2023-10-07 -37 144

Pre-planning

Last week Lachlan was on a cycle tour. Across the camp fire he heard Patrick and Pearl discussing geohashing and scrambled to join the conversation. Neither of them had ever geohashed before so Lachlan felt personallly for fixing this situations. A few days later Patrick suggested they go to Broadmeadows but Pearl was busy and Lachlan thought it involved just a touch more trespassing than he wanted to do for a moderately boring geohash on a rainy day.

Location

In a paddock next to the prolific Rockbank servo/maccas.

Participants

Lachie
Pearl - First time!!!!
Patrick - First Time!!!!

Plans

Lachlan noticed the geohash was farely accessible but was on the fence about whether he could be bothered. He then realised that he hadn't been on a bike since his bike ride with Pearl and Patrick on Sunday so he really ought to get outside. Still unconvinced, Lachlan messaged Pearl and Patrick with a plan to ride out to Rockbank, with the unreasonable proposal of leaving at 4 or 5pm, secretely hoping they'd say no. Miraculously they both said yes and agreed to meet at Lachlan's house as soon as he finished band practice with John.

Expedition

At 4:10pm just as the last chord of This Year by The Mountain Goats was ringing out Peal and Patrick knocked on Lachlan's door. He was packed an ready to go, but Pearl and Patrick were wearing matching clothes so Lachlan had to quickly get changed. Lachlan kicked his band mates out of the house and the three geohashers set off on their bikes.

It was smooth sailing along a route of mostly bike paths, until in Sunshine there was a last minute route change and Lachlan yelled out "What if we go through this tunnel?". Mid-tunnel there was a loud "CLINK" as Lachlan hit a large piece of broken glass, followed by a hiss from Patrick's front tyre. The tyre repair went smoothly and they were rolling again in no time.

We now know the answer to the questions "What if we go through this tunnel?".

From Sunshine to Caroline Springs it was mostly bike path, then onto roads that were the epitomy of urban sprawl. Patrick got swooped by a magpie. The roads then turned rural and the houses were replaced with horses. Upnext was the freeway, which they were only on for a few minutes.

They dumped their bikes and climbed the barbed wire fence. Pearl got changed into her birkenstocks and Lachlan got his embarassingly large android tablet out for the final leg of the navigation. The walk through the paddock was uneventlful, but the company was good.

Geohash success!

They each had a beer at the hash, then did all the same things in reverse to go home.