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jen3kids

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Everything posted by jen3kids

  1. Pixel 4a checks off all your boxes and it's pretty inexpensive. I think mine was $300, unlocked, from BestBuy. My kids insist on buying themselves the (IMO) ridiculously overpriced iPhones but dh and I have been using Android phones for quite a few years and have no complaints, aside from the inability to use FT with them, but I can use my iPad or we can use other video chat apps.
  2. I've purchased 2 Lucid mattresses from Amazon and they've gotten fantastic reviews from some and too soft complaints from others. Both are hybrids, but I cannot find the exact ones on Amazon now 😞
  3. I love the Win detergent; I use it weekly and recommend it to everyone with stinky exercise gear/clothes. I've even given samples of it to the parents of the kids I coach.
  4. @Ottakee I saw that.... so tempting....... Maybe just the quilt to start with....... This past trip I put my sleeping pad into a silk sleeping bag liner to make it a bit quieter and it worked quite well. Are you a side sleeper? The one review video on saw on YouTube showed the guy sleeping on his back all night, . I might start out that way but I don't stay there; I move a lot!
  5. I always have the map of the area. I'll spend some turn learning how to use Gaia this weekend. Thanks for the encouragement.
  6. Thanks, I appreciate his responding. I've also emailed 2 friends who has significant others who work as mechanics to see what they say.
  7. DD's girlfriend's dad is a mechanic, so she's got a call into him as well. Thanks! She has already paid $$ to replace the front wheel bearings, or something like that. It's such a tough balancing act....
  8. I hate used car repair decisions! The catalytic converter was stolen off my daughter's Toyota Prius earlier this week. Last week, she paid $600 for a new front wheel bearing and we really hoped her car would last another year or two, until she finished her degree and got a full-time job and could afford a new one on her own. Now we are trying to decide if we replace the CC with an aftermarket one, which would cost around $300, including new O2 sensors and a CC shield (to prevent it from being stolen again, I guess). Our mechanic says that while the aftermarket CCs are cheap, he has seen nothing but problems with them - they don't last, they don't fit properly, etc and since her car is a 2006, we should just cut our losses. Anyone have any insight? She would prefer to buy the car on her own, but there's no way she can afford it right now, so dh and I would have to co-sign or buy it and she would pay us back and that's totally doable for us.
  9. I have downloaded the Gaia app, but I haven't used it yet. Is it pretty intuitive/easy to use?
  10. Thanks everyone. I am darn proud of myself! My husband is totally supportive; he wasn't too keen on it at first, but after I did a few day hikes on my own, he realized I'd be fine. He does worry, but I usually have service at the trailhead and he always knows where I'm going and when I'll be back. None of the hikes I have done are really remote either. I'll probably get a Garmin Inreach GPS eventually as I go further afield. The AT is pretty hard to get lost on, at least the parts I've travelled. It's a very well-worn path and the trail is blazed quite well. Honestly, my biggest worry is going off the trail to pee and not being able to find it again - the trees all look alike (to me - my dad and brother would be horrified by me saying that!) and it is really easy to get disoriented only a few feet from the trail! My goal is to finish hiking the PA section of it this summer, but I've got a bunch of other things on the calendar too, so we'll see! I've been wanting to do this for years, and I'm so glad I finally did. I feel fulfilled 🙂 and can't wait to go back out!
  11. One night only, but it's a beginning!!!! Day 1 - I hiked just over 9 miles to campsite where I set up my tent, filtered water, made supper, and went to bed by 8pm. I didn't sleep well since I still don't have a better pillow, but I used a stuff sack with my extra clothes (in addition to my crappy pillow) plus it was chillier than I anticipated. But, my sleeping pad was much more comfy on the ground and with a bit less air! I am still very interested in the ZenBivy system though.... Day 2 - I actually slept a little later than I planned (Isn't that the way? Don't sleep all night, but come 5:30am - sound asleep!) and got on the trail shortly after 8:30. I hiked just over 4 miles and waited for the shuttle I had arranged to take me back to my car. I hiked pretty much by myself both days and at the campsite an older gentleman set up his hammock a bit away from my tent and there were a bunch of other people set up a ways up the trail. Everyone had to walk by me to get to the water source, so they all knew I was there, but I think the older gentleman was worried about me being on my own - he and I had chatted at an overlook for 10-15 minutes about 3 miles before the campsite. Anyway, it was nice he was there, but I felt totally safe before he set up. Everyone I spoke to on the trail was nice, chatty, and easy going. I can't wait to do it again - hopefully for 2-3 nights next time.
