I think we are going to break down and go to the lake house tomorrow. We’re timing it with Ted’s work, going when we can stay for over a week instead of a quick weekend trip. Somehow that seems less irresponsible.
Arguments against going:
- Against the spirit of “stay in place”. Useful to go but not absolutely essential. A total of about 5 hours driving (in a reliable vehicle with a huge tank). Very low risk of breaking down on the road and needing rescue – but of course not a non-zero risk.
- This will necessitate one extra gas fill-up.
Arguments in favor of going:
- Mental and physical health. Lots more opportunity to be outside without being around other people. Can go on the water (would probably use only my kayak or my rec shell, both very hard to tip, as opposed to my tippier racing shell) or garden or do yardwork.
- Have emailed elderly neighbor there to ask if she needs us to bring any groceries – she’s healthy but in her 80s, her husband has health issues.
- Can pick up stuff we’ve left there (everything from my engagement ring (I wear it instead of a wedding band) to my better headphones for work to pantry items (paper towels!) we could snag from there instead of buying.
- Can grab the masks Ted has there for woodworking – probably N95, though he’s not sure.
- Can do yardwork, and early spring is when it’s badly needed
- Checking on the house – we haven’t been there for almost a month.
Arguments not in favor, but not NOT in favor:
- Not planning to go anywhere but the house or grounds around us – but if we do need to go grocery shopping or even somehow suddenly need a hospital we can go to the city < half an hour away and not put a strain on a rural area.
- This is not a vacation area, like the Oregon or NYC-adjacent beach towns that got overloaded by city folks fleeing the virus. It’s a town people live in – that in fact we ourselves plan to go live in, in just a few years.
So yeah, hard to decide but I think we’re going.