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Silent Bob

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NOTE: This is the first of many scenarios, anyone wishing to contribute may do so. Offer suggestions, tips, etc. In three days, I will post a scenario update input to the story.

September 19, 2016. John, a 43, year old urbanite, living in Denver, Colorado. He considers himself a novice prepper, which he attributes to his Boy Scout days and a two year stint at a private military academy in his junior and senior years of high school. He has been troubled by recent events in Europe and because Denver is a metropolitan city, is concerned about a terrorist event. He is a consultant engineer that builds large high rise buildings throughout the United States. John, has a wife who works near their home, she owns a woman’s boutique. They have three children, son 16, daughter 13 and son 10. John’s family does not take his part-time prepping seriously, often squirreling away prep items in his spare time, without his wife’s knowledge. Typically the family is your typical American family distracted by the pressures of real life and on the weekend, focused on their children’s little league sports. The entire family does enjoy hiking in the mountains, so the entire family has backpacks and other back packing material. Each of his family members have completed a American Red Cross CPR/First Aid training course and have went on some high adventure type outings. The family owns some communication gear, such as FRS radios, a small handheld GPS and each member has an EDC and first aid kit. John’s wife’s coworker has a cabin near Frisco, Colorado, which they borrow for weekend get-a-away.

John must travel to Chicago to work on a planned build in the city. He typically takes a direct flight to Chicago. So today, he catches the early flight out of Stapleton, the weather is clear and there are no travel delays around the country. John typically carries a small EDC and mini first aid pouch in his small backpack that he carries on the plane. John didn’t sleep well, so he decides to take a short cat nap on the flight. One hour into the flight, the pilot announces that he must make an emergency landing in Grand Island, Nebraska. The captain states that he ask everyone to remain calm as this would be an abrupt landing. John asks the flight attendant, the reason for the change, but the attendant simply shrugs her shoulder and goes to her seat. The plane makes the decent and lands in Grand Island.

Immediately, John turns his cell phone and receives a text message from his wife and from his oldest son. The text message reads “are you okay” and another message that states “terrorist attacks have occurred in five major cities”. The captain announces that all flights have been grounded because of the events affecting the nation. He states that the FAA has not determined when normal flights will resume and asks people to begin to deplane the aircraft.

Naturally, by the time, John gets off the flight, he immediately heads to the rental car counter, but is told all the cars have already been rented out and that none are to be expected as a result of the event. So much for his frequent renter points “he mutters”. John’s luggage (a small rollaway) has not much in the way of gear, he brought a change of athletic wear and sneakers, plus 2 days change of socks, t-shirts, boxer briefs, and two clean long sleeve executive shirts, a polo and a pair of Docker pants. A small shaving kit and as always his wife packed him small snacks for his hotel room which consists of four granola bars, a bag of Doritos, two candy bars and some bags of peanuts in mini snack bags.

So what is his next step, and what would you do, if you were in his shoes? What options are for him to get transportation. The local airport has a taxi service and the city of Grand Island has a limited bus system. Greyhound and Trailways service the city and their is a private limo service. An Amtrak station is located south of Grand Island in Hastings, Nebraska.

What should the family do? What would instructions would you tell your wife to do?

Would you consider using the cabin in Frisco, Colorado?

As he begins his journey, he hears that the cities of Dallas, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle and Los Angeles have been attacked by single terrorist attacks.
 
Can I research anything in this scenario, or am I supposed to answer as if I were John, in his shoes at this exact moment?
 
Without being able to research things like locations, water availability, etc., my answers are based on my best guesses.

The first thing I would do if I were John, would be to call my family and tell them that I'm okay. He should talk to his wife and tell her where his prep stash is, and to load as much of it as possible into the car; along with the family's backpacking gear, emergency kits, radios, etc. If there is time, he should quickly explain to her how to prepare each individual's backpack with water, food, first aid, and one pair of very comfortable clothing. They should change into sturdy shoes or hiking boots. A winter coat too.

If there is not enough time for this, then she needs to pack as much as she can into her vehicle, with the most important items being water first, food, weapons and ammo, blankets, first aid kits, flashlights and batteries, and lighters/matches. Also throw in the backpacks if there is room.

If his wife is freaking out, then he needs to talk to his 16 year old son and make clear to him, that these things must get done right away. Tell his son to load the gun, and have the ammo out and ready to use in the car. If anyone tries to stop them, tell his son to shoot them (if necessary).

