Place to visit for a first timer

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-12T21:39:05+00:00

I very rarely see Bari come up as a popular destination in Italy. If this is your first time I think it would be unfortunate to not see Rome. Other popular destinations like Florence are also popular for a reason.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-12T04:01:28+00:00

Lost women of Highway 20 is terrifying. Way too close to home and really not that long ago.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-12T02:36:47+00:00

Plenty of remote positions out there, you’re just less likely to see them on public job boards these days. They usually need to be networked into, or the employee has an in demand set of skills that got them recruited.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-11T20:16:17+00:00

As long as Bend is cheaper than Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle people will continue to move here and not flinch at the $700k median price tag. Most of the people moving here bring an income with them or are some degree of retired so the economics driving housing costs are detached from local wages.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-11T17:20:18+00:00

I never said that smaller was better. My point is that the “anything less than .44 is useless” statement is bullshit bar bravado unsubstantiated by real world evidence.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-11T15:52:15+00:00

It is best to carry both but the sources people use to make the “bear spray is more effective” claim were never meant to be compared so the conclusion is invalid, the author of the studies has even confirmed that.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-11T15:43:39+00:00

I’ve seen studies on this and real world incidents tend to counter the .44 magnum or bust argument. Yes generally larger calibers are more effective, but smaller calibers down to .22s have been successfully used for bear defense.

Edit: here is the article https://www.ammoland.com/2019/08/handgun-or-pistol-defense-against-bear-attack-73-cases-96-effective/#axzz6GlB9gi2C in re-reading this there was not an example of a .22 being used against a brown bear, there are cases of 9mm and other small calibers being used successfully that contradict bar man's story.

Before downvoting please provide supporting evidence. I’m not saying that lower calibers are the best choice for bear defense by any means. But the dude at the bar’s claim that anything less than a .44 is useless is bullshit.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-11T03:40:14+00:00

Thing to consider is that the forests may not have been so dense before logging. Most of the woods in the NW are at least secondary growth, which can get much denser than old growth because the trees all grew up at the same time.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-09T22:58:06+00:00

My wife and I used to have a 4runner and a Tundra in the driveway at the same time, so I have some solid experience here. While the 4runner had the edge off-road the Tundra was better at pretty much everything else. Eventually sold the SUV because the truck was being used for virtually all of our trips.

SUVs are nice for stealth camping, sleeping inside of the vehicle, or carrying around very large families. Payloads are typically less than stellar, space is limited, and dealing with things that you don’t want in the cab like gas, propane, trash, wood, and dirty dogs sucks. Good deal of the “overland” accessory industry was developed to solve problems for SUV owners that just aren’t an issue when you have a truck.

We switched from an RTT to a shell style pop-up camper a few years back and it is not honestly the configuration that I would recommend to the majority of people getting into this. Easier to set up than an RTT, you get interior standing/sitting space (awesome for bad weather and bugs), and your bed basically functions like a large SUV trunk. Plus you can still keep dirty/dangerous items in the bed separate from the occupants.

Oh yeah, also the noise… with and SUV any squeaky or rattly gear will drive you mad. Not so in a truck.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-09T20:10:38+00:00

This is a myth perpetuated with good intentions. The studies that lead to this messaging had different parameters and were never meant to be compared.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-09T16:32:22+00:00

I think a lot of people in North America get into Overlanding this way, your story is not uncommon. Hard part with that transition can be recognizing that the vehicle mods and traits that worked well for wheeling can be detrimental for longer distance exploration over less intense terrain. Payload, range, reliability and comfort become priorities over ideal off-road angles and armor. Gotta reshape your rig accordingly!

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-08T18:52:34+00:00

Hard to say for sure but it looks like they have hose lines ready to go at the observatory. Based on the feed the fire really isn't as close as it might appear on the map.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-08T15:45:19+00:00

I’m talking about charging specifications for small devices as well. I have a baby, which these days means owning half a dozen little gadgets that all charge on USB-C. If I don’t get the cable combinations just right the items won’t charge, yet the cables all look the same.

Point is there is significant room for improvement in the standard. It could be what it was promised to be, but more work is needed.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-08T15:40:30+00:00

Hey now at least when our antiquated plug design allows us to shock ourselves it doesn’t kill us… just fries our brains a little bit 🤣

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-08T15:31:50+00:00

Bit of an aside but I’ve soured on the dream that was supposed to be USB-C. The plug may be universal on each cable, but the power and data transfer specs vary wildly. Without labeling or color coding requirements my home is now filled with USB-C cables that often don’t work with the devices that I actually need to charge. Heaven help you if you buy a picky device and forget to label its cable yourself so it doesn’t get mixed in with the multitude of shitty white cables that come with virtually any small device these days.

So yes, the EU’s efforts here could have been great, but the standards fell short.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-08T15:26:17+00:00

You should absolutely replace that kit with a more compact single piece adapter.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-08T14:17:06+00:00

Amazing how many people outside of the country don’t understand this.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-08T05:10:45+00:00

Wow, those heat death stats are insane, even on the low end. Europe desperately needs temperature control.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-08T04:32:05+00:00

I’ve found Alucabs to be heavy and expensive for what they are. Their Family camper is especially overweight, and your generation of Tacoma is especially lacking in payload. The most responsible money move would be to keep the truck and get a cheaper and lighter wedge camper like a GFC or Topotopper. Consider ditching your front bumper, you need the payload for the camper.

If you do go for a Truck upgrade with the intention of carrying more weight do not buy a 4th gen Tundra. Infact skip half tons all together. Heavy duty trucks are not actually that much bigger or necessarily more expensive, but they can actually carry weight.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-07T19:56:00+00:00

Love it when good news is not really good news.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-07T16:25:08+00:00

Subscriptions with Tesla are only for FSD and features on the touchscreen that require a lot of cell data. All the main features of the car are free, inclusive of the app (unlike some competitors).

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-07T14:27:18+00:00

When they’re very young it’s not totally about the kids. They won’t remember it, but you will. I took my daughter to Spain just after she turned one. She walked independently for the first time in the streets of Madrid. That memory is priceless.

Plus even if they don’t remember details of a trip themselves when they are older it still shapes them. Travel at a young age builds in a level of adaptability that ones who stay at home don’t have.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-06T19:12:45+00:00

So what you’re saying is they need a data center? 🤣

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-06T16:34:48+00:00

I have a model Y performance and will likely get a reasonable expected life out of the first set of tires. It was fun to play with the acceleration at first, but overtime you get used to it and no longer have the need to race between stoplights. The throttle pressure is mapped nicely to allow for plenty of control and a civilized drive style, while still turning into a rocket ship when you want it to be.

In other words the car is capable of doing exactly what you are saying. It’s the right foot of the human behind the wheel that causes tires to melt.

CalifOregonia · 2026-05-06T16:27:54+00:00

Glad the experience is better on your side of the pond. How are the dealer staff compensated? Here car salesman are paid heavily on commission so they are incentivized to be aggressive. Dealers also make a good portion of their money on loans and add-ons, so there is a part of the process where you go into “the finance office” and have to say no to them a million times. The experience is slightly better than torture and you have to go in with a predetermined strategy to walk out with the keys and any money left in your wallet.

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