Best products from r/FortCollins

Now reporting back! We went on Thursday (6/27) afternoon and did the Filter Plant Run recommended by RyanSmith.

The run is easy to get to; it's just a straight shot up Poudre Canyon Highway. Drop your chase car at Picnic Rock (there was no fee for this) and continue up to Gateway Park, about 2 miles or so up the canyon. There, you can either drive down to the banks and pay five dollars (self-serve) or park above for free. Actually, you can pull over just about anywhere there's a pullover area and start your run there, but we paid the five bucks, which puts you pretty much right at the river's edge.

Gateway starts you out in relative calm, followed almost immediately by some fast water. The water was very cold at first-you get used to it quickly! We were using these Intec raft-things, but of course plain inner tubes would be just fine. We also had life-jackets, as recommended, and for that we were grateful. I'm a strong swimmer and accustomed to swimming in rough water and I still found it challenging when I flipped my raft trying to get to the bank to wait for my partner to catch up.

It being the middle of the week, we had the river to ourselves for quite a bit of the ride, with an occasional fisherman and other tubers thrown in. My guess is that the weekends are a different story...

The run itself was lots of fun, with moments of genuine thrills, and interludes of calm, slower moving water. We did not get out at any point during the run, as the water was plenty deep the whole way. I would recommend bringing a paddle or finding a stick that you can use to give a little bit of control/rock-avoidance capabilities. Make sure you get out when you get to Picnic Rock, as there is a dam just fifty yards or so past it, and you do NOT want to go over that!

The whole thing was three-and-a-half hours or so from the south end of town to the river and back, and at a cost of maybe ten bucks or whatever for parking and gas, a bargain.


Highly recommended. We will for sure do this run again. We are really grateful to everyone who helped in this thread, and I hope my report here helps someone else out.

That depends a lot on whether you consider "nice" pens ones that write reliably and neatly, or ones that are fancy. If the former, you needn't spend a ton of money on some really nice pens, and you can get a good selection on Amazon or elsewhere online. If the latter, you can ignore the following as I wouldn't know; I prefer the former.

I've come to really love Pentel's Hybrid Technica pens. The pigmented ink is very black. I don't know how much this matters to your relative, but as an entomologist I greatly appreciate that they're archival/acid-free and stable in ethanol - what this translates to is that the ink will not fade over time, will not run if gone over with a highlighter (if it's allowed to dry first), and won't bleed if gotten wet. The 0.3mm pens are great for fitting a whole lot of stuff in a small space, if that's important. Otherwise, the bigger ones are also very nice. These are easily one of my favorite pens, if not my favorite, period.

As far as a pencil goes, I got a Pentel Graph Gear 1000 a year ago and it's a really nice pencil. Again, 0.3mm, so it's extremely fine. I'd recommend some nice lead with it too.

Hopefully this was any use.

I cant say anything re: parlor guitar, but I bought this jameson 5 string resonator banjo for SUPER CHEAP to teach my self how to play and it has been absolutely outstanding value.

It has 5 stars over 228 reviews on amazon - seriously the best deal ever on an instrument.

I know that $135 is over your $100 budget, but you just arent going to get a banjo for less than that - even an open backed one.

Those are all good starter hikes. Depending on the shape you're in, I'd go with a progression of something like Devil's Backbone->Arthur's Rock->Horsetooth->Grey Rock. There's lots and lots after that, but those would be a great start.

Please make sure to look up the 10 essentials, and have a general awareness of where you are. Also, pick up the correct national geographic maps and learn how to use them.

You can pick this up at REI: http://www.amazon.com/Poudre-Thompson-National-Geographic-Illustrated/dp/1566953901

Hey! I hate the whole sticky sunscreen stuff as well, but I've had good luck with korean and japanese sunscreen. The FDA hasn't approved new sunscreen tech in a while in the US, but it's a big deal in those countries and they have awesome sunscreen that doesn't make me feel gross. I really like these two kinds:

https://www.amazon.com/PURITO-Centella-Spectrum-oil-free-Acne-prone/dp/B07JNKFQC7/

https://www.amazon.com/Essence-Sunscreen-YUMERIA-Original-Compressed/dp/B07NZ63K3Z

I started by watching a lot of DnD with Critical Role (youtube/twitch show). I'm not much of a "read the rulebook" kind of person so that worked great for me. I also watched Matt Coleville's series on being a dungeon master(DM).

Don't over-complicate it. You can find a pdf of the player's handbook online. That will give you basic rules and how to build a character, ect. You don't need miniatures or battle maps. The only thing you absolutely need to buy to start playing is dice. You can find a set on amazon for $5. I bought these for me and my wife.

As far as finding players, I just suggest trying to find people who are interested in board games. It is a pretty small leap from board gaming to RPGs, but most people are familiar with board games.

I'd consider inviting you to our game, but we already have 6 players which makes for a crowded table. Feel free to ask me any other questions.

https://smile.amazon.com/VIOFO-Compact-A119-Optional-included/dp/B01M28B92C?sa-no-redirect=1

I use this one and it's great. Need to make sure you get the right type of MicroSD, though. Many do not support use in Dash Cams as far as warranty goes. Transcend is the best brand for that.

I do it myself, I bought a ceramic stick sharpener off amazon (this one, although it appears to not be around any more -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KN3OLI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

It's super easy, like 10 minutes. Hold the blade vertically, and let the mount do the angle as needed.

Probably would pay for itself after one or two paid-sharpenings.

The Meadow by James Galvin isn't about Fort Collins per se, but is an outstanding read on the history of the settlers in the Red Feather/Livermore area. Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Meadow-James-Galvin/dp/0805027033

Second buying one on Amazon! Didn't think I liked memory foam either but I stand corrected. We got this one, basically a knockoff Casper: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00Q7EPFT4?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title&th=1 .. pretty sure mattress stores are exclusively for money laundering.

Peppermint oil does a really good job of keeping them out of your place. They hate the smell of the stuff. You can buy essential peppermint oil and make your own solution or you can buy a solution like this and spray it around your place. Lots of good information in the reviews.

Not really fancy "gifty" pens, but once I suckered my job into buying me some nice pens when they were taking the office supply catalog around one time, and wasn't questioned about either.

I love these pens- they write consistently and are very comfy to hold:
https://www.amazon.com/Schneider-Slider-Ballpoint-Black-132501/dp/B00BI5GZGO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475273786&sr=8-1&keywords=schneider+slider+rave+xb

I think a a fantastic book was released today to help with this exactly. The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake

Second what /u/arjalon said, plus keep in mind that 99.999% of woodworkers aren't bowyers. Some guys might be able to make you something that looks like a bow, but it'd likely snap the first time you drew it.

If you're interested in making one yourself, the library should have(or be able to get) The Bowyer's Bible, the authoritative work on the subject.

Anyone know if an inflatable fishing boat is something to take down the river? Specifically, this one.

Wife and I have never gone down it, but we've had this boat for several years now. Any idea where a good place to start would be?