The family needs to load the car and head in John's direction. They need to find a route using secluded back roads and stay off the main highways. Then program it into their GPS and write it down on paper. On his end, John needs to grab or look up a map on his phone and find a meeting place for the family halfway. Somewhere isolated. He also needs to tell them how and when they will communicate, as long as the cell phones are still working. If phones go out, the family is to continue on their route as planned. (P.S. He also told them to hurry and get to a gas station and fill-up the car, buy all the gas cans available at the station, and fill those too.)

John himself should absolutely avoid the train and bus systems. Too liable to attacked. Since John probably has a ton of money since he has a good job, he needs to hit at least 2-3 ATMs and get as much cash as he can. Then he needs to find a taxi that's willing to drive him to the meeting place, no matter the cost. If there is time, and a bank is open, he should go there and draw out a larger sum of money.

He needs to tell the taxi driver to stop at a small grocery or gas station, and he should buy (or steal) as much water as he can carry. Also, any type of cloth bag to use as a BOB, unless he can find a real one. Grab a few boxes of the protein and granola bars.

He needs to tell the taxi driver to get the crowbar out of the trunk (for a weapon), and if he's in luck, the driver will be carrying a gun...which he needs to buy from him (if possible). He should then head out, taking the same route as his family, to the meeting place.

This is all I can think of for now! My reply is based on some assumptions I made:

  • Using the cabin isn't an option: I'm assuming the cabin in Frisco might be located in or near a tourism spot, since it's in the mountains where lots of people go to ski. This family seems to be financially-secure, and they probably hang around people who are loaded too. The cabin may not even be suitable as a bug out location, only as a weekend retreat.
  • The terrorist attacks just happened within the last hour of this scenario: People in the areas where the attacks occurred are definitely freaking out. But people in other parts of the country (like John's family), are still in shock, and still watching the news (except for the real preppers, of course). John probably lives in a middle to upper-class neighborhood, so there isn't much looting going on yet. This gives John's family time to load the car and hopefully, get some gasoline. This also means that John himself is able to get some cash, water, food, and the taxi before complete chaos occurs. In fact, he is in a more dire situation than his family, since they have his prep stash. John may have to steal the water and food, knock a few heads while doing so, and avoid thug bullets. But he can do it all if he's quick and determined.
  • John and his family may have to injure or kill other human beings in order to survive: When John was talking to his son (who probably plays a lot of those shooter video games), he stressed to him that he has to be the man of the family now, and protect his mom & siblings. He had to make sure his son understood the gravity of the situation, and that speed, efficiency, and a calm head were important. He had to make his son understand that he might have to shoot a real person if that person (or people) try to stop them in any way. Also, I'm thinking that John himself may have to injure or kill the taxi driver if he becomes a problem. He definitely needs to find a way to get the driver's gun (if he has one), before the driver decides to use it on him.

Thanks for starting this thread, Bob. I think it will be a great learning experience for new preppers like myself. It forces us to think like a survivalist.

I invite members to please point out problems with my answers, and give me better solutions. Thanks! :)
 
NOTE: This is the first of many scenarios, anyone wishing to contribute may do so. Offer suggestions, tips, etc. In three days, I will post a scenario update input to the story.

September 19, 2016. John, a 43, year old urbanite, living in Denver, Colorado. He considers himself a novice prepper, which he attributes to his Boy Scout days and a two year stint at a private military academy in his junior and senior years of high school. He has been troubled by recent events in Europe and because Denver is a metropolitan city, is concerned about a terrorist event. He is a consultant engineer that builds large high rise buildings throughout the United States. John, has a wife who works near their home, she owns a woman’s boutique. They have three children, son 16, daughter 13 and son 10. John’s family does not take his part-time prepping seriously, often squirreling away prep items in his spare time, without his wife’s knowledge. Typically the family is your typical American family distracted by the pressures of real life and on the weekend, focused on their children’s little league sports. The entire family does enjoy hiking in the mountains, so the entire family has backpacks and other back packing material. Each of his family members have completed a American Red Cross CPR/First Aid training course and have went on some high adventure type outings. The family owns some communication gear, such as FRS radios, a small handheld GPS and each member has an EDC and first aid kit. John’s wife’s coworker has a cabin near Frisco, Colorado, which they borrow for weekend get-a-away.

