Things To Do In Humboldt County
I was making my occasional stop- in at the Humboldt County Lines online magazine and noticed our very own Andrew Bird has an article featured. Top Ten Things to Do in Humboldt County, lists some popular activities for Humboldt residents.
I guess there's other things to do, as well. I kind of sorry he didn't include sitting at home in front of the computer, rain or shine, playing Aces High, like I always do. Then again, I know of only two other people in the county that play the game- and I'm sure they don't play as much as I do- so I guess that shouldn't be in the top ten.
And, of course, he didn't mention anything about doing drugs, but we don't need to go there.
******
Taking another look at HCL, I see Andrew actually has two of his articles featured. The second one is on preparing for winter, something I suppose most of us do late, if at all.Some comments on a couple of his suggestions:
Bringing in patio furniture- Good idea. I'm not sure spraying them with WD40 is really worthwhile as you'd have to keep reapplying it as it wears off. I would think paint would be a better idea for metal, assuming it doesn't ruin the appearance of the item in question.
Also, something that most people don't do, myself included, is to bring garden hoses inside. The longer they're outside the quicker they degrade.
Vehicle maintenance- I remember the first year I moved up here. Winter came, and pretty much everyone who lived in the apartments I lived at had their cars break down. We ended up with a mass hitchhiking effort to College of the Redwoods until the situation was resolved.
Not sure if it was the weather, or what, but it was uncanny how everyone's cars seemed to break down within a week of each other.
I don't really worry much about winterizing my vehicles anymore, not since I started using those ubiquitous oil change places we have. I stop in to the Chevron Oil Stop place at least twice a year and they pretty much check everything and take care of any deficiencies.
Andrew also suggests checking and possibly replacing windshield wipers. Good idea, as well, but I'm still haunted by the first time I replaced my wipers.
I think it was four years ago. We were going to make our first trip to UCSF Medical Center and it was supposed to rain. I took my truck in to Super Lube and had the guy replace my windshield wipers along with the rest of the stuff they do.
Funny thing was, the wipers I had on the truck worked just fine. I just figured they'd been on the truck for a couple years and probably needed replacing so went ahead and got new ones.
The new ones worked fine for a little while and then they started leaving streaks on the windshield. Finally, I went to good ol' Finnegan and Nason Auto Parts in Friendly Henderson Center, Eureka, and told the guy my problem.
He actually came out to my car and put the new wipers on himself and pointed out what was wrong with the ones I'd bought not all that long before. It was the way they were manufactured and they'd developed cracks so they didn't wipe the windshields fully clean anymore.
Great, says me. Problem solved with these new wipers.
Nope. The ones he sold me started streaking and I could see no reason for it. A year or so later I bought yet another pair from somewhere and they streaked from the get- go. They're streaking my windshield to this day and I'm afraid I'll be wasting money if I buy another pair of wipers that just end up doing the same thing.
Goes to show the truth to that old saying: If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 12:11 PM
17 comments
17 Comments:
It is interesting about the windshield wipers, and that's the same thing I noticed about them: they're now made so cheaply you need to replace them once a year, or suffer the consequences.
Streaking, huh...
This became a problem in Oregon years ago, presumably due to more traffic, thus tire and oil deposits on the roads.
A great new fluid was invented, which for the life of me I can't remember the name, but it worked very well.
At one point needing some more where I couldn't get it, and reading the label, seems to me I tried a small amount of dishwashing liquid in water, put in the same squeeze bottle, and later the washer reservoir itself.
This worked quite well, also if memory serves. You could try it. Too much detergent just means suds and dilute again.
Hope it helps, and maybe you can find that 'stuff' - tip of my tongue. Green and white bottles depending on how diluted in them.
Kind regards
"A great new fluid was invented, which for the life of me I can't remember the name, but it worked very well.".
I'd throw out the word Rain-X but I use that stuff. Besides, it comes in a yellow bottle.
That Oil Stop place has a really agressive upsell that I don't care for.
After driving in the rain, you should wash your windshield with liberal (i hate that word) amounts of Windex or similar window cleaner to get all the road grime off. Then use a small amount of dish soap in warm water on a rag and use that to clean the film off your wiper blades. You'll notice a huge difference. As long as you don't use anything on the wiper blades that will degrade the rubber you can clean them regularly.
"That Oil Stop place has a really agressive upsell that I don't care for.".
Yes, I do find it annoying. But I think it mostly annoys me hearing the same speech every time I drive in there, despite the fact I've been in there before.
For those that haven't been in there, it's the same thing you hear them say on that radio advertisement they run up here. They say it every time, regardless.
