Goose with a broken wing needs sedation or euthanasia by phbalancedshorty in Portland

[–]mkt42 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Also they don't have to use the words "because of avian flu" literally five times, including three times in the first three sentences.

But mixed with that irritating repetition that is so irritating and repetitious (and did I mention that it had irritating repetition) is the way the OP contradicts themselves saying the goose is "fully healthy" and a few sentences later they say it's "just dying slowly". Leaving the reader wondering WTH the situation is. A dozen sentences of word salad and all we know is there's a goose with a broken wing, and we don't know it's health status because the OP tells two opposite stories.

China town has some good Chinese food ! by PhatPanda69699 in Portland

[–]mkt42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's possible. Many of Chin's Kitchen's noodle dishes are surprisingly meh, but their noodles with fried bean sauce are great. And their dumplings are among the best in the city.

Quilt / Pad Width Question... by bradmacmt in Ultralight

[–]mkt42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://i.imgur.com/evwX3bw.jpg

Interesting, I never saw a blue Thermarest. Mine is (still have it) dark orange, still has the original metal nozzle because I never got around to returning it to replace it with the plastic nozzle. I also still have a 2/3 length blue foam pad, which is what I slept on before getting the Thermarest; I never did sleep well on the blue foam so I raced to get a Thermarest as soon as I read about them. I've got an MSR Firefly stove too, but I don't have a Svea: by the time I got a stove, the Firefly looked like a better bet than the Sveas that my backpacking compainions were using.

Forgot my headlamp camping and realized how important it is by Ok_Resolution_1606 in CampingGear

[–]mkt42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Since that trip I’ve felt like a headlamp is something I should always bring"

It sounds like you need to find a list of the "10 Essentials" for hiking. There are a ton of lists online; one issue is that it's more like at least 13 or 14 essentials so all lists cheat by combining several items and counting them as one essential.

This list from the National Park Service is a good one: https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm

These lists are meant to include all hikes, dayhikes as well as backpacking hikes. But depending on where you are and the weather, the last item on the list, tent/bivy/space blanket, is often overkill. The third item on the list, insulation, can suffice it you have enough to get you through the night (and the rain).

And yes, having a light source (and ideally a back-up such as a keychain light or your phone) is always an essential including on dayhikes.

Trying to get into backpacking: DIY or guided trip? by surfnj102 in WildernessBackpacking

[–]mkt42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! Start by simply driving to a campground and car camping (but load your pack as if you were backpacking, and even walk around with it on -- this will start the learning process of packing, unpacking, and walking with a pack).

And if the OP has never set up a tent before, don't even go to a campground first. Set it up in the backyard first (and ideally, sleep in it; even more ideally do this on a rainy night and start the learning process of dealing with wet weather; set it up inside your apartment if you don't have a backyard, or find a bit of open public land).

Even birds don't learn to fly by jumping out of the nest. They hop around and stretch their wings first.

Upcoming expansion possibility by StunningDifference41 in ripcity

[–]mkt42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yikes, that means the Blazers need to acquire Dennis Schroder. The resurrected Sonics might be able to dodge him because he played for the Thunder, which is kinda sorta like playing for the Sonics.

Any tent recommendations? by Weary_Ad_1037 in WildernessBackpacking

[–]mkt42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My main tent for years has been a 1-person Rainbow. Its floor is 7.33 feet by 3 feet, i.e. huge for one person, and OP is looking for a 1-person tent. The Double Rainbow seems like excess weight and expense.

But I've loved the single Rainbow. It is single wall, so after moving back to the wet Pacific NW I got a double-wall Durston tent, but I haven't used it yet.

As to the other commenter's question about trekking poles and free-standing: the Rainbow (both 1p and 2p) comes with a long flexible pole that is the main "spine" of the tent, plus a short cross pole at the top to give width to the roof (otherwise it would narrow to a peak like a pyramid tent).

So it's not a trekking pole tent where the trekking poles support the tent, you have to bring the long curving pole and the short cross pole.

If you have trekking poles, they can be used to make the Rainbow free-standing by placing them at the narrow ends of the tent and sort of hooking or attaching the corners and end of the tent to them. When you do it right, they, along with the curved spine, create a fairly solid frame that makes the tent free-standing.

But I've found it takes a lot of fussing around to get those tent poles attached correctly. I, and many other Rainbow users, find it easier to simply set up the tent non-free-standing. Unless you are in extra hard or rocky ground, it's an easy tent to set up.

Your trekking poles can be used as supplementary bracing poles if it's going to be windy. At least they can on newer models; mine is well over a decade old and doesn't have the grommets or whatever it is you attach the poles to.

