Selfish question

I am going nomadic after Oct. Planned a trip from east, after Thanksgiving to the west coast. I have a sit right after Thanksgiving in the Ashville, NC area. Then I go west, along I40, which is not going to be fixed for months. But even the smaller roads to get to and from sit are impassable. I did ask the HO, how they are. They are safe, house is OK. But I am wondering about the sit. At what point is it feasible to assess my ability to get to and from the sit and how to handle it?

There will be some roads open by then, but you may have to detour to get to/from vs going directly. Only you can decide if you’re willing/able to do that.

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I40 will not be open through to TN. The mountain slide is bad. They are saying 6 months. But to get into the mountains, I think will be pretty compromised. I am already looking at alternative routes, which adds 75 miles to my route west.

The HO may disagree, but I don’t think it’s entirely selfish of you to cancel. If the sit isn’t until after Thanksgiving I think they
will be able to find someone else. There are likely many people in that area already who would be glad for a safe, clean place to stay, and I don’t think anyone wants more people coming to Asheville anytime soon.

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It’s a fair point that there may be some local friends they know who could use a place to stay if their home has been damaged.

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It’s fair to say that the situation has changed since the sit was confirmed and at times like this good clear communication by both parties is vital .

HOs circumstances and plans may also have changed even if their home is intact , their relatives homes may be affected and so they may want to have relatives to stay with them long- term .

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Oh my, I had not realized that it was this bad!

I think it is too early to even approach the subject. One, the roads to their place are a mess and basic power has to be restored. They really don’t need to think about who will house sit for them in early Dec. this week. Hence, why I headed up topic, Selfish question. I would like to know my plans. But I can wait. They are in the Land of lakes area, south of Ashville, hit bad. The only connecting road is totally out.

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I have been in touch. They cancelled an Oct sit they had, heading south to FL. Said the makeshift roads wash out a day later. THS is willing to cancel the sit for me. But I am waiting. More guilty than selfish at this point. Their house is relatively unscathed. But no roads, no power for at least a month, then have a sit?

I cancelled. I feel really guilty. They think the roads will be OK in 2 months. I know I40 will not be open. And the traffic with rerouting will be awful. I feel really bad. I just don’t want to deal with all the construction and traffic when I am a road trip going out west. In fact, I am taking a totally different route now.

It’s a disaster zone, with even basic supplies like water and food hard to get for many. There’s no reason for anyone who doesn’t live there to go, unless they’re helping with recovery or rebuilding efforts. The hosts were willing to let you walk into their disaster and they’d leave you to figure out their home and pets.

There’s absolutely no reason to feel guilty. If you feel bad for folks there, like many people in the world do, donate some money. Your guilt helps no one.

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Thanks Maggie. Nice to have support.

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