We said goodbye to the Andersons this
morning. Using the frigid temperatures to aid their travels and increase their
safety, Brian and Kelly headed north, hoping to hook up with Kelly’s extensive
family in Wisconsin. It sucks to see them go but I think everyone understood
why they made their decision.
After we wished them all good bye, I
retired to my hobbit hole that Alex and I share and Brian’s notebook was on my
bedroll. Inside was the following note that I have transcribed here:
Friends and Family,
As I write
this, a line from an old song comes to mind "These times, they are a
changing" but that seems to hardly to do this justice. None the less, it
is time for us to make a change. Kelly and I have to leave. We are heading
north to try and find Kelly's family. Winter has hit with its full force, and
this seems the best time to go for our safety and success. This is not an easy
thing to do as this has become our home... and you all have become our family.
I remember our first night here. I had not slept that peacefully since the
outbreak. I look around and I cannot help but admire how far we have come… yet
we have a long ways to go.
They say the
first step is the hardest, and I can only imagine the first mile will be
hardest for us. I do not see this as a goodbye. We do plan on coming back. Our
goal is to bring good news, help, or even such a slim thing as hope. We do
leave with just that, hope. We wouldn't have made it this far without each and
every one of you. Those still with us, and those we have lost.
I'm not sure
if there is a God anymore, but if there is, I pray He watches over you all. As
I always say, God Bless, Run Safe, and see you on the flip side.
Brian and
Kelly...
Almost since he got here, Brian had
spent his time scribbling in one of the notebooks from the office supply
section. I never asked what he was working on. I figured it was either
something private or something that he would share when he was ready. Well, he
left that notebook for me, filled with ideas, drawings, post-it note comments,
and even some road maps from the Grand Lake tourism kiosk with highlights and
scribbles on them.
It seems Brian had what survivalists
call a “bug out” plan and from everything that I am reading, this is pretty
dang solid. I am going to share this with the group and reach a consensus and
then I will share information later. Maybe you can adopt a similar plan to help
save you and your group.
