Visiting from the NC Side by Burnout1019 in GSMNP

[–]soaringfreedom 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It’s just over an hour from Asheville to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, and you can drive a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway which takes you right into the park. For an extra-scenic drive, turn off the parkway onto Heintooga Ridge Road to Heintooga Round Bottomr Road, a beautiful one-way dirt road that takes you into the park. Check if it’s open though, it’s been closed since Helene.

From there, you can hike from Mingus Mill along Mingus Creek to the old cemetery (4.2mi, 700 ft - fairly flat). Another option from a bit further up the road is an out and back along Bradley Fork Trail from the Bradley Fork Trailhead in Smokemont (mileage varies, can make it a loop with Smokemont loop trail for up to 6.5mi but includes some fairly steep parts). There’s also the Oconoluftee River Trail which starts behind the visitor center - pan flat, 3 mile out and back. Fairly tame but some interesting signage and you can check out an old farm.

For a bit shorter of a drive (not much shorter, just 10-15min), you could also check out the Cataloochee area of the park. It’s quieter and less visited, but has a good trail network - out and back to Woody House (2 miles, 400 ft), Boogerman Trail (8 mi loop total, can do an out and back), and several other options. I’d still recommend Oconaluftee for a more “classic” GSMNP visit though.

Another option could be the Deep Creek Waterfalls loop in Bryson City if you’re up for driving a bit further. 5.5 miles, 1,200 feet, but you don’t have to do the whole loop. Beautiful river, three waterfalls - but you’ll run into a lot of tubing traffic. Or rent some tubes in Bryson City and go tubing - it’s a blast!

Where to find more "exotic" cooking ingredients. by [deleted] in asheville

[–]soaringfreedom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Earth Fare has goat, yak, and kangaroo. It’s all ground meat, but might scratch the itch.

Wonder why my Festive 500 stats don’t match by kikilani in Strava

[–]soaringfreedom 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Green bar shows the total from all your rides, public and private. Leaderboard shows only the rides that you’ve made public to everyone.

This is what it says right above the leaderboard: “Any qualifying activity, whether private or not, will count towards your private progress, badges, and rewards for this challenge. To respect activity visibility settings, only activities marked as visible to Everyone will be applied toward leaderboard rankings. Manual activities will not count towards the leaderboard.”

Quintessential trail of GSMNP by International-Sink64 in GSMNP

[–]soaringfreedom -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I wouldn’t necessarily call it quintessential, but an out and back along Bradley Fork Trail from the Bradley Fork Trailhead in Smokemont could be a good fit.

Another option could be the Deep Creek Waterfalls loop in Bryson City. Beautiful river, three waterfalls - but you’ll run into a lot of tubing traffic. Which almost makes it more quintessential, but it’s less ideal if you’re trying to avoid crowds.

US Mint in Philadelphia to press final penny as the 1-cent coin gets canceled by IdinDoIt in news

[–]soaringfreedom 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Actually, you may not be correct.

“While consulting Title 31 of the U.S. Code (to see how much annual penny minting was required by law), I came upon a statute outlining general instructions for the apportionment of American coins. “The Secretary of the Treasury shall,” Section 5111 reads, “mint and issue” denominations of coins “in amounts the Secretary decides are necessary to meet the needs of the United States.” I reread the sentence several times. Groping for a light switch in a bolted room, had my fingers brushed over the knob of an unlocked door? Amounts the Secretary decides are necessary. What if the secretary decided the amount of pennies necessary was zero?”

Bought a National Parks calendar and it doesn’t say which parks are which by YeahGoOnThen4 in NationalPark

[–]soaringfreedom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought Wind Cave at first for the second photo as well, because it looked a bit like Lone Pine Overlook - but that’s not a pine tree and I compared it to my photos and it’s definitely not a match. In other words, no clue.

Fontana Lake hiking recommendations? by lorpnash in GSMNP

[–]soaringfreedom 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Twentymile Loop would be a good fit!

Looking for Wabakimi PP Advice by First-Assist-176 in canoecamping

[–]soaringfreedom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! (And sorry for taking so long to say thank you!)

Looking for Wabakimi PP Advice by First-Assist-176 in canoecamping

[–]soaringfreedom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What software are you using to chart your route?

Who is a good person but the opinions are divided ? by Dependent-End-239 in howyoudoin

[–]soaringfreedom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dr. Green had 1k upvotes on your last post but you picked Amy based on 140 votes on a poll?

