# BOL: How close, How far?



## rflood (Aug 19, 2010)

Hey there folks. Having a rousing debate with my spouse on "where" would we go as it relates to a BOL. We live in the SE side of Charlotte NC and I'm thinking of heading south (max 2hrs) into rural South Carolina while my wife is saying go NW out to the mountains of Brevard, Hendersonville (2+hrs). My thoughts are a relatively short distance from a metropolitian area via the very close less traveled secondary highways which don't come close to major interstates or cities and her thought is the more green mountains of the state which to get to requires crossing major interstates and going around the major cities turns a normal 2+hr drive into closer to 5+ hrs.
My question is how far or close are people thinking when planning a BOL, such as your own property. I know it is a pretty wide question but I'd love to hear peoples thoughts on where and why they are choosing X over Y kinda thing. We thought about heading up to family but it is pretty much just the four of us as all our family is up in Nova Scotia so if TSHTF comes along there is no way we could get up there realistically so I am planning a close to home BOL.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

For me, it depends on the reason for bugging out. I would plan routes and such to BOL's in every direction.

If I may use your location (Charlotte) as an example and run through a couple bug-out scenarios.
If there's a hurricane coming that could reach inland far enough to reach Charlotte, heading west/NW would be your best option.
If there was some contaminate expected (e.g. Nuke, bio or chem) on Charlotte, again heading upwind (primarily West or NW) would be your safest direction.
If there was civil rest, military coup or civil war, again, I'd probably head West or NW. Too much military to your South and East.

_If you concur with my aforementioned scenarios, it sounds to me like W/NW would be preferred._


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Take a paper map and a compass out of your high-school math set and draw a perfect circle around your house that is about a 120 miles radius (two hour drive at 60mph). That distance does not take into account real speed-limits, normal or emergency traffic and re-routing due to accidents or road-blocks. Anything within that circle would be the absolute maximum distance from your house that you can consider your first BOL (BOL1). From there you can setup a secondary BOL that is another 120 miles straight-line driving if you wish. The first BOL would be called a "hunting camp" that has food, fuel, clothing, etc all stored onsite for your usage. The second BOL (if setup called BOL2) would be the place to consider your _long-term-home_-away-from-home.

From BOL2, draw a circle (again) at the 120 mile radius and look inside that circle for anything that could do harm to your BOL. Things like nuclear power plants, explosive-manufacturing companies, fuel-processing-plants, large cities (over 100,000 people) or very-large cities (over 1,000,000 people) are what you will be looking for. You can use GoogleEarth to help identify possible threats to BOL2

Finally - look at the kinds of roads required to get from home-base to BOL1 and to BOL2. Major highways are a no-no. Bridges and over/under passes are a no-no. Driving the route to the place, look for blind-corners and zones that pass through a gulch where an ambush could be planned-for. Now, if there is a bridge that must be passed-over due to water or other natural environment, bring along your own "bridging system" (see picture below of one such idea) or turn your BOV into an amphibian to allow yourself to cross those areas.


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## bunkerbob (Sep 29, 2009)

Naekid, these remind me of the Marsden Matting Marsden Matting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia you could pick up just about anywhere years ago, always had a pair, and they will not bend as easily and are light weight. I like the modern version as well.


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

We have a Rand-Mcnally atlas of the US that was made for truckers. It shows every road no matter how small. It is laminated so it will last a long time. My husband was an over the road driver for 32 years and very savy about traveling. We are going to do our best to stay put, but have 3 alternatives in case. All of our families live in metro areas so they will most likely come to us if possible.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

I'm more concerned about how secure and safe. I like the idea of a 1/4-1/2 tank of gas away, or having gas put away to get you there. I think you should also have enough gas to get back at the end of the emergency. Every time I find a place I am interested in there seems to be a nuke near by. I will probably have to look a little farther than 120 miles or 240 miles as Naekid has stated. I like his hunting camp idea. It would make a great supply depot for moving on.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

sailaway said:


> I will probably have to look a little farther than 120 miles or 240 miles as Naekid has stated. I like his hunting camp idea. It would make a great supply depot for moving on.


The hunting camp idea wasn't just mine, I took it from someone else as a "common-name" for a BOL and the reason why I picked the 120 mile radius is because most passenger vehicles have a tank that will take them 4hrs of driving to drain and require a refill. Two hours of driving would leave a 1/2 tank to decide that you need to continue on or to return to home-base (PoNR).

For me, I try to keep my tank at 1/2 full or better all the time and I have enough jerry-cans at home that, as long as I can get them, will allow me to travel 10hrs away from home-base. 10hr drive will take me to my brother's BOL (11 acres in the forest).


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

sailaway said:


> Every time I find a place I am interested in there seems to be a nuke near by.


I don't know if you can get far away from one... I have one about 6-7 miles away (as the crow flies). Everything I've heard, read, seen or otherwise shows that these things shouldn't be an issue. That said, if I hear the alarm, I'm gettin' the hell out of Dodge.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

I have also wondered about having a place on or near a river so you could take off by canoe and head down stream. I think you could cover alot of distance relatively safely that way. Getting back may be a challenge. After Hurricane Andrew I moved my boat back to the anchorage infront of Dinner Key Marina, I could get from my boat to shore with the tender, but I couldn't get to my boat from shore. The U.S. Army had everything locked down and wouldn't let me near the dingy dock. I wound up leaving from the 79th st. causeway and motoring down to Dinner Key on a 13' Boston Whaler. My boat was in tact and I was ready to resume my normal life 2 days after the storm, but our gubbermint wouldn't let me. I gave up on Cocoanut Grove and getting to and from my boat from there and just used the 79th st. causeway as a dingy dock. I enjoyed many weeks of coming and going and the Army had their backs to me the whole time. One thing about the Fl. Marine Patrol, they like to tie their patrol boats to a bouy and sleep at night.:sssh:


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

sailaway said:


> I have also wondered about having a place on or near a river so you could take off by canoe and head down stream.


