It sounds to me like you have looked hard into what considerations
qualify a piece of land to retreat to in a SHTF scenario. I hadn't
even thought to use google earth - that's a great idea! thanks.
Obviously, your retreat would necessarily be a good distance
from any major cities or towns ( 30-40 miles minimum)
In my mind my priorities would be:
Cover/concealment/defensibility with an escape route (example
you don't want your back to an uncrossable river)
Access to water
Access to animal/plant foods
Just because there are no streams or ponds doesn't mean
there is no water there. Look for water-loving plants like
cattails or sedges. Dig a few holes to see how far down the
water table is. If you can find water near the surface during
the dry season you're good to go.
When I look at the google earth images I will be comparing
what I see to a USGS topographic map. This will give me a better
idea of what I'm looking at.
Once you find your ideal spot I would try to go there in every
season to see what game and wild plants are there and to check
for human activity. Many lands are only visited by people
during hunting season. The farther away from any roads or
ATV/ hiking trails you are the less chance there will be of
encountering people. It wouldnt be too hard to close
down a road by felling a few trees. Aging the trash you find
is another good way of gauging human activity.
If you go during hunting season I would check the vehicles
for out of state tags to see if it was locals or others that
do the hunting there. Pick up a copy of your state game
regulations at any Wallymart if you don't know when hunting
season is.
Once you found your primary spot you may want to see if
there are any fallback sites nearby in case your primary spot
becomes untenable. Then it's time to stash some supplies -
food, ammo, tools, seeds, water purification and firemaking
equipment.
Last thing would be to find alternate routes to your area that
offer concealment en route. beyond that I think prayer is
about all you have left to do.
Starred and flagged calstorm, very good thread!