  12. I should be able to get water at any of the places I camp. Although as summer progresses, it may become more of an issue..... Yes, I'll need to keep the heat in if I camp in the winter. But still a lot of $ I am not quite ready to spend that amount of money. Most of hikers I saw last weekend carried Smart Water bottles and a single Sawyer filter. I had never thought to use them for hiking or camping. So tempting.... I signed up for their emails, so hopefully I will get notice of their upcoming sales. Sometimes, I find have to force myself to eat when hiking - no idea why. I can feel myself fading and then when I eat I feel sick. Other times I eat ravenously the entire time!
  13. Have a great time. It sounds like it will be a wonderful 2 days of solitude!
  14. What temp rating do you have? And have you used it in that temperature? Do you think you're a hot or cold sleeper?
  15. That's my worry. I love hiking and camping, so backpacking is the perfect activity for me. But I need to be somewhat comfy to sleep. Unfortunately, yes. The funny thing is our bed is (according to me) ridiculously firm but I slept a solid 8 hours after the backpacking trip. And, that's also what the thru hikers that we met said - when you're as tired as they are after hiking 18-20+ miles, you can sleep on anything! It was plenty warm enough for me on the weekend - not too hot or cold, just a bit humid. That's the one my friend had and she hated it! I used to use a 3/4 length self-inflating pad when I took my GS girls camping and I was fine... but that was 15 years ago! I've seen that layering too, especially in cold weather. My son says I should just use his hammock, but that would require me to figure out how to set it up! Perhaps someday.... Wow - you've tried lots of pads! I used to buy them off of Steep and Cheap for my boys Scout trips, but now I want to buy at REI so I can return if I'm not happy with it. Doubling the Klymit up with the Z-Lite is a possibility that I may explore on my next trip..... And yes, I think I'm going to have to pack a better pillow. I had an old one that I had to fold twice to get any comfort from it, but it kept unfolding every time I moved! I just saw an ad from them on Instagram! I'll check them out. Thanks everyone! I'm pretty excited because I just picked up a Nemo DragonFly 2P from REI's garage sale area for $180. It's nearly a pound lighter than my son's old Quarter Dome 2P. Another question... has anyone ever switched from a sleeping bag to a quilt? They seem to be gaining in popularity. I do find sleeping bags a bit confining and usually sleep with them unzipped so I can stick out my 'thermometer leg' as needed. And, saving a bit more weight with one would make it easier to carry more water. I like to stay well-hydrated, but I'm considering ditching my 3L bladder and carrying 2 1L Nalgenes instead.
  16. I know a few WTMers are campers and backpackers, so I'm hoping you can offer some advice.... My question for campers is about gear, particularly your sleeping pad. I bought a Klymit sleeping pad for last weekend's backpacking trip. It gets great reviews for back and side sleepers (me!), but I barely slept at all on Saturday night; I could not get comfy. My one friend had a closed cell pad which was like a board and my other (son's GF) had an insulated inflatable pad which she said was too hot. Is it possible to over-inflate a sleeping pad so it's too hard? Would having a small pillow for between my knees help, like I normally sleep with? Oh, and we were on a platform in a shelter, not in a tent on the ground - perhaps that made it harder? My dh is away on business, so I have my sleeping pad on our bedroom floor and tried using it last night, but no luck 😞 I just couldn't get comfy, although I was able to have a short nap on it earlier in the day. Perhaps I am destined for 45 minutes of sleep at a time. I hope not; I need my sleep after 8-10 miles of backpacking!
  17. That would be nasty! And I think when it's hotter as well. They seem to thrive in the hot sun. The cool weather we had at the end of May really put a 'damper' on their noise for a few days. I could definitely see that happening with the intense downpours we had yesterday and today. Today when I was talking to my mum on the phone, she asked if the cicadas were gone and I said no, not at all. She couldn't hear them, so I opened the back door and she said, "WOW! They're that loud and you're standing at your back door!" Last week I was outside in the yard talking on the phone so she could hear them for a few minutes, but they were even louder today. I downloaded a sound meter app on my phone and it registered a high of 69dB from my deck. I read they can get up to 100dB.
  18. HAD to shovel their driveway? Like 2 feet deep, can't drive through them? Or they chose to clean them off their driveway with a shovel to avoid stepping on them?
  19. I absolutely love them and will miss them when they're gone in a few weeks.
  20. Egg roll in a bowl. We love this one https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/keto-egg-roll-in-a-bowl/
  21. We saw 3 boat companies offering 'pony tours', so I think you should be fine if you book a day or 2 in advance. I called Captain Dan's on Tuesday and they were fully booked on Wednesday so we scheduled for Thursday, but they only offered 1 'regular' boat tour/day. Their other 2 time slots were for private tours for a lot more $$. Since DD and I are both fully vaccinated, we were comfortable signing up for the regular tour. I probably should have called around to the other companies to compare prices and times, but I had read good things about the company so I went with them. The other companies have great reviews too; I just hadn't done much research. I know that Daisey's does online bookings, so you can see what's available on your days with them at least. Have a great time. I'll be interested to hear what the town is like next week - if it's more open/busy/vibrant. I'm curious....