John must travel to Chicago to work on a planned build in the city. He typically takes a direct flight to Chicago. So today, he catches the early flight out of Stapleton, the weather is clear and there are no travel delays around the country. John typically carries a small EDC and mini first aid pouch in his small backpack that he carries on the plane. John didn’t sleep well, so he decides to take a short cat nap on the flight. One hour into the flight, the pilot announces that he must make an emergency landing in Grand Island, Nebraska. The captain states that he ask everyone to remain calm as this would be an abrupt landing. John asks the flight attendant, the reason for the change, but the attendant simply shrugs her shoulder and goes to her seat. The plane makes the decent and lands in Grand Island.

Immediately, John turns his cell phone and receives a text message from his wife and from his oldest son. The text message reads “are you okay” and another message that states “terrorist attacks have occurred in five major cities”. The captain announces that all flights have been grounded because of the events affecting the nation. He states that the FAA has not determined when normal flights will resume and asks people to begin to deplane the aircraft.

Naturally, by the time, John gets off the flight, he immediately heads to the rental car counter, but is told all the cars have already been rented out and that none are to be expected as a result of the event. So much for his frequent renter points “he mutters”. John’s luggage (a small rollaway) has not much in the way of gear, he brought a change of athletic wear and sneakers, plus 2 days change of socks, t-shirts, boxer briefs, and two clean long sleeve executive shirts, a polo and a pair of Docker pants. A small shaving kit and as always his wife packed him small snacks for his hotel room which consists of four granola bars, a bag of Doritos, two candy bars and some bags of peanuts in mini snack bags.

So what is his next step, and what would you do, if you were in his shoes? What options are for him to get transportation. The local airport has a taxi service and the city of Grand Island has a limited bus system. Greyhound and Trailways service the city and their is a private limo service. An Amtrak station is located south of Grand Island in Hastings, Nebraska.

What should the family do? What would instructions would you tell your wife to do?

Would you consider using the cabin in Frisco, Colorado?

As he begins his journey, he hears that the cities of Dallas, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle and Los Angeles have been attacked by single terrorist attacks.
First off, your writing skills are really good, maybe consider a second career as a novelist? It would sure beat working for a living :). Everything here depends on the type of event, and where the affected areas were in relation to my and my families travel routes. My first inclination would be to tell the family to load up and go to the cabin, then buy a car, on credit. I didn't really consider the geography of the scenario, but my first priority would be to the family, and getting back with them is the best way to protect them. I've talked with several people that were affected while traveling on 9/11, and public transport was non existent for the first few days, hence the car rental. If I was traveling without supplies in a major event, I would also stock up at a hardware store, atm, grocery and probably a pawn shop for a weapon and ammo. The key in a real big event would be to act fast, as a lot of essential supplies would fly off shelves quickly. I would use a hard copy map as cell systems would be overloaded and gps might not be reliable. One really important action would be to stay tuned to news. Knowing what the events were could quickly change your route or plan of action. There are so many supplies that one might need, and of course your current financial situation would play a big role in how well stocked you could be for travel. The character described is a professional, so I think he could do well if he moved quickly and beat the masses to the supplies. Some handy things that come to mind are gas cans, water, water filter,non perishable food, and clothing appropriate for the conditions.
 
For starters...

At this point, John has an 36hr window,

A) Stay put at the airport at a minimum 24hrs but no longer than 36hrs. if John has the leave by foot then he shouldn't leave as a tourist (local/road target by predators)

1) if possible establish communications with the wife, give instruction as the events unfolds to the wife, only use text (not phone calls) text being written instructions for the family (easier for the frantic spouse than relying on memory).

B) Airports have stores, purchase two water bottles or one 36oz (preferably metal) purchase bottled water to fill up the harden bottle(s). In John's small backpack he should only keep what can be utilized out of the backpack for a hostile environment.

2) listen to the news (national and local) get a local and national map, pay attention to the events in and around the airport and city, take notes on the weather forecast 7-day.

C) within 24hrs plot escape routs out of the city, locate truck stops along the routs back home or near home, public and commercial transportation are targets now, don't utilize them, relay this information to the wife and son (text).

