"My wife stays at home, so the reasons to get home in the event of a major disaster would be to get to where more guns and ammo are, as well as more gear and stored food."

May I assume your wife is familiar enough with the weapons to hold the fort until you get home? I hope.

"If it took a day or two, that wouldn't necessarily be a big deal."

Forty miles in a day or two? That's under ideal circumstances. Forty miles through "enemy territory"? I doubt it.

Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, commander of the joint task force in the Hurricane Katrina situation, said that local governments prepare for best-case scenarios, when they should be preparing for worst-case scenarios. I think that's something important to keep in mind. My usual max for distance away from home on my job is about 85 miles, and the biggest most-likely disaster is a major earthquake. On foot (practically guaranteed), I am assuming that it might take me somewhere in the vicinity of TWO WEEKS or so to get home. Getting across the three rivers could be an additional major problem.

Sue