2008-10-26 48 -123
| Sun 26 Oct 2008 in 48,-123: 48.3791181, -123.7210166 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox |
Even though thepiguy had forgot to check the coordinates until the night before, he decided to make another awesome bike trip across Vancouver Island.
Details
The coordinates were located next to a small shopping centre in the middle of Sooke. As previously discovered in the 2008-08-16 hash, there exists an indescribably amazing bike trail that leads almost directly there.
I cycled about 170km in total. The tracklog goes a little crazy in places but I think it's accurate.
The Expedition
As mentioned, I wasn't planning on going geohashing, but while poking around on the map I discovered how perfect the location was... and I really wanted to try out that trail again.
I set out at my usual 0600 en route to the 0700 bike shuttle through the Massey tunnel. The dike was deserted but I ran into some frighteningly thick fog along the bank of the Fraser river. It was so bad I actually had to turn off my head lamp because all of the light was just bouncing off of the fog back into my eyes.
I caught the shuttle and found my way to the ferry terminal without incident. Once on board the ferry, having enjoyed my eggs so much on my last ferry trip, I decided to forgo the waffle. I apparently wasn't feeling so well though, and I only managed to eat half of my breakfast and spent the rest of the ride sleeping.
I got off the ferry around 1030 and put the pedals to the floor. I averaged around 30km/h from the ferry terminal to the first junction. There was a surprising number of people on the trail, possibly even more than the last time I was there. I tried to maintain the same speed for the rest of the trip, but I dropped down to 20-25km/h.
I don't have a lot to say about the biking itself, the trail is amazingly beautiful, but I wasn't really sight seeing, or stopping even. I made it into town just after 1400, found the location and did the geohashing thing. I was contemplating stopping for lunch but instead I decided to play another round of every Vancouver geohasher's favorite game: Try and Catch That Ferry!
Keeping true to how this part of my story normally goes, I now had to retrace my entire morning in the same amount of time. iPod in ears, I swung my bike around, put my feet on the pedals, and started back. I struggled almost the entire way back, trying to keep my speed above 20km/h and all the while trying to mentally calculate whether I was going to make it to the ferry on time. The injury I acquired during my most recent bout of geohashing apparently hadn't healed completely, and bugged me most of the trip back too.
However my determination and sacrifice was destined to be rewarded! I pulled up to the ferry booth at 1745; 5 minutes before the cutoff to the 1800 ferry. Victory! Nothing could possible stop me from boarding the vessel back to the mainland! Except for the fact that there was no 1800 ferry, and I was just an hour early for the 1900. D'oh!
So there I sat, waiting an hour in the cold for my ferry. I was feeling so tired that I decided to suck up my pride and call for a ride home from the ferry terminal. Since I hadn't really eaten all day (except for some Nibs, of course) I spent around $15 on dinner aboard the ferry and spent an hour watching children's programming on the TV because there was nowhere else to sit.
Things I learned while Geohashing
Check the damned ferry schedule.
Images
The junction of the Lochside and Galloping Goose trails.
The trail is just so amazing!
Majestic? Perhaps not.
Good ol' helmet hair.
I think that one last second would have put me inside a shoe store.
We were both happy to be back on the trail!