3) If john must leave by foot, he should head to the nearest truck stop on his planned rout back home, forage for a plastic tarp, if possible john should take a picture of the truck and license plate with his phone and send it to the wife or son, relay the rout to the wife and son providing John found a ride
 
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There's a bus station in Grand Island & John surely has a credit card. It's only about 8 - 10 hrs back to Denver. No big deal, his wife can pick him up at the station. ABSOLUTELY head up to the cabin in Frisco! It's wonderful up there that time of year! The aspens are just starting to change & will be in full color in a couple of days (trust me. you can set your calendar by them). The elk are pretty much in full rut & you can hear them bugling on the mountainsides around town. The big browns (trout) are starting to hit well in Dillon Reservoir plus the Kokanees are starting to run up the Blue River from Dillon all the way down to Green Mountain Reservoir. Plus, Buffalo Mt. and most of the fourteeners around there will have their tops coated with snow many mornings.
John should hang out there for a few days and see if the terrorist problem gets solved while sitting in his hot tub, drinking coffee with Irish Cream and watching the sun come up over the Eisenhower tunnel. He should also strongly consider doing some night fishing on Dillon Especially about 200 yards down the east shore of the lake from the Blue River inlet). And if he'll time it right and be in place fishing when the moon drops down behind the Ten Mile Range, he'll be very pleased with the Really big Browns that come up to feed in the total darkness. He will also want to try using a black & silver floating Rapalla....the small one...with about a 12 lb. test line. ;) If the problem with the terrorists gets worse, he can make further plans.
 
There's a bus station in Grand Island & John surely has a credit card. It's only about 8 - 10 hrs back to Denver. No big deal, his wife can pick him up at the station. ABSOLUTELY head up to the cabin in Frisco! It's wonderful up there that time of year! The aspens are just starting to change & will be in full color in a couple of days (trust me. you can set your calendar by them). The elk are pretty much in full rut & you can hear them bugling on the mountainsides around town. The big browns (trout) are starting to hit well in Dillon Reservoir plus the Kokanees are starting to run up the Blue River from Dillon all the way down to Green Mountain Reservoir. Plus, Buffalo Mt. and most of the fourteeners around there will have their tops coated with snow many mornings.
John should hang out there for a few days and see if the terrorist problem gets solved while sitting in his hot tub, drinking coffee with Irish Cream and watching the sun come up over the Eisenhower tunnel. He should also strongly consider doing some night fishing on Dillon Especially about 200 yards down the east shore of the lake from the Blue River inlet). And if he'll time it right and be in place fishing when the moon drops down behind the Ten Mile Range, he'll be very pleased with the Really big Browns that come up to feed in the total darkness. He will also want to try using a black & silver floating Rapalla....the small one...with about a 12 lb. test line. ;) If the problem with the terrorists gets worse, he can make further plans.
Well, I'm not sure if I agree with your shtf plans, but I'm darned sure to take your vacation advice! You got me drooling over the thought of spending a few days there! I usually catch and release, but one or two of those Browns would make it to my frying pan.
 
Okay, after reading everyone else's replies, I think mine has flaws. John probably should go back to his family and figure out things there, with them. The only reason I thought of paying a taxi to drive him is because I used to be a taxi driver. And any one of us who worked at the company would always bid on a long trip. The farther you go, the more money in your pocket. And a car could navigate any accidents easier than a bus or truck. So, I still stand by taking a taxi.

I also have to question the timing. Wouldn't it be better for John to be on his way back home sooner rather than later? Shouldn't he use the relative calm to buy supplies and get out? What if the terrorists aren't done yet?

I just feel that the more time that goes by, the worse it will get. People that survived in the cities that were hit, are probably going to start leaving said cities, probably in a panic. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Once an attack occurred that causes the grounding of all flights the dynamics have changed thus first and foremost the priority is to get back home. Once a situation like this begins to materialize we need to start assessing our situation, the ground works begins in the assessment once we are notified of the planes diversion under a hostile event. It is unknown at this time if John and family had a plan in place on what the family to do in case of his absence and without communications when an emergency such as this occurs so at this point I can assume they didn't given that John is a novice at prepping and appears to have kept much of what he is doing from his wife? As long as John can text, he should starting texting instructions on what needs to be done and text as a group text between wife and son. I also wouldn't rely on John’s wife’s coworker cabin since they don't have much control regarding the cabin.
 
