2014-12-22 46 -119

From Geohashing
Mon 22 Dec 2014 in Tri Cities:
46.9899658, -119.8548975
geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox


Location

Just south of George, in the Frenchman Hills

Participants

Expedition

George, Washington, is right in the middle of the state along the main highway between Spokane and Seattle. When I was younger, the bus trip between the two cites would stop there for a lunch or dinner stop, depending on the time of the run. Where would it stop? Well at the Martha Inn Cafe, of course.

I don't think it was really an Inn, at least in the common sense of the word. And for certain it isn't there anymore - it closed in 2006 and the dilapidated building (and fire hazard) was removed in 2010. Only the foundation (and likely a few geocaches) remain. After driving 143 miles (230 km) from Spokane Valley, I found that I had no internet service and only spotty cellular coverage, so I gave up on Geohashdroid and moved on towards the hashpoint.

The Toyota GPS told me to drive straight south, up and over a hill. Through a plowed field, apparently - no road was to be seen. Instead I reverted to what my research indicated was a close approach on Beverly Burke road. Indeed a side road led off towards the hash point, reaching the farmers field from the south. I parked the car, uttering the standard line "We walk from here".

Hiking south up to the top of the bluff brought me nearly directly west of the geohashpoint. I snapped a quick photo of downtown George from the hillside and hiked east. This field was harvested in recent months, leaving only partial stocks above the ground. A quick dance at the hashpoint led me to near zero conditions - and again, I couldn't connect through geohashdroid. With no other camera to snap a picture of the screen, I settled for cardinal photos. (Come to think of it, there *must* be an Android screen capture...)

This was only the third expedition to this graticule, and the second successful. The previous success (also mine) was diametrically opposite, south of the Tri Cities. Satisfied, I resumed my drive to Seattle, where I hope to find a decent geohash before Christmas.

Photos

Achievements