of the river
Earlier that morning a LARGE landslide had taken out, or should I say covered, about a 1/4 mile stretch of the highway that is just a few minutes up the road. Like a bozo, I say – “So the road’s closed”… Uh, yeah they replied… Sorry but his is the first I had heard of it… So, now what was I going to do, I thought rather self centeredly. Well, to make a long story short we detoured around, over another nearby mountain pass! This was a minor inconvenience for us but would be a real problem for the people stranded on the other side of the slide.
After we had made it safely home, the details started to unfold. The highway where the slide had occurred was mostly a two lane road that ran up a river valley and then over the pass at the top. It’s essentially a one way road in either direction, meaning you go up there only to cross the pass or come back across. There are just a couple of small towns, more like wide spots in the road, before you get to the top. Apparently about 1500 people live along the highway and river beyond the point where the landslide occurred. These folks have only one way in and one way out from November to June.
Once the pass closes for the year the detour route that we took on our way home and that this population group currently can use will be gone! This brings me back to the “One is none” line of thinking… Since we are still living in a first world nation and the .gov has the ability to spend an unlimited amount of money to create, I mean fix, an endless number of problems. These people will have a temporary road cut in to get them around the slide. The State people are saying the highway will be closed all winter, while they dream up a solution to the 80 acres of dirt that came down across the road and all but plugged the Nachez River causing flooding. At least two homes were destroyed in connection to the slide as well!
Even the geologists agree that this wasn’t an area that they had been watching for slides and they haven’t come to a concensus as to why it happened at all. The truth is that these things happen and if we only have one way to accomplish our goal than we can suddenly find ourselves with NO way to complete the task. We are fortunate and blessed that we are still living in a society that can and does band together to help each other out… Will this always be the case? Do you want to become dependant on the .gov and the help that they bring or maybe at some point in the future that they withhold? I know I don’t want to be put in the position of needing them. I may not always succeed in in this strategy but I will always try to be self reliant.
I encourage each of us to explore the areas in our daily life that we might be caught breaking this principal. If there just isn’t anyway to have a particular area become redundant, then at least make the proper preparations to be without that item or ability for a duration of time. I know that some things aren’t really in our control but as these folks found out that beautiful valley they live in could become a real trap in a situation like this.
If we take the proper care to have our bases covered, give some thought to what redundancies could be put in place, we will all be better off. At the BOL we have an electric furnace, so we have heat right – you know where I’m going with this… I’m sure that as preppers we have it all figured out but I actually had looked at properties up in that same valley about 10 years ago and I don’t recall having the thought cross my mind even once about getting stranded behind a landslide. It is pretty obvious in hind sight that this was a potential trouble spot, just like any valley with only one way in and out would be.
Just more food for thought. At first I only saw this slide as an inconvenience to my drive home! Now I see it more clearly as the wake up call it really was…
See ya tomorrow!
Prepper