2012-03-17 47 -122

Location

An aborted construction site in Lake Stevens

Participants

OtherJack

Plans

Take the bus up and see if it's accessible by now. Not sure if I'll actually go, but thinking about it. Post here if you're interested --OtherJack

OK, going. will be there at about ten minutes to 4 - OtherJack 2pm

Expedition

Success! More details when I have time - OtherJack 03:41, 18 March 2012 (EDT)

So Google Maps had indicated a giant mound of dirt, the size of about three large houselots, along a residential suburban street. I was expecting either said mound with a construction fence around it, or more likely some sort of large finished or partly-built structure, given that the Google satellite pics don't update that often. In other words, a potentially difficult geohash.

But after two buses and then a ten-minute walk through the quiet town of Lake Stevens, I was pleasantly surprised to find nothing but an empty lot! Grass grew on the entire hillside, and there was only a two-foot plastic-tarp "fence" surrounding the place, with no keep-out signs - no signs of any kind, really. All I had to do was just walk a hundred meters or so uphill, avoid the muddy bits, do the hashdance, and then stand around admiring the view of the lake and hills. First success in a year and a half!

No one was around to make me feel awkward, either - it was a dead-end street in a low-key neighborhood. Eventually a neighbor's dog came out and tamely pestered me from a distance, and I politely headed out. With a bit of time to spare before the return bus I strolled down to the Lake Stevens waterfront. Not a bad place. I still wonder what they'd been trying to build on that lot, though.

The high point of the bus-riding was what I saw out the window at one point, in the neighborhood of the hash: A local politician had his campaign sign up on a public fence, and someone had surrounded it with colorful, hand-painted sign boards bearing unrelated lyrics from the musical Chicago. I have no idea if this was supposed to be a compliment to the guy, an insult, or just whimsical subversion of politics. But it gave me a chuckle in any case.

Photos

Wow, this is going to be easy
View from the hash
GPS marks the spot
Proof!
Looking NE across the lake
Cascades emerged once back at the bus stop
Full layout was: SLICK YOUR HAIR AND WEAR YOUR BUCKLE SHOES (campaign sign here) AND ALL THAT JAZZ