2010-07-21 -38 145

Wed 21 Jul 2010 in -38,145: -38.1188623, 145.2195419 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

On the oval of a sports club in Skye.

Participants

Steve and Ellen

Plans

Steve was going to drive down after work.

Expedition

Ellen decided to join me, catching the train from the city to Dandenong. After a minor misnavigation (how can I still get Wellington Rd and Princes Highway confused after driving up and down both of them so many times), we met up and had a tasty Indian dinner in Dandenong.

Driving down the Frankston-Dandenong Rd, thick fog set in, adding to the atmosphere. Before long, we were pulling into the carpark. We then set off across the oval, through the fog and mud. The distance to the point on my GPS counted down, 100, 80, 50, 20, 10, 9, 9, 9, 8, 9, 9... What? We'd walked at least 20 metres with it stuck on 9. Recalibrating the electronic compass, we were honing in again: 9, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 2, 3...

"What?" asked Ellen. "How do we get to zero?"

"Well," I explained sheepishly, "the GPS is only accurate to a few metres, so it doesn't really matter anyway. You usually only get down to about four or five anyway."

"How disappointing", said Ellen disappointedly, proceeding to turn into an aeroplane and circle around for a minute or so just to make sure she hit the point.

Photos weren't on the cards, with fog, darkness and the limited photographic capabilities of my GPS to contend with. I settled for a fuzzy shot of the full moon.

As we arrived back at the car, another car pulled in. Ignoring Ellen's frantic pleas that we make a getaway, I lingered, hoping pathetically that it was another geohasher. An awkward silence ensued, as I pondered how to ask the question in a way that would not portray me as a complete loony. The stranger broke the silence. "Hi. Cold isn't it?" He then opened the boot and aimed a large German Shepherd at me. I concluded sadly he was just a bogan, not a geohasher.

We drove home.

Photos

• 

  The full moon, the only thing photographable with no lighting.