Tours since 1997
Circa 2024
A ride-sharing company is offering “restroom enthusiasts” a four-hour tour of Tokyo’s public toilets. The guided trip provides sort of the opposite of a souvenir.
THE TOKYO TOILET is a project where 16 world class creators
redesigned 17 public toilets in Shibuya, Tokyo, transforming them into restrooms that can be used comfortably by everyone.
“THE TOKYO TOILET SHUTTLE TOUR*” explores the unique toilets of Tokyo.
Timing and Frequency:
From Friday 1st March 2024 (*Twice a week)
On a recent drive through Wisconsin, I stopped at several locations that had Outhouses. These were both found at a rest stop in Mountain, Wisconsin.
The red Outhouse was usable and of course, I had to use it. The log cabin looking Outhouse was next to an old log cabin at the same rest stop.
Further on in Evergreen, Wisconsin, I found an old Church that still had an Outhouse in the back along with an old water pump. It looked like this Outhouse was still usable.
Roman toilets
The rich would have their servants sit on a spot to warm the marble until they got there. The channel in front had water running along in it and when you finished your business, you grabbed a stick with a sponge on the end, dipped it in the water and wiped yourself. Of course those near the end had dirtier water to use than those at the beginning of the line.
Being the Curator of the Outhouses of America Tour website, I saw that Darn Tough, which is located in Vermont, sells hiking socks with a flying outhouse sewn into them. They offered to send me a pair and I took them up on it.
The socks arrived today and I immediately made a video to feature them on YouTube. You can click on the picture to see the video or click Here to see it.
I used Darn Tough socks when I hiked the Appalachian Trail and I use them every time I go hiking or backpacking. When you buy Darn Tough socks, there are two things that are superior about them:
Many a thru hiker has had their Darn Tough socks replaced for free while hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Continental Divide (CDT) trail as well as all the other long distance trails. Once you purchase a pair and try them out, you will be truly satisfied.
My YouTube channel is called JLDRDOTCOM (@littlethislittlethat456) and I feature lots of Fun videos, Backpacking and Hiking videos, Guitar videos and more.
Happy Hiking!
The Himiway Zebra is one of the newest E-Bike offerings from Himiway. In 2021, I had to have open heart surgery and a quadruple bypass. Since the bypass, I recovered and am pretty much back to my old self. Don’t get me wrong, when you have open heart surgery, you do have to be aware of what your body is telling you.
I do a lot of exercising but I wanted to get back into bike riding. I discovered that with an E-Bike, you can actually pedal and shift gears just like a normal bike. The difference is that, if you want to, you can have the electric motor propel you at over 20 MPH without pedaling. So once you get tired, the motor can do the work.
I began doing research on E-Bikes and there are a lot of brands out there promising everything under the sun. I ended up deciding on a Himiway because they seem to be on top of the technology. Keep reading below for more details about the bike.
For current pricing on the Himiway Zebra, click the affiliate link below:(It won’t cost you any more to purchase by following our link but it will help to keep our website going should you purchase any of their E-Bikes. You will also still be able to take advantage of any current discounts and promotions.)
Himiway has been a disrupter in the electric bike industry for a while now, and the Himiway Zebra electric fat tire bike may be one of the best!
The Himiway Zebra is a Class 2 E-Bike and is powered by a 750W rear hub motor, a huge 960Wh battery that can take you from 60 to 80 miles, hydraulic brakes are standard, it has a redesigned frame and a host of other upgraded components. The Zebra is designed for the general public as well as speed lovers and fat-tire aficionados.
Additional Specifications:400 lb. Payload CapacityBattery is enclosed in the frame to protect it from the elementsUp to 20 MPH (and higher if you unlock it)Upgraded 6061 Aluminum FrameSturdy Rear Rack (wood etched with the Himiway logo)Half Twist ThrottleShimano 7 Speed Gear Shift SystemMultifunctional Display48 Volt Luminosity Headlight and Tail Light/Integrated Brake Light26″X4″ KENDA All-Terrain TiresSELLE Royal SaddleDurable Aluminum Cranksetand more…
This Zebra is the Step-Thru model and has a metal spec Pearl White paint job. There are also Zebra stripes so you know it’s a Zebra!Let me know your thoughts and questions in the comments below and I’ll attempt to answer them.
Because of the Corona Virus, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) recommended that no one hike the AT in 2020. I decided to delay my hike until late March 2021. I continue to post new videos with thoughts and gear information. Thank you for following me.
Will I Stay or Will I Go? My decision is HERE!
The ATC gives out hang tags to thru hikers. This is my 2020 hang tag, front and back. On the back, they print a Leave No Trace (LNT) item and in 2020, it was Respect Wildlife.
it is over 2,193 miles long stretching through 14 states from Springer Mountain in Georgia to the top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine. It will take 5,000,000 steps and I’ll go through 6 pairs of trail runner shoes.
