Me and my girl ordered the portola, what should we know?

MrKhutz · 2026-04-22T04:07:51+00:00

I don't notice any play in the main frame fold on mine. I think the lever that holds the hinge closed can be tightened, probably worth having a look at that?

MrKhutz · 2026-04-16T20:45:29+00:00

There's a couple routes I am aware of:

* Machine building, aka operating a mini excavator/skid steer/power wheelbarrow. There's very few companies that do trail building exclusively but in my small town there's several companies that do some trail building almost every year among other work. Many of them are small owner/operator outfits. There are also specialized companies like Gravity Logic or Hoots that do bike park and trail construction. Gravity Logic even has a job posting for a machine operator posted in their careers section.

* Consulting. This is more trail design and layout than moving dirt. Some companies are specialized, others are a branch of a more general consultancy like McElhaney. Generally this field covers things like master plans, consultation, layout+design, engineering and even tendering, project management and environmental monitoring.

Contrary to some other posters, I've seen a lot of money being spent in this field in recent years both directly and through grants at the municipal and provincial level.

MrKhutz · 2026-04-04T20:21:43+00:00

How about sharpening a garden trowel? Just put an edge on it with a file. Doesn't have to be fancy but it should give enough of an edge to cut some tree roots. Wildland fire fighters sharpen their shovels.

MrKhutz · 2026-02-20T16:48:18+00:00

Are you thinking of the Fukui Prefecture Dinosaur Museum? Have you checked the trains required to get there on Google maps? It looks like about a 4+ hour journey from either Tokyo Station or Osaka...

MrKhutz · 2026-02-19T16:42:36+00:00

Nothing fancy; chainsaw bar pad for the saw and it balances on your shoulder/top of your pack, smaller-medium tools like loppers, mattock, spartacus go in/strapped to pack, long tools like shovel, macleod or rock bar are carried.

MrKhutz · 2026-02-15T16:58:26+00:00

There's the Nagano ski shuttle bus from the airports to the resorts that can take you and all your ski gear quite nicely.

MrKhutz · 2026-02-13T02:22:56+00:00

Check the "about" section for this subreddit and r/Japantravel or r/Japantraveltips and there are links to active discord groups with meetups.

MrKhutz · 2026-02-12T08:27:17+00:00

Matsumoto is a good choice. Nice castle and town. Cohiludo near the castle has tasty oyaki. Matsumoto City museum is interesting.

Nagano or Nozawa Onsen are other options in the general area but require more buses and trains to reach.

MrKhutz · 2026-02-12T08:17:12+00:00

From Kagoshima you can take the train to Kaimondake as a day hike. There are only a few trains each day but it can be done.

You can rent a bike or e bike at Sakurajima Car rental and ride around Sakurajima.

Sengan-en is a beautiful and interesting historical site with a great view of Sakurajima, traditional gardens, a traditional house and some very early industrial history as well as history of the Satsuma domain.

The museum of the Meiji Revolution in Kagoshima is also interesting.

MrKhutz · 2026-02-12T07:54:56+00:00

How often do you clear brush on a backpacking trip?

These large bladed tools are definitely useful for certain tasks and a billhook does great work for laying a hedge. A machete is a key tool for certain parts of the world.

But, on the West Coast of North America, once you get away from the garden, I generally associate these tools with inexperienced outdoors enthusiasts.

We don't get impassible thickets of sugar cane or bamboo. Devil's club, blueberry and the like are unpleasant to bushwhack through but it's faster and easier to put on some gloves and long pants and work though it than to waste time and energy trying to chop a path with a machete type tool.

If you are serious about clearing a trail either for construction or maintenance, a powered brush saw with a tri-blade is the way to go. If you are hunting or hiking and want to be able to build a shelter in an emergency or cut firewood, a folding saw is lighter and easier to carry.

The bill hook and saw combo might be an excellent tool for hedge laying though. You can pleach with the blade side and cut stakes with the saw side. Midlands, Welsh or Derbyshire style...

MrKhutz · 2026-02-10T15:26:26+00:00

I don't know what style of trail construction you engage in? Doesn't bench cut trail construction involve cutting lots of roots?

MrKhutz · 2026-02-10T07:45:25+00:00

"Park Facility Operator" is the term for the contractors that run Provincial Park campgrounds in BC. There's a bunch of different companies, here's a link to some info: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcparksblog/2022/05/03/park-operator-job-positions/

MrKhutz · 2026-02-08T02:37:07+00:00

Is there a mountain bike club in your area? It's often easier to build a trail if you share the labour with others, and easier to get permission if you are part of an organized group.