  22. So, we're back!!!! We arrived at Chincoteague Island about 4pm on Tuesday afternoon and checked into our hotel and went for a walk to find supper. Hotel - we stayed at The Island Resort Motel, which is just after the bridge and overlooks the water. It's an older place and the rooms show it, but it looked clean and was sufficient for 2 nights since we didn't plan to spend much time in there. Unfortunately, DD found sand in her bed (ewww - she has the worse luck with hotel beds!) and when I called to the front desk the guy (owner?) said all the housekeeping had gone home for the night and he wasn't sure what to do. Then he figured he could ask the maintenance guy to drop clean bedding off to us after he had finished closing the pool, but we'd have to change the sheets ourselves. So that's what we did - just a little weird, but it's a family run place and the off-season, so maybe they didn't have anyone else around. Sleeping was a bit difficult with the loudness of the AC; we could have opened the sliding door instead of using the AC, but I wondered if there would be any little bugs (no see-ums) so we dealt with the AC. Dinner - We walked down Main St. and found a restaurant called Ropewalk that had live music, so we ate there. DD had salmon and I had scallops; both were too peppery for our tastes, but not inedible. We both cleaned our plates and shared a piece of flourless chocolate torte - very tasty. Morning - I got up early and walked out Maddox Rd. to the entrance to Wildlife Refuge and then back to the motel. It was about 4 miles roundtrip and an easy walk. Because it's before Memorial Day, a lot of things were still closed. And, I don't know if it's due to COVID, but most of the town and shops look run down. Anyway, back at the motel, I grabbed DD and we got breakfast at the Beach Road Round Up (good bacon and eggs breakfast, but they also had waffles and pancakes) and then stopped at Amarin Coffee for bubble tea (delicious) and then it was time to go to the beach. Afternoon - It was overcast and windy, but not crowded - perfect beach weather for me! Too perfect, since we both got sun-burned 😞 We headed home about 2pm from the beach and stopped for ice cream from The Island Creamery (yummy!). We ended up using the same restaurant for dinner because things close early on the Island! We got burger and fries - too much pepper again, but otherwise adequate. Today - we were supposed to go on a Boat Tour to see the ponies, but neither one of us were in any shape to spend 2+ hours on the water (sunburns), so we cancelled it and headed home a few hours early. There are many Boat Tour companies to choose from with varying departure times, length of tours, and cost. I think they're all pretty much the same though. OVERALL - we are planning to go back next May before Memorial Day again because we prefer the cooler weather and no crowds. We likely won't stay at the same motel or eat at the Ropewalk again, but we'll definitely hit the coffee shop (Amarin), breakfast place (Beach Road Round Up), and ice cream (Island Creamery) again. We'll do the island cruise to see the ponies, do more walking (dd had brought new shoes that bruised her feet) and maybe even try the kayaks. It's definitely more low key than other beach places, but I prefer that. There was also mini-golf and a little water park near the KOA campground. Honestly - it's totally doable in a day, especially if you just want to see the ponies and hit the beach, but we had a 3.5 hour drive, so 2 nights was good for us. Oh, and if you have any dietary restrictions, it was hit or miss. DD is gluten-free (and sometimes DF) and when I asked for a GF bun at the restaurant the woman had no idea what I was asking for. The coffee place did have oat milk, but it wasn't advertised, and the ice-cream place had 3 flavors of vegan (coconut milk based) ice cream. No one answered the phone when I tried to call ahead to see what restaurants had for GF options, and I called at least 5-6 places, but they may not have been open for the season yet.
  23. I found an inexpensive bike rack at Walmart many years ago for our Odyssey and it easily fit 4 bikes. It was similar to this one and it worked great. It got a lot of use and was solid!
  24. I'm going this week with my daughter! I found this article online when doing research about it https://sightdoing.net/one-day-chincoteague-va/ We are staying 2 nights, arriving late afternoon on Tuesday and leaving Thursday, so we basically have Wednesday to fill with a boat tour (hopefully) and a hike/walk, and time at the beach. I'm not sure if everything will be open for us this week because it seems most things open for Memorial Day weekend, but I'll update after we get back on Thursday or Friday.
  25. jen3kids

    Nm

    There are PTs who specialize in Pelvic Floor issues. That would be the type to go to, if possible.
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