I will be VLOGGING the hike on YouTube. Please subscribe to my channel and view various gear and hiking videos. If you click the little bell on a video page and then select All Videos, you will be notified when I post new videos. My channel is JLDRDOTCOM and is located here: https://www.youtube.com/user/jldrdotcom
2022 Update!
In May of 2022, I drove to PA and stayed at a hotel near the AT. I actually went to the AT there and hiked for a day and then returned to the hotel. The next day, I was dropped off in Harpers Ferry, WV at the ATC headquarters. I had my picture taken in front of the building and registered my hike. I then left to hike NOBO on the AT. My videos of this hike are on my YouTube channel. My channel is JLDRDOTCOM and is located here: https://www.youtube.com/user/jldrdotcom
I hiked for several days in WV, MD and PA but ran into an issue with heat, humidity and not much water on trail. Most of the time, the only water I found was by the shelters. I ended up calling the hike because it has only been a year since I had a quadruple bypass and the heat and humidity was getting to me.
I’m not sure what the future holds for me as far as backpacking on the AT goes but I will be continuing overnight backpacking trips near home. Thank you for following me. I will be adding videos on my channel on a regular basis.
To see all the gear I took in 2022, I created a 2022 Gear Video. Click HERE to see that video.
My 2021 Appalachian Trail Experience
After getting on trail at Amicalola Falls State Park, I proceeded to hike several days. During that time, I did some serious soul searching and decided that at this time in my life, my priority had to be taking care of things at home vs. being gone for up to six months away from friends and family. Of course I would make tons of new friends on trail but I felt a calling home. The videos I made on trail turned out great and show a lot of the trail. I would have liked to have done many more.
As it turned out, it’s a good thing I went home because on the way home, my I felt my chest tighten up. It went away and then came back two months later. I went to the doctor and after testing, they told me I was having emergency open heart surgery the next day to correct several blockages. The surgery was successful I’m sure in part because I was in such good shape from preparing for the AT hike. The recovery took several months and I did cardiac rehab from August 2021 to December 2021. During that time, my cardio improved 134%. The average improvement for people is 40%.
The AT is drawing me back. I plan on doing a section hike in 2022. Unfortunately, a full on thru hike in one year is not going to work for me. I’m also planning on doing some shorter backpacking trips closer to home with friends and family and I’ll be vlogging those trails when it happens. In the meantime, here is a stat you can think about: Of all the people who begin a thru hike, only about 19% actually complete their hike (2020 data). That percentage has been going down during the last 15 years.
The Appalachian Trail is HARD!!! Most of the time, it seems like you are going up and a lot of the time, it is a steep up. I found that I enjoyed going down much more simply because I could get my breath. Yes, the knees would hurt but at least I could breath normally. The trail also tears up shoes. In the few days I hiked, the toe flap in the front of both shoes was coming unglued and other areas of the shoes were showing signs of wear. You are constantly getting your shoes caught on rocks and roots. So for anyone out there who is contemplating hiking the Appalachian Trail, be aware that it will probably be harder than anything you have ever done before right out of the gate. I hope you enjoy my Vlog of my AT hike.
Monetary Contributions – Gear and thru hiking costs money and Vlogging takes a lot of time and effort. If you enjoy my videos, consider donating. Every dollar helps.
PayPal Donations: https://paypal.me/JLDRDOTCOM
Venmo Donations: www.venmo.com/JLDRDOTCOMWhat do you carry in your backpack to survive on a backpacking hike?
To see all the gear I took in 2021, I created a 2021 Gear Video. Click HERE to see that video.
Click on the picture below to watch my 2020 video showing all the gear I was taking in 2020.
I also created a Gear page of gear i will be taking on the AT. You can find the Backpacking Gear page.
Guess what? There are tons of Privy’s / Outhouses so you know I’ll be featuring some of them in my VLogs.
Pictures used by permission from Lester S.
I was contacted by Lester S. who said the following:
We have a concrete base with number “191” marked into the concrete behind the rectangular seat base. It’s not set at an angle. Located in Washington County southern IL. I don’t think it’s a WPA unit but I’m guessing.
It sure looks to me like it could be another form for an WPA Outhouse platform. He sent me the above picture along with several others that are below. Does anyone out there have any idea if this was something else?
When you take a look at the concrete rectangle, it has a hole all the way down and the top could hold a wooden platform the could include the Outhouse hole along with a seat of some type.
Here are the other pictures.
A friend of mine was traveling in Morocco recently and found this Outhouse for me. It is quite different from the Outhouses found in the United States, don’t you think?
Location in Morocco 
Better view of where the Morrocan Outhouse is located
Visiting Germany at Christmastime is a great time. Christmas Markets are everywhere and of course, there is some “Merriment” going on that requires the use of the Wasser Closet (Outhouse).
Here we see a freshly cleaned Outhouse arriving via helicopter. I guess an emergency arose and they needed extra support for all the merriment going on?
Enjoy!
George Borum (1913-2012) from Centralia, Illinois, was a man of many talents. He was a sign painter, calligrapher, auctioneer, carver, and a tramp art artist to name a few. To Mickie H., he was a priviologist, an outhouse expert. Mickie and George got acquainted through outhouses. George wrote and illustrated “Our Vanishing Americana… The Little House Out Back”. Mickie was an outhouse collector, bought George’s book, and became penpals for years.
Mickie sent me many of the original sketches that George Borum sent to her. They are all pages out of his sketch book and signed. I think you will enjoy these pictures. You can read more about them and see all of them on the page dedicated to George Borum. They are under the Drawings and Sketches category in the tour.
Outhouse in Morocco