2011-08-22 44 -90

From Geohashing
Mon 22 Aug 2011 in 44,-90:
44.0079141, -90.0222607
geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox


Location

Private property in the middle of a rural area where property lines were hard to make out.

Participants

RocketMac - On my way from Milwaukee to Minneapolis for work

Plans

Normally when I drive for work, I plan out a few Geocaches along the way to break up the driving and snag a few finds. This time, I realized that I would be passing through multiple graticules and five of them had hashpoints I could reach with only a slight detour.

In the full spirit of adventure, I let The Algorithm be the wind in my sails and the GPS satellites my stars. I just let them guide me from one hashpoint to another taking routes I never would have tried before and seeing all new sights.

Expedition

This was the third of five. I initially missed my exit which was already off the beaten path, so finding an alternate route was a challenge. Eventually I made my way into the area, but then... how I do I get to this place?! I tried one path that seemed like a feeder road to smaller roads/driveways in the area. It turned out to be one big driveway for a dilapidated (but occupied) farmhouse. Everything about the place screamed out "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and my car's sound system was picking up a whistling from the phone interference that just rattled my nerves a bit. I decided to head back to the "main road" (no small stretch of the word) to check if I had driven through it in the process.

In the end, my closest point was 596 feet from the hashpoint! Gah!

The expedition was not a bust, however. Following my digital fate from points three to four, I found some other treasures.

Not far down the road, I came to an old motel. The building had five or six units and there was a sign saying that number five was available. Next door was a bar/grill that seemed to get more attention that the motel with which it shared it's name: "Route Star" which was symbolized by the word "Route" inside a star.

Across the street were what I can only describe as "naughty lawn decorations." There were two sets of the same pair of cut-outs on each side of the driveway. One was of a blonde "farmer's daughter" type and the other a brunette. On one side they each held a watering can and were watering flowers. On the other side the brunette was missing her can and was holding the blonde's tushie instead.

Further down the road was a geodesic dome house. My father is a huge fan of Buckminster Fuller and his domes. So much so that between my 7th and 8th grade years, he build an addition onto our house in the form of a 39 foot, 3 frequency, 3/8 sphere dome family room. Since then, I can't help but take pictures of dome houses for him.

Tracklog

My log for the whole day is available in GPX and KMZ formats


Photos

Achievements

Notrespassing.gif
RocketMac earned the No trespassing consolation prize
by almost reaching the (44, -90) geohash on 2011-08-22.