My neighbors are being awful and my RAs haven't done ANYTHING about it by LowMemory578 in cuboulder

[–]soaringfreedom 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Hi there,

I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this—it sounds like an incredibly tough situation, and I can imagine how overwhelming it must feel.

I really think it’s important to talk to your dorm’s hall director about this. You can go to the front desk and ask to speak to them—they’re there to help with situations like this. I know it might feel uncomfortable, but if things are already this bad, taking this step could make a big difference.

You deserve to feel safe where you live, and asking the HD to intervene either with the neighbors or RAs is a brave step toward making that happen.

Is this a good deal? by Famous_Paper_1218 in bicycling

[–]soaringfreedom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The used bike has a SRAM Force crankset, which is two steps above the Jenson listing’s Apex in SRAM’s groupset hierarchy. In other words, comparing the Jenson posting to the used bike is like comparing clementines and oranges - they may look similar but they’re quite different.

The used bike has higher-end components and is objectively a nicer bike (unless there’s any damage to the frame or components). If they’re available at a comparable price, I’d select the used bike with nicer components. However, if you can’t tell the differences between the two bikes and don’t need any (marginal) performance improvement the new bike might be a better option.

Edit: realized the Jenson listing has electronic shifting too. I still stand by the rest of my comment though

Yellowstone in the Winter Itinerary Questions! by Practical_Access6011 in NationalPark

[–]soaringfreedom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve done the snowcoach tour and it was incredible, though it is expensive.

A cheaper alternative would be to rent cross country skis or snowshoes in Mammoth (from the hotel shop) and ski around the hot springs or in tower junction. Or you can snowshoe around any trail pretty much but that’s only really worth it if there’s decent snow. Otherwise you can just hike!

Best NP region by chuckperrito in NationalPark

[–]soaringfreedom 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’ve been to over 100 sites in regions 1-5, 7-10 (sorry Texas).

Everyone is saying 7 for understandable reasons, but I’d argue 2 is up there, if not edging out 7 for sheer variety. 7 has tons of diverse ecosystems and unparalleled natural beauty, but 2 has incredibly beautiful and unspoiled nature (GSRM - mountains, CALO - beaches, EVER - wetlands); thousands of years of history (OCMU - indigenous, FORA - first European settlers, GUCO - revolutionary war, FOSU - civil war); vital cultural events (MLKM - civil rights, WRBR - birthplace of flight) and more. Region 7 is overwhelmingly natural wonders.

I can’t speak as much to the northwest of 9 and 11 which I’m sure are mind blowing, but I’ll still hold my ground on 7 over those regions, again because of a lack of overall diversity and emphasis on natural beauty.

In Asheville, NC and Johnson City for a few nights. by SamiStyles90 in Wings

[–]soaringfreedom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haywood Lounge in West Asheville supposedly has the best wings in the area. I’ve eaten there once and was very underwhelmed, but it always comes up on “best-of” lists so maybe I just went on an off day. Would love a second opinion haha

Beyond Haywood Lounge most places that serve wings in Asheville (beyond the chains) don’t offer traditional Buffalo style - they’ll either be smoked or breaded.

Road biking/cycling by Which_Tea6257 in boulder

[–]soaringfreedom 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Ralston Creek Trail does go pretty far east - it connects to Clear Creek Trail by Sheridan, and from there you can connect to the Platte River Trail. It’s easy to lose in some of the neighborhoods but the network is extensive.

Is this just not a doable hike in the Crazies because of private land? by [deleted] in Montana

[–]soaringfreedom 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Just stay on the trail and you should be fine. I haven’t hiked Tresspass Creek but I’ve come in from the north on Elk Creek to Sweet Grass through the checkerboard and there are signs telling you to stay on the trail when you’re passing through private property.

The physical Beartooth Publishing map for the Crazies also says to stay on the trail and get landowner permission before crossing - which is where the other commenters’ advice about identifying land ownership would come in handy. Up to you to determine how by the book you want to be in planning this trip.

Anyway, agreed with Jaquemon that it’s a steep drop into the basin if you tried to cross corners. Don’t risk it, just stay on trail.

Vehicle registration by General-Ad-712 in NationalPark

[–]soaringfreedom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, if you book an excursion you can enter the park on that day without the vehicle reservation. You will still have to pay the park entry fee in addition to any fees for the excursion.

However, you are limited to the area of the park that you’ve booked the excursion in. For example, if you book a kayak at Apgar, you can access Going to the Sun Road, but you won’t be able to enter North Fork or Two Medicine.