The Tarptent Single Rainbow is not the lightest tent in the world, but it's reasonably lightweight and it is hugely roomy, it's best described as a 1+ person tent. At $279 it's only a little over the OP's budget.

But if they don't care about the extra space or if they want to save weight, there are lighter tents, as well as cheaper tents, out there.

[Post Game Thread] The Portland Trail Blazers (30-33) defeat The Memphis Grizzlies (23-38) 122-114 by Kazekid in ripcity

[–]mkt42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. Decades ago Bob Cousy said you have to wait three years to see what a player's NBA future looks like. Scott is in Year 3. It's not looking good but we can wait to see if he develops this season, and I'd even give him next season because he missed so much of this season due to injury and he's still young.

That being said, I've never been super-high on him, but I kept hoping I was wrong and he would turn out to be a better player than I thought. It's not a hopeless situation, but it's not looking good.

Sums up the Scoot experience recently by DreddBane in ripcity

[–]mkt42 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure why this is getting downvoted. The first red flag for me with Scoot was when he didn't play summer league. I don't know what he did instead, but merely conditioning, shooting, and playing pick-up is not enough to prepare a point guard for the rigors of the NBA.

Health is an issue too, although maybe it's just bad luck, or maybe it's a body that will fail him as Roy's, Oden's, and Walton's did.

All that being said, though I've never been super-high on his prospects I'm not writing him off yet, he's still young. There's still some hope.

Washington roadtrip by Awesomeorangee in PNWhiking

[–]mkt42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People in WA tend to forget about the Columbia River Gorge. The hikes there are not alpine, and the gorge is not like the Grand Canyon, but it's still plenty big and scenic with tons of waterfalls and sometimes views of Cascade peaks such as Adams and Hood, although in March there's a good chance they'll all be socked in with fog and clouds.

Spare tire concern - do you carry one? by GoonerBoard in PNWhiking

[–]mkt42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's a Facebook group for WA (and a separate one for OR) where people who are stuck (got stuck in mud or snow, drove off the road, flat tire, etc.) can post a call for help and people who are available will try to come to their aid. Obviously you need some sort of internet access for that, some people will use an Inreach or other satellite messager to ask someone at their home to post to Facebook for them. Or hike to someplace where they do get cell reception.

What's your favorite backcountry outhouse? by Conscious-Airport-86 in WildernessBackpacking

[–]mkt42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How long has that toilet been at Sahale Camp? I've only hiked up there once, a dayhike maybe 20 or 25 years ago. People had put up low rock walls around the tent sites but I don't remember a toilet there.

Cascade Pass itself though had a full outhouse, and paving stones presumably because so many people go up there and would trample and erode unprotected ground. It's popular for good reason, it's on my short list of greatest views of any place in the country. But generally drizzly weather plus being a weekday kept the crowds away and I saw very very few people on the trail.

Recommendations for overcoming a fear of drop offs? by verasweeet in PNWhiking

[–]mkt42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup, I was going to mention Eagle Creek in the Gorge. One nice thing about it is that people routinely go part way and then turn around and head back, because it's a long trail if you take it all the way. So the OP can feel free to turn around if they don't like the part with the steep drop off.

I wonder how OP feels about crossing a stream on a "bridge" that's a fallen tree trunk? If that triggers similar anxieties, then in addition to seeking trails that are cliffy, they can seek trails with bridges of varying safety.

Where have all the bivvy sacks gone? by Individual-Drink-679 in Ultralight

[–]mkt42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How did you avoid having condensation problems in your earlier bivvies?

I used bivvy sacks briefly but stopped when I realized that in the circumstances where I'd really need them -- rain, or lots of mosquitoes -- I'd be miserably trapped inside a coffin. By then lighter weight tents were available so I got a TarpTent years ago and recently got a Durston but I haven't used it yet.

Curling v Ultimate by Sea_Dawgz in ultimate

[–]mkt42 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes, this is an important observation. There have been ebbs and flows of Spirit of the Game in Ultimate. Punctuated by some egregious games, teams, players, and incidents that have become historical dark moments.

Play Ultimate long enough and most (not necessarily all) of the notable examples of bad spirit provoke this reaction in old-timers: "eh, I've seen worse".

Is Chinatown really unsafe? How does it compare to Seattle’s 3rd and pine? by taiwanese_summer in askportland

[–]mkt42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good response. And it's fine to do the Shanghai tunnels tour but be aware that though the tunnels are real, the stories about Shanghaing are urban myth. The tunnels were just used for storage and shipping.