And they do try to nickel and dime you to death, although they warn you ahead of time they will. But some stuff really should be done, at least occasionally.
First time I went in there they suggested I flush my radiator, at additional cost, of course. I went ahead and had it done and was glad I did after seeing how yucky the water looked that was flushed out.
"After driving in the rain, you should....".
Thanks for the tip. I actually do clean my windshield on occasion. Probably not good enough though. Need to try something.
Gosh, the top ten things to do and none of them involve marijuana? What will the list do to our reputation?!
Doesn't matter. Heraldo is taking care of that for us.
Narration, I think the product you're referring to is 20/20 auto glass cleaner. Used to come as a concentrate in small container. RainX works well IMHO but you've got to apply it before it rains.
10 Top Things to Do in Humboldt:
1) Getting drunk and driving.
2) Item one on the beach, fast and in an ATV.
3) Dumping trash along public roads or in National Forest property.
4)Unpermitted taking of deer, elk,fish, firewood, and plants on public property
5)Liberating any item of use thats not locked down or guarded.
6)Keeping dogs and cats that produce multiple litters.
7)Item six plus disposing of the unwanted animals as in item three.
8) Separating tourists, transients, and students who need services from as much of their money as possible.
9) Complaining about how overbearing the Government is while receiving public assistance, pensions or tax breaks.
10) Dreaming and reminescing about the good ole days of 1950's when being ignorant and educated was virtuous and rewarded with the essentials of life(trailers, pickup trucks, alcohol and smokes).
Oops thats "uneducated" in item 10)
11) Making inane response to typos on blogs.
#12. Hang out in the bushes at HSU after dark and rape college girls who walk by while being under the impression that HSU is "safe".
#13. Grow marijuana
#14. Sell Marijuana
#15. Spend the money you make selling marijuana on BIG trucks, cocaine, and politcians that will vote as the underground money says.
#16. Try to keep out any business that doesn't go along with the marijuana industry or competes with "green" business'
#17 Sleep in til noon.
#10 Reading local publications at Borders Cafe in the Bayshore Mall.
1. Take a river boat tour.
2. Walk three laps around the Bayshore Mall Tuesday mornings.
3. Look at the beach view from the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse, then eat lunch.
4. Enjoy a nice Fisherman's Platter at Sizzler.
5. Look at Kinetic Sculpture Race photos on Flickr.
6. Watch people on the exercise bikes at HEALTHSport while sitting in your from your car in the parking lot.
7. Stop your car, get out and identify roadkill. Take pictures to post on Flickr.
8. Just for fun, stay at Red Lion for a night.
9. Take a walk around the block and count how many colors of mold there are on the historic homes.
10. Read local publications at Borders Cafe in the Bayshore Mall.
9:37 Borrringgg!
BTW There's no river boat tours in Humboldt County. The rivers are unnavigatable, mostly silted up from abuses of logging and development. Del Norte has Klamath jet boat tours. The Mad is ugly and industrial. Closest you can get in HumCo is a measly kayak tour on the lower Eel or tubeing the Trinity.
Madaket Bay Tours are a lot of fun.
By the way, mold on buildings is very common along the coast. I painted my house recently and came across a really effective product for removing mold and mildew from houses. It can be used without killing plants around the house. You spray it on and wash it off five minutes later. The amount of mold, mildew, and dirt that comes off in the rinse water is awe-inspiring! The product is made by Zinsser, the primer people, and it is called Jomax. Check it out online or at a local paint store. It can cut your prep time for painting and save you a lot of work. If you're just washing your house, you can do it very quickly and effectively. If people find out about this product, coastal cities here will look brighter and cleaner.
The only folks who laud the Madaket are them that never go on it. Unless that is, you enjoy closeup breathing pulp mill fumes and looking at the industrial Chevron dock. I've got no problem with industrial bay uses, in fact they're downright desirable, but they aren't scenic.
That antimildew stuff has to be mixed with bleach to work. Well why not just use diluted bleach and save some money? It has acid in it so that means it will generate chlorine gas when mixed, not healthful in my book. It needs care in being sprayed, not a job for an inept incompetant like Fred. On the other hands, maybe Fred should go into the mildew removal business. That would resolve a couple of local problems.
From the jomax specs: HAZARDS TO HUMANS AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS.
CAUTION. Harmful if swallowed. Avoid contact with
skin, eyes, or clothing. Avoid breathing vapors or spray
mist. Protective goggles and gloves or equivalent should
be worn. Do not use in confined areas without proper
ventilation. Avoid applications during windy conditions.
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: This product is toxic to
fish. Do not apply directly to water. Do not contaminate
water when disposing of equipment wash waters. For
guidance, contact your state water board or EPA regional
office.
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