
u/scfw0x0f

Coast or redwoods from San Francisco north is a false dichotomy -- do both!
This shows up all the time on this sub--should one take 101 north from San Francisco to Crescent City to see the redwoods, or take CA1 north to see the coast?
We've traveled both roads many times. This is a false dichotomy--you can do both in one trip.
The best parts of the redwoods, like Avenue of the Giants, are north of Willits, CA. The best part of CA1 from San Francisco north is south of Fort Bragg. Even if you take CA1 from Fort Bragg to Leggett, you still have the best redwoods from Leggett north (including Avenue of the Giants), and CA1 from Rockport north goes through some spectacular forests.
Download messages?
Is there a way to download a message chain from Zillow Rentals? I'd like to be able to archive messages outside of the Zillow service.
Shocks recommendations
2021 ORP, KDSS, no lift, 72k miles on original shocks. Most of the mileage is long road trips, at or close to GVWR (weighed in at 6,240#), 70% pavement and 30% dirt/gravel/washboard. Lots of twisty mountainous roads. Shop is suggesting that shocks are starting to go.
Any specific recommendations for that use case?
Wildfires
This is what Washington and Oregon look like after the recent round of lighting strikes:
I-94 vs. US-2 for road trip
This is part of a much longer cross-country trip.
We've crossed similar area on I-90 and don't want to repeat that.
We'd like to avoid heavy traffic as much as practical. Time is not strictly of the essence, but we do need to get from Spokane to Duluth in 3 driving days.
Edit: Thanks for all the comments. We aren't looking for speed, and the higher speeds on 94 will cost us more gas (4Runner, shaped like a brick, bad MPG at high speeds).
Edit 2: This trip is in early October, in case that matters.
I-94 vs US-2 from Richland WA to Duluth?
This is part of a much longer cross-country trip.
We've crossed similar area on I-90 and don't want to repeat that.
We'd like to avoid heavy traffic as much as practical. Time is not strictly of the essence, but we do need to get from Spokane to Duluth in 3 driving days.
Chaco vs. Canyon de Chelly for non-hikers
We have a few hours available for one or the other. For personal reasons we can't hike even medium distances (more than about 1/2 mile). We visited Mesa Verde last year and had a great time with all the stops along Mesa Top Loop. Being in and around the ancient buildings was amazing.
Which would be more likely to enjoy, given those restrictions and prior history?
Edit: Thanks for all the comments! We're changing from Chelly to Chaco for this trip. Maybe Chelley and/or Hovenweep on a future trip.
Crater Lake and wildfires
A heads-up that the East Evans Creek fire in Southern Oregon is producing significant smoke at Crater Lake. Use the current webcam view to assess whether a visit makes sense:
Also, the air quality there is really bad, already at "Unhealthy" and trending towards "Hazardous".
Bay Area restaurant, Chez Xue in Foster City, goes viral for its (totally fair!!!!)policy on unruly children
ELI5: How do tamarind seeds allow microplastics be removed with magnets?
I love the concept that ground up tamarind seeds can be used to clean up microplastics. But IIRC they aren’t magnetic.
How does this work?
Edit: thanks! It sounds like iron powder is also mixed in, but not mentioned in the Earth Prize article.
Can't disable home feed recommendations on browser (Firefox, MacOS)
The "Personalized Recommendations" toggle is missing from https://www.reddit.com/settings/preferences . I can't find it or an equivalent anywhere else. My home feed is awash in recommendations I don't want.
New fawns at 8th & B: dog walker warning
Don’t walk your dogs on the corner of 8th & B. A deer just gave birth to two fawns in the corner of our stairs and front porch. Please spread the word to avoid the area. Don’t approach; they are hidden behind bushes near the house, not easily visible from the street.
This house looks like a spaceship landed in the Oregon woods
OSM-based nav app with fast updates?
I posted some updates to OSM three days ago. None of the nav and planning apps I normally use (furkot.com, OSMand, CoMaps) have picked up the changes yet. CoMap is still at 3-Jun and OSMand is at 31-May.
Are there any nav or planning apps that pick up the change data more frequently?
Thanks!
EZ Pass mounted to roof rack?
The windshield mounts are ugly. The license plate mounts are prone to theft.
Has anyone tried mounting one to a roof rack (e.g. Sherpa)? Point it forward, but then there's metal a few inches in front of it (the next rail or the front deflector), or pointed up (but then the antenna direction is wrong)?
Mendocino
This is like the essence of Mendocino.
Edit: we met the owners just now. Lovely older couple. Gave us some lavender from their garden.
RV parks for short-term stay?
Relatives (65+yo) are coming to Ashland in August, on their first RV adventure. They need a place to stop for a couple of nights. They likely want quiet, not after-dark partying.
Any recommendations?