Upcoming Road Trip; Part VII; Forget Plan B, Already Implemented Plan D

With an impending major hurricane approaching the North Carolina shoreline, the road trip plan has to change.  But what, when, how?

Our planned extended road trip departure is quickly approaching.  In recent posts, I've written about preparation, especially preparation when it comes to photography.  For background and continuity, you can read Parts I-VI here, here, here, here, here and here. 

I want to switch gears a bit and talk about change of plans.  Only because my plans are so flexible with minimal reservations, itinerary and such, I can shift things easily.  Due many wildfires causing poor air quality, hazy blue skies and an environment where I really don't want to spend my time and money, I've already scrapped Plan A which would have taken us to Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, .  I then implemented Plan B which takes us on a southwestern US route, Central Colorado and south, with a planned departure date of this Friday.  Well, Plan B is out the window now as well. Why?  Hurricane Florence!  Lovely, lovely Florence.

The forecasters can't be but so specific in predicting exactly where a major, Category 4, hurricane with winds potentially as high as 140 mph will make landfall.  They do their best.  As time moves forward, their predictions get closer and closer to what will actually happen.  Because my wife and I were scheduled to leave early Friday morning and drive through Virginia, West Virginia and points west, that is no longer viable.  Friday would put us in the middle of far reaching rain bands which extend around the center of the hurricane. What to do when working with "tentative" information that could bring high winds and rain measured in feet and not inches as this storm hits land and slows down, and then meanders around dropping torrential rains?  I'm sure there will be plenty of property damage and probably blocked access on many roads, etc.  

What you do is a) make a couple of alternate plans that can be implemented based upon several possible scenarios, b) wait as long as you possibly can and then make the best decision you can based upon the best information you can gather from multiple sources and c) prepare for each plan as though you would implement it.  You can't prepare thinking you are going to implement a certain plan, then you have to make a last minute change to another.  You may not have time to get everything done.

Plan A was abandoned because of the wildfires, air quality and smoke in the Montana and Wyoming areas.  Plan B would have us leave early Friday morning and stay south of central Colorado and the surrounding states.  Lots to do and see in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, etc.  Plan C is to leave a day early (Thursday early morning), try to get out ahead of the storm and Plan D is to leave even earlier, potentially Wednesday afternoon and make the first day drive a relatively short one, but beat some of the evacuation traffic and heavy rain associated with the hurricane.

I even have a Plan E.  That is to stay at the house and leave after the storm has well passed to ensure the house and property are okay.  We have had at least a week of rain and the ground is already saturated.  Couple that with just over 9 inches (23 cm) of rain over the weekend (incredible amount) and any substantial wind will fell trees all over the area, including my property, as it did when we had similar circumstances in 2003 with Hurricane Isabel. In that storm, two of the many trees behind my house were toppled due to very saturated ground and wind.

I will make a decision at the last moment, implement the best plan, and get on with things.  Let's hope there are no deaths and little destruction with this major storm.       More to come.

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Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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