2009-05-21 42 -84

From Geohashing
Thu 21 May 2009 in Lansing:
42.8587364, -84.5438145
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About

This particular Geohashing Day hash was located in a swamp not far off of Old US 27 Highway.

Expedition

excellentdude: As many others did, I eagerly awaited the local Geohashing Day coordinates. Sweet! They weren't that far away, and the satellite view seems to look like a grassy field.

I drove to the site and stopped at the nearest house to ask about gaining access to the land. The house was a little odd in that I couldn't tell which door was the front door, but no one answered when I knocked at either. There was a nice old car with a license plate from the '70s in the driveway, but no one around anywhere. I began to head back to the road and saw a "No Trespassing" sign along the way. When I was due north of the hash, I took a couple pictures in the direction of the hash. I don't know if I was actually able to see the hash or not through all the brush.

I then proceeded back down the highway to the other side of the hash. There I encountered an interesting man who we'll call Woody working at a body shop. He was nice, approachable, and seemed to be having a good day. A little ways into our conversation, I learned that he owned both the house where I had been and the land containing the hash. When I told him what I wanted, his attitude changed. He didn't get the reason for geohashing. I tried to explain differently, but he just kept asking "Why?" repeatedly. I gently moved to conversation toward possibly getting permission to access the point. He told me it was in a swamp. He looked at my shoes and told me I'd need something better than my tennis shoes to get back there. I asked how bad a swamp it was, and he said I'd need waders. I couldn't ever get a straight answer out of him regarding whether he'd let me access the point or not, even after telling him I'd kindly leave and be OK with it if he said I couldn't. He wouldn't say yes, and he wouldn't say no. But when he said waders were necessary, I knew I didn't have any of those and wasn't going to make it. I walked up the highway a bit until I was due east of the hash and took a couple pictures of the swamp and the fence surrounding it.

In the end, no coordinates were reached, but a little exploring was done and an amusing conversation was had. That works for me on Geohashing Day!

Achievements

Escape.PNG
excellentdude earned the 2009 Geohashing Day achievement
by celebrating in the (42, -84) graticule on May 21st 2009.
Alligator.png
excellentdude earned the There might be alligators! consolation prize
by being prevented from reaching the (42, -84) geohash on 2009-05-21 by an impassable and unforeseen swamp (and probably lurking alligators).

Photos