I also have to question the timing. Wouldn't it be better for John to be on his way back home sooner rather than later? Shouldn't he use the relative calm to buy supplies and get out? What if the terrorists aren't done yet?

I just feel that the more time that goes by, the worse it will get. People that survived in the cities that were hit, are probably going to start leaving said cities, probably in a panic. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

One needs to know the dangers thus intel needs to be collected that takes a little time, generally within the first 24hrs confusion is the order, so wait a little for the confusion to subside. Within 36hrs would be the most calm (depending on how broad the attack is and if your area is directly effected by it) but beyond the 36hr window than the calmness becomes a game of chance.
 
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One needs to know the dangers thus intel needs to be collected that takes a little time, generally within the first 24hrs confusion is the order, so wait a little for the confusion to subside. Within 36hrs would be the most calm (depending on how broad the attack is and if your area is directly effected by it) but beyond the 36hr window than the calmness becomes a game of chance.

Thanks for clarifying. Now that I think about it, during 9-11, I was completely freaked out for about an hour or two. After it was clear that nothing else was going to happen, then I just became sad & numb while watching the aftermath. So yeah, it makes sense that the first 24 hours would be the most hectic.
 
Having grown up in hurricane territory, I've seen how quickly supplies are stripped off store shelves. I think reacting quickly is key. Finding transport is key, with the rentals being gone, and lots of businesses likely to close and go home after an event, I don't think time is on his side. Going straight to the closest car dealer (in a taxi probably) would be my best bet. Then the grocery, bank, pawn shop, gas station and hardware store. If he hit these places within the first four hours, while most are still glued to the tv and numb, he stands a good chance of getting things to help ensure his chances of getting back to his wife and kids.
 
Having grown up in hurricane territory, I've seen how quickly supplies are stripped off store shelves. I think reacting quickly is key. Finding transport is key, with the rentals being gone, and lots of businesses likely to close and go home after an event, I don't think time is on his side. Going straight to the closest car dealer (in a taxi probably) would be my best bet. Then the grocery, bank, pawn shop, gas station and hardware store. If he hit these places within the first four hours, while most are still glued to the tv and numb, he stands a good chance of getting things to help ensure his chances of getting back to his wife and kids.

That's very true in a forewarned event, ironically in a forewarned event such as hurricanes pandemonium appears to be the order in the last 12-24hrs, congested highways, long gas lines, empty store shelves, lack of plywood generators batteries and a run on ATM machines.
 
should propably write this with a US map in front of me,but;get home asap,use any means neccesary (preferably legal),ain't your truckers mostly hard working good poeple? hitch a ride with a truck heading Denver,meanwhile his ms's pack all supplies,ready to be loaded in their truck and once John's near make a rendez-vouz and head up in the hills.
John should get to the pawn shop asap and buy some protection,those items will be soon sold out..sooner the family is together the better for all,they will function best together,not having to worry about each other,being separated..

atleast that's what I would do;get home and plan for that here everyday I leave for school or work:how and route A,B,C...
 
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I love what everyone has contributed so far and as part of this on-going scenario, I am going to plug a few more thoughts and twists to the story. Please continue to contribute, those who haven’t consider doing so, please do so. I think this maybe a great way to continue to learn and possibly address issues that linger in a Wednesday night chat, that I hope we will be able to resume in the future.

Part Two:

John text: The following message to his wife and children:

“Remain calm, we have to monitor the current situation. Stay put at the house except what I am too tell mom. I have not heard anything has happened to Denver, if you have, please let me know. Collect usable items, such as batteries, camping gear, personal documents, their is a checklist in my top front drawer, use it to complete the work that needs to get done. Place the BOB’s that I made in the Suburban, make sure the SUV is full of gas. If is not full, go to the gas station. Son is to get the four empty gas cans from the shed and give them to Mom to fill up on her return from Walmart. Mom goes to Walmart and load up on water, camping gear, snacks, anything edibile, but make it quick. Mom is to take my small Glock from my dresser drawer and load it like I showed you. Remember to hit center mass of the target. Kids change into loose fitting clothing” Text me if anything changes, I will keep you updated to my whereabouts and progress to get home to you. Love Dad”.