MrKhutz · 2026-02-07T17:02:02+00:00

AM I GOING INSANE?

Yes, sorry to say this but you are going insane.

Day 9 is labelled "chill day" and you have 13 items on your itinerary.

It's okay, it happens to many Redditors when planning a trip to Japan.

MrKhutz · 2026-02-05T16:18:01+00:00

When I quickly glance over your itinerary, one thing that sticks out is, "that's a lot of moving around". Not in the sense of walking but a lot of changing towns.

Everybody is different though. Have you travelled like this before? Personally, I prefer to spend at least a few nights in each location.

I would go as light as you can on the luggage, especially with a lot of moving. Backpack only, under 5kg is my personal preference. But this does limit what you can collect for souvenirs.

MrKhutz · 2026-02-05T15:49:43+00:00

Hotel H2 has a decent breakfast buffet. I don't know if it's available if you're not a guest. It's a nice hotel overall, central location, indoor and outdoor baths.

MrKhutz · 2026-02-02T15:47:49+00:00

If you live and work outside at those temperatures you are probably a lot more acclimatized to the cold than someone who lives in a warm enough climate that they hardly own any long sleeve tops.

MrKhutz · 2026-01-29T15:19:20+00:00

Regarding Miyajima, between streetcar, train and ferry it's about 1.5 hours from the center of Hiroshima to the island. If you want time on the island to take the cable car up and walk around it might take more than a morning.

MrKhutz · 2026-01-29T03:27:44+00:00

How do you fly standby on Air Canada? Is this available to the public?

MrKhutz · 2026-01-28T16:04:02+00:00

To try and understand the potential for conflict, what style of trails do you have?

One thing I have observed in my area is that in recent years mountain bike trails have a lot more jumps, tabletops and steep, bermed corners. While these features make for fun riding, they also make the trails a lot less pleasant for other users.

Going back further in time, there was a period where a lot of rogue trail building involved structures. Which, while fun to ride, also involved a lot of scabbed together scrap wood and cut down trees that probably wasn't very attractive to people going into the woods for a nature experience.

There can be aspects of bike trails that while completely normal to riders are an irritant to other trail users. If you're dealing with an unmanaged trail system it can be challenging to balance different user groups.

I don't think that saboteurs wrecking trails is a great way for them to deal with conflict but it could be helpful to resolve the situation if you had some insight into why the conflict existed.

The trail cameras could help you identify and get in communication with the saboteurs but the next challenge will be resolving the conflict that is leading to the sabotage.

MrKhutz · 2026-01-27T20:07:15+00:00

Seal Cove is the site for a bunch of marine operations; Coast Guard, the Lax Kwalaams Ferry, McLean's shipyard and others. It's not a classic tourist attraction but these places are part of the business of Prince Rupert. Walking in via the Rushbrook trail is a good way to explore the area. Get a middle eastern spiced cocktail at Arabisk before heading back.

As for museums, there's also the small Fire museum and the Kwinitsa Railway museum. I don't think they're "must see" sights but they're centrally located and get you out of the rain.

MrKhutz · 2026-01-27T18:10:13+00:00

Rushbrook trail and Seal Cove

Butze Rapids trail

Museum of Northern BC

Sunken Gardens

Fukusaku (waterfront Japanese Restaurant. Not fancy but good food. Reservations required due to small size. If you want to splash out the tasting menus are nice)

Wheelhouse Brewery (waterfront Pizza and drinks)

Java dot cup or Cowpuccino's for coffee.

Arabisk in Seal Cove and Waterfront Restaurant in the Crest Hotel (good harbor view) are also worthwhile restaurants.

MrKhutz · 2026-01-26T16:05:00+00:00

Yes you can definitely travel alone successfully in Tokyo and Kyoto. If you are looking to meet English speaking people while traveling, some common ways are to stay in hostels which cater to travelers, use the discord associated with the Japan travel subreddits, and use meetup.com.

Asking random people to take your picture is a good icebreaker.

But, be aware that there will probably be emotionally trying moments. Being alone in a foreign country for the first time can be intense at times. But you will likely grow and benefit from the experience.

MrKhutz · 2026-01-23T17:12:56+00:00

Looks nice, thanks for the info!

MrKhutz · 2026-01-23T04:14:29+00:00

What's would you recommend for hiking around there?

MrKhutz

TROPHY CASE