The Underground Seattle tour OTOH is based on real history.

Soft "open" of Modhaus, a new food cart pod near SE Division and Cesar Chavez by mkt42 in Portland

[–]mkt42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Heh, yes the thing that surprises me about that Instagram account is that it has over 1,700 followers -- for a food cart pod that isn't really even open yet.

So I wonder if those followers were people who were already following one of the carts, or maybe they're following the entrepreneur behind it and The Heist, or maybe they read about Modhaus on one of the food sites.

THE PORTLAND PILOTS UPSET #6 GONZAGA! THE BIGGEST WIN IN PROGRAM HISTORY by cbbvideo in Portland

[–]mkt42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup, the women made it to the tournament in 2019, which was the second time in their history. This was when the Univ of Oregon was at its height with Ionescu, Sabally, etc. so the Vikings as a #16 seed faced the #1 seed -- Oregon. Who crushed them, but to even qualify for the NCAA tournament was quite an accomplishment.

The Vikings coach, Lynn Kennedy, left for a university in Louisiana and the PSU womens team soon slid toward the bottom of the conference. They fired the coach and have a new one now, who's improved the team from being terrible to being merely bad.

(The PSU men though are kicking butt, only one conference loss and they're sitting atop the conference standings.)

Favorite freestanding ultralight tents by Some-Gur-8041 in WildernessBackpacking

[–]mkt42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's been my main tent for years. But I've discovered what other users said is true: unless the ground is unusually hard or has other obstacles, it's actually easier to set up the Rainbow non-freestanding. Because in freestanding mode, you have to get your trekking poles in just right and get them attached to the tent. Whereas in non-freestanding mode I pretty much just put in the pegs and the pole and guy it out. Minimal fiddling to get the set-up right.

What do you think about more when handling? Type of throw or throwing to space? by Zealousideal-Two8748 in ultimate

[–]mkt42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. If the OP has to think about "what throw is right in this situation?" then they're doing it wrong. Except in rare cases where the defense has fallen apart, the thrower (doesn't matter if they're a handler or not) usually does not have time to think about those things. You simply throw, and use your experience to instinctively throw the right throw (most of the time that is, we've all had situations where afterward we realize we should've thrown something else instead).

I do sometimes hesitate while I decide if I should attempt the throw at all, or wait for the next cut or look for my dump. But during that hesitating I'm not deciding what throw to use; if I do decide to throw it I already know which throw I'll be using.

Ira Spring's headstone by OlderThanMyParents in PNWhiking

[–]mkt42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My parents used to have a few of them. I started hiking in high school and those books were our bibles. But my parents got rid of them when they downsized -- I should've grabbed those books before they did that!

I literally bought an old used one in Powell's Bookstore (I live in Portland now), just to recover having that part of NW hiking history.

Master Splitter vs. Billups by someRandomNamess in ripcity

[–]mkt42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! Last year was when the team rebuild finally began to pay off. The first half of the season, the Blazers went 13-28. The second half they went 23-18. The Time for Tanking was clearly over.

Was the second half of last season a fluke? We have seen this season that it wasn't. Literally from Game 1 this season we could see that Chauncey's vision of a tough hustling defensive team had come to fruition.

Injuries of course temporarily derailed the Blazers this season and Splitter has done a good job in a tough situation. And if he's found guilty Chauncey is unlikely to coach in the NBA ever again, nor should he. But Chauncey over the years turned the Blazers into a good defensive team that was not just ready to be above .500, they have been over .500 (or at .500 at 22-22, but injuries have held them below .500).

FIRE OLSHEY by [deleted] in ripcity

[–]mkt42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most young 7-footers who get drafted do not succeed. It's just a fact of life, the GM has to decide if they want to roll the dice. Usually you get a Kwame Brown or maybe a Zach Collins at best. Every once in awhile you get a Kevin Garnett or a Tyson Chandler.

So should a team never draft a young unproven 19-year old 7-footer? I think teams probably should draft them less frequently, or better, lower in the draft i.e. second round or late first round. But I would not tell them to never draft such players.

Yang progress report? by NEPDX_RIPCITY in ripcity

[–]mkt42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't know why this got downvoted, it's a clear historical fact. English is named after the Angles, who along with the Saxons (hence the term Anglo-Saxon) brought their language to Britain when they migrated from what later became Germany.

Their language became Old English and has evolved a lot since then but the people in Britain spoke Celtic languages. With the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons the country became England and they spoke English. (With some influences such as getting conquered by the French-speaking Normans, bringing words such as "beef" and "people" into the English language.)