John catches a cab and asks the cabbie to take him to Walmart, on the way there, he see’s a pawn shop and purchases a next to new Colt 45. He tells him that he will pay him an extra $50 for waiting, as he enters Walmart. In the Walmart, he stops maxes out his credit cards at the ATM. He buys a small first aid kit, loading up with moleskin, other first aid supplies, in the camping department, walking out with several boxes of 45 caliber rounds, all the Mountain House sealable pouches, small solar/hand crank AM/FM radio, batteries, metal drinking container, wetfire, matches, sleeping bag, poncho, rain gear, sleeping mat, a large Bear Grills (okay, I know not a fan favorite, but Walmart stocks them, Leatherman, water purification tablets, flashlight, light sticks, a drinking straw, matches, and a hiking pack. To his luck, he sees a small solar recharger on an end cap. In the clothing area, he picks up a pair of hiking boots (cheaply made, but better than the street shoes he is wearing), some running shoes, a heavy lineman jacket, gloves, a wool liner, two flannel shirts, two workman’s pants, long underwear and extra wool socks. In a last minute grab, he throws a large road atlas, peanuts, candy bars and five hour energy drinks in the checkout line. Paying quickly, the cab strikes out for the bus terminal, as the cabbie told him, he had just missed the Amtrak an hour earlier. They go through a McDonald’s drive through and John loads up on some hot meals focusing on high caloric intake. It may be his last hot meal for days.

When John arrives, there are only eight people waiting for the bus. Purchasing his ticket back to Denver, the bus does not arrive for another hour. John quickly heads outside, walks to the back of the terminal, and begins to load all his material into his hiking bag, loading it like he had practiced before on his BOB and ditching useless items that he would no longer need. John reenters the terminal and now heads to the restroom, he uses the handicap/family bathroom, to give him extra room, and he changes quickly.

John loads the bus, to his good fortune there are only twelve people on the bus, two are people he recognized at the airport, but he does not greet them, preferring to remain aloof. John notes the exit sign in the rear of the bus, so he heads immediately adjacent to the seat. He immediately relaxes and tries to sleep.

Two hours on the road, his cellphone rings. He hears his wife’s voice, there is stress in it, but John remains calm. She reflects the events and accomplishments the entire family contributed. John reassures his wife that he is well on his way back home, but as they near the bottom of a valley, the signal is lost. He quickly sends a text message to reassure his family, checks his MapQuest signal to confirm his location, marking it on his road map and then turns off the cell. Pulling his solar recharger, he attempts to recharge his cell.

John removes the hand crank radio and begins to listen to news reports. The news is not good, is wife omitted to tell him that there had been six other attacks launched since he left the airport. Some were simple single cell attacks on shopping centers, but a “Dirty Bomb” has been used in Philadelphia. All the targeted cities were now in some form of martial law. John only hoped that each passing moment would bring him closer to his family.

John had endured seven hours, with stops in Kearney, North Platte, Oglala and Sterling, Colorado, the bus rolled into make a stop in Fort Morgan, Colorado. John immediately noticed the sheriff’s patrol car parked at the station and what looked to be like two soldiers and a military Humvee with a 50 caliber weapon in the cupola. His phone had recharged and so he tried to call, but the lines were busy, but he noticed the four text messages. So he promptly responded to them. John reassured her again that everything was smooth, but just as he was about to finish his text. Two soldiers climbed aboard and asked for everyone to show their identifications. All were told to exit the bus and enter the terminal, where they would be processed. John pulled his bag off and entered the facility. Heavily armed police, mixed with a few civilians (who were armed), questioned his destination and why he was on the bus. A young man protested in the line next to him and was escorted outside the building. John answered truthfully his situation and was asked to sit in the marked area that had been cordoned off. Just before leaving the table, John asked how long would it be, before they could reboard the bus and continue to his destination, but the official stated that they were told that state officials were setting up a cordon of the five cities of Colorado that included Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Pueblo and Fort Collins. John learned that the eastern cordon was Fort Morgan and the Western cordon was Grand Junction. Fort Collins and Trindad was serving as the north and south terminus. Every conveyance was subject to search, as only military aircraft were allowed in the air. Public transportation was stopped and even personally owned vehicles had to have a pass granted by a state or county official if they were to travel fifty miles outside their known residence. Transportation companies and independent truckers had to pass a 100 percent load inspection before reaching another check point. Those with GPS markers and computer load outs were processed quicker than the independent trucker, leading many to protest, as this was relayed to John by the official, but a state of emergency had been called by the governor and he was just doing his official duty, as were the national guard and law enforcement. John stated he was no different than the others, he was scared for his family and simply wanted to get home, he asked if anything major should change, he would be appreciative for any information. The official nodded and said he would keep that in mind. John noticed the young man being hand cuffed by a law enforcement official and was being placed in a patrol car that traveled away from the station. So began another page of John’s experience.

