So the trip northwest to Thunder Bay was looong... 2 days drive each way.
Day 1, hubby and I discussed world politics, shared news stories we saw or read on t.v./magazines/internet, gossiped about family members, etc... Normal husband-wife chit chat.
Day 2 we resorted to word games, geography games (if anyone knows places that begin with 'X' - city, town, country, river or mountain range - do speak up!) and discussed plans for the week.
Day 3, the journey home, we post-mortemed the visit, which took all of two hours, and then the silence set in. By the time we passed the stinky mill-town of Terrace Bay, I was getting antsy.
I turned to Hubby and said "Some sort of crisis occurs -- war, plague, alien invasion -- take your pick. You have thirty minutes or less to evacuate your home. What do you take and where do you go?"
Believe it or not, this conversation lasted for the rest of the journey. We what-iffed and butted our way through a major flu outbreak, an atomic blast, and War of the Worlds for TEN hours!! Remember this the next time there's a conversation lull at a dinner party.
I won't bore you with our entire packing list, but I'll share the top faves and invite you to add your own.
Assuming we're heading north into isolation and only have our minivan to fill, here's a room by room breakdown...
Office: coin collection for future currency/trading. Credit cards are useless. Grab gold and silver.
And passports, just in case we have to prove our citizenship/allegiance.
Garage: tools, including axe, rope, hammer or mallet, utility knife, wire... useful outdoorsy stuff. Tent or tarp to make temporary shelter. I later added a toboggan, incase we somehow take down a moose and need to drag it to camp ;)
Bathroom: any and all medicine in the cabinet, bandaids, soap, toothbrushes, bug spray and sun screen
Bedroom: blankets, sewing kit, durable clothes (leave the 'dry clean only' stuff for the aliens)
Kitchen: vitamins, salt (moose is YUK without salt - also good for preserving meat), canned goods and pasta/rice, oil, can opener, some sharp knives, spoons, pot, pan, plastic plates, bowls, cups.
Other: couple of books (once read would make good kindling) matches, candles, batteries, portable radio.
And finally... my iPhone. Cause after waiting in line for 5 1/2 hours to buy the damn thing, I'm not going ANYWHERE without it.Oh - and I should mention... upon arriving home, hubby picked up a tent at Walmart. Just in case ;)
10 comments:
Definitely take the iPhone. If you find yourself cornered by the aliens, you could toss the phone to them and say "I'm having problems with this third party application, can you figure it out?" That'll keep them busy. By the time they give up, you'll be in Mexico.
rene - EXACTLY! I like how you think :)
Are you assuming your house won't be there at the end of the war/whatever?
I'd probably tuck a easy-to-carry photo album (you know those little ones that fit in your purse that Black's used to give out) of pictures of your kids at various stages of their growth. Especially if there was some wildfire or something. Once lost they're forever gone. Which is why I'm gradually putting my photos online - just in case. But that assumes 'online' will survive too. (aren't I bundle of happy thoughts?)
Just catching up to your mega trek to Thunder Bay. Loved the photos! It's bizarre to think how big Ontario is - head north and you can go forever and never leave it.
That's a good conversation.
I used to think like that if there was a Tornado, what I would grab and take into the basement from upstairs.
Before I was married and had kids it used to be a lot longer. Now, it's basically my purse and the kids.
I keep all the photos downstairs anyways.
i'm picturing an alien traipsing around in the dress wylie wore to the rita reception....
we used to drive regularly to sudbury in the days of single lane highway = five hours, and once got a roll up the rim cup from tim hortons (ubiquitous canadian donut chain) that carried us about four hours through discussing how we would spend the million dollars if we won. we ended up actually winning a muffin...
That sounds like a very interesting discussion! And a sensible list, as well. And hehe, we have tents, too. :-D
Heh, wonder if we should buy little bitty tents for the Ballicai? ;-D
TL - I know you meant that to be funny, but did you know that you can get tents with little pet areas?? YES! They have their own little nooks with a zippered door and mesh window.
m. - Ah, yes... We have the what-if-we-win-the-jackpot conversation every Saturday night in anticipation of the Lotto 649 draw LOL! And we'll definitely have to get up to Science North one day.
You forgot a box of matches or a couple of disposable lighters. You must have the means to make fire or you're all going to be brown bread! I presume you're going to cook that moose. You didn't include a gun, so how are you going to take down your moose? I have visions of you running after it through the snow waving an axe!
On the Maltese island of Gozo there is a very charming little coastal village called Xlendi (pronounced Shlendi). We went swimming there several times during our summer holidays there when i was a callow teenager.
Hey Nicholas - but matches ARE on the list, under the "Other" category. And no, I don't have a gun, but, in my experience, moose aren't the smartest creatures (or cutest) animals on the planet. I was going to invite him in for tea and stage an ambush ;)
Thanks for Xlendi!! It will be used on the next road trip.
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