2012-01-24 33 -84

Graticule

About

In a drainage ditch between two business in Norcross

Expedition

NWoodruff

From Google maps, the geohash spot appears to be on a truck rental repair shops property. I looked at the street view [1] I knew that the place was going to be closed by the time that I got there.

As I drove up at about 6:45pm the gate was open. So I drove back as far as I could and parked my pickup truck. I got out and walked back in between the other tractor trailer trucks closely watching my eTrex. I followed the arrow on it till I was stopped by a fence. Drats, I'm not inside of the 10 meter requirement.

So, I packed up and drove to the business next door that didn't have a fence. I got out of my truck, walked about 10 steps off the pavement only to find about a 50 foot drop straight down. I'm still in a suit and tie business attire and didn't feel like sliding down the dirt and leaves hill. I contemplated a Coordinates Not Reached award. I then thought to myself that I didn't see that drop off when I was at the truck repair business so I decided to walk back over there.

As I walked back to the truck repair shop, I could smell the raw sewage from the drainage ditch. I was glad that I didn't attempt to make it down the slope only to get stuck down there. As I make it back to the fence, I notice about a 2 foot ledge on the outside of the fence before the 50 foot drop off. I carefully make my way 490 feet along the fence filled with trees and bushes in a suit and tie remember to the spot where the fence blocked my forward progress. On the outside of the fence I was 35 feet to go. Still not close enough.

That meant that I was going to have to climb down some of the slope to get a coordinates reached. I couldn't give up with only 4 feet to go. I ascended about 10 feet down the slope and I saw my eTrex at 31 feet to go. I'm inside of the 10 meters. At this time of night the sun had been down about an hour and right at 7pm the lights at the truck repair center went out. It was so dark 10 feet down from the ledge that I couldn't seen the ground. I quickly snapped a picture of the eTrex.

As I tried to hang onto a tree and slip my camera into my pocket, I slipped about another 1 foot down the hill. Luckily I didn't drop anything or get dirty. I looked at the eTrex again 29 feet to go. I snapped another picture and then hung the camera around my neck with the strap. I carefully made my way backup the 10 feet or so. I wasn't sure that I got to the top now because the lights for the repair shop were now out too. When I walked into the fence, I knew that I was there.

I now edged as carefully as I could along the almost 500 feet to reach the street. Now all I need to do is walk back to my truck. Now the bad news. The parking lot of the business that I parked in also has a fence with a gate [2]. That gate was now closed. You can easily walk around the gate, but no truck is going to be able to get around it. This business must have also closed at 7pm. I was wondering how I was going to get my truck out.

The good news is I drove around the parking lot and there is another entrance/exit without a fence or gate! [3]

I then drive home to my home less than 7 miles away.