If I head downstream on the creeks and then the river, I'll end up floating right past the TMI nuclear generating station. 

If we ever absolutely *had* to GOOD, we'll head about 50 miles NW to a "hunting camp" we have. But it would have to be really bad for us to pick up and leave.


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

We live in a very rural area of NE PA. We're too high to flood, too green for wildfires and nowhere near a factory or major highway to worry about hazmat spills. In other words, I live here and, one way or another.........I plan to die here.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

horseman09 said:


> We live in a very rural area of NE PA. We're too high to flood, too green for wildfires and nowhere near a factory or major highway to worry about hazmat spills. In other words, I live here and, one way or another.........I plan to die here.


Are you in the town of North East PA (north east suburb of Erie) or are you geographically in the North East part of the state? If the latter, how close are you to the coastal cities (NYC, Newark...) and are you OK if there was a mass exodus from the same?


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## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

I have two hunting camps one to the north and one to the south, and yes they really are hunting camps. Both properties have been in my family for years. Currently working on setting one up to the west with a group of like-minded individuals. Always have options as your first option may not be accessible for one reason or another.

NaeKid has some great suggestions. Might want to throw some topo maps in your kit to get a better idea of terrain that you can use to your advantage in case you have to go off road.


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## tommu56 (Sep 19, 2010)

UncleJoe said:


> If I head downstream on the creeks and then the river, I'll end up floating right past the TMI nuclear generating station.
> 
> If we ever absolutely *had* to GOOD, we'll head about 50 miles NW to a "hunting camp" we have. But it would have to be really bad for us to pick up and leave.


I was up state on vacation at my cabin during the TMI thing we don't listen to the radio much up there in like 2 days the valley was full of people????

I had to ask some one what was going on the rest is history!!!!! 
I'm glad I live by a boiling water reactor they wont get any hydrogen bubbles.


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## HarleyRider (Mar 1, 2010)

The retirement homestead I've picked out is in SW Tennessee and has 11.67 acres of land with a spring-fed creak and a pond in the back (most of the back is wooded) and is about 10 minutes from the Tennessee River and Shiloh Battleground National Park with the closest town having a population of less than 10,000. I think I should do pretty well there and shouldn't have to bug out. There is a WalMart, a TractorSupply, and a pretty good Medical Center in town. What do you think? eep:


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## Camoevo (Sep 30, 2010)

Im having a issue with the radius. I live in los angles so there really isnt any 125 miles radius places that are worth a dam. to many deserts. I am trying for some place higher in flagstaff AZ side but thats like good 6+hr drive. I feel that that location is prime because the temps are lower and they are higher elevation. I plan to take a month off during the 2012 sitation as a precaution so i shouldnt run into that much traffic. I am just having issues buying the land (not much money).


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Camoevo said:


> Im having a issue with the radius. I live in los angles so there really isnt any 125 miles radius places that are worth a dam. to many deserts. I am trying for some place higher in flagstaff AZ side but thats like good 6+hr drive. I feel that that location is prime because the temps are lower and they are higher elevation. I plan to take a month off during the 2012 sitation as a precaution so i shouldnt run into that much traffic. I am just having issues buying the land (not much money).


I would like to say "MOVE!" but - sometimes that isn't an option and keep your job. Sometimes changing the job isn't an option either, but, if it was an option, would you be able to do both at the same time and get to a zone that might be a bit more secure.

Would moving towards Pasadena be an option for you and have the National Forest at your back? We have a couple of members and hour and a half south and east of you and they seem to feel safer in their areas than being in the big city.

There are always options, some better than others - you need to decide for yourself which options are best.


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## Asatrur (Dec 17, 2008)

We live in a medium size town that is about 45 min from Denver and do not really have a true BOL, but we have loads of nat. forest and wilderness to hide in if need be. My wife's sister has about 100 acres in NE Ca that is an olive farm now and we have been told we are welcome there if things get bad, but that is a haul from CO


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Traveling after TSHTF will be difficult to say the least. There may be curfews, road blocks not to mention unprepared people after your stuff. Best to have plans locked down and alternate routes planned before things get bad. Maybe run a couple to test runs. If vehicles won't run for whatever reason, could you get there by walking or riding a bicycle? Pay attention to the news, stock market and the availability and price of products. These could be your early warning system.


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## rflood (Aug 19, 2010)

Just finished looking at 17 acres up in around Ruth NC which going to in a normal fashion took about 90 mins. Fairly rural, about 6-7 families on this single lane gravel road. Property itself up front off the road is fairly steep, there is however a rough cut road going up to the top, def 4x4 territory, med-heavy woods and a spring on the property. Looks promising but my concern is getting there in a time which the highways are hammered (had to cross 2 major interstates). Still have a few on my list to look at, lots to think about.


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## Ravensoracle (Oct 4, 2010)

I'm still looking myself, but money is the issue. I am just sick of being tied into loans. I am trying to live within my means, not create more bills. 

I'm not too bad where I am at. It is rural and out of the flood plain. Heavy storms seem to bypass us because of the hills we live in. But it is a small community of houses.Some of which are on the friendliest terms with the law. It's not a bad neighborhood, you just have to be prepared for some neighbors deciding they like what is yours. 

I have only about 2 acres. And I really can't wait to get out of here at the moment. Being disabled truly limits your options. But I will persevere and I will continue to look.


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