So what should John do now? Wait it out, ask to see if he could make it to the truck station (which was off the exit ramp, about 2 miles from the station) or ask if he could begin the next phase of his journey on foot? What would you do?
 
I would at this point make the trip to the truck station, the further away from the authorities (including military) the better I would feel. Once at the truck stop I would assess the situation (friendly, moody or if they look upon you with suspicion) before asking for a ride once John feels comfortable perhaps offering a little cash may be enough to tip the scale in his favor when asking for a ride though don't disclose the amount of cash on hand, separate an $150 from the cash on hand and hide the rest (providing John has any cash) One of the problems John should be aware of is having a firearm in a commercial truck can land one in hot water especially in a hyper sense of security/fear.
 
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yup,truckstop by foot!! and if possibly try to find some of those truckers that are "processed" faster,okay they will be scared too,that's for sure,but closer to home john gets,the better,gives a better chance of rendez vouz with his family.
not only must he keep one self secure as possible,but he must calm his wife and kids too,especially his wife,who will worry like hell for him.
at no point would I make any trouble with authorities,then your journey stops right there,in a situation like this john shouldn't scream for his rights,he will only have a very close view of some steel bars or chain links fence,it's important to maintain cool and sensible, he has all the gear he needs,now he need to get closer to home base.
good for him about those written instructions he left for his family,sometimes you have grow up really fast (this is to his 16 yr old son).

did check the US map,I would advice john to take 34 to Greely from Ft Morgan and then Denver,yup it's not direct,but in this case perhaps better to make a detour,there are more roads for john to meet with the family ( if I'm on the same page as rest of you)
 
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He should ask the law enforcement guys what the best way for him to get home is. They aren't the enemy.....yet. There may be a couple of macho types, but he can avoid them easy enough. Mostly they're just doin what needs to be done to stop more terrorists from doin bad things. They will appreciate his cooperation with them & will probably know the easiest way for him to get to Denver, and might even have some connections with law enforcement there. Colorado is still a gun friendly state and he will not likely have any issues with having a pistol. IF ...the cops are jerks, THEN he should try & sneak out and catch a ride on a truck. But, they are under heavy scrutiny already so having a hitch-hiker riding with them would probably cause them extra grief......so they may not be too keen on that. John might want to think about how he would be perceived by law enforcement in that case.
 
Umm...now I'm at a loss. I can think more like his wife now; more than what John should do. I still say that he should've tried to take the cab all the way home, taking back roads. Even if they would have gotten stopped and searched, they still might have been able to get a pass. I just don't know, so I'm going to read everyone else's reply. :confused:
 
yup,truckstop by foot!! and if possibly try to find some of those truckers that are "processed" faster,okay they will be scared too,that's for sure,but closer to home john gets,the better,gives a better chance of rendez vouz with his family.
not only must he keep one self secure as possible,but he must calm his wife and kids too,especially his wife,who will worry like hell for him.
at no point would I make any trouble with authorities,then your journey stops right there,in a situation like this john shouldn't scream for his rights,he will only have a very close view of some steel bars or chain links fence,it's important to maintain cool and sensible, he has all the gear he needs,now he need to get closer to home base.
good for him about those written instructions he left for his family,sometimes you have grow up really fast (this is to his 16 yr old son).

did check the US map,I would advice john to take 34 to Greely from Ft Morgan and then Denver,yup it's not direct,but in this case perhaps better to make a detour,there are more roads for john to meet with the family ( if I'm on the same page as rest of you)


Jon,

It was a great idea to take the road to Greely, unfortunately, the area would be very heavily cordoned off because Air Force Space Command assets are located nearby. Greely is the home of the 233 Space Group, with the 137th Space Warning Squadron that provides early space warning for the continental United States. John opting to take this route would be running into a very methodical and tier level security procedure, more or less the same that the Saudi's use to deny any non-Muslim trying to make their way toward Medina and Mecca. So John would be thinking of another route into Denver.

I will update the last part of the scenario, this weekend, stay tuned. Great posts all.
 

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