2024-05-22 -37 145

Wed 22 May 2024 in -37,145: -37.2756314, 145.2193894 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

Off Allandale Rd, south of Strath Creek.

Participants

• Felix Dance

Expedition

I saw this hash in the morning and immediately dismissed it as yet another unattainable location. It never even occurred to me that I could actually do it. I just assumed it was too far away and I didn't have time. I was correct.

Initially, I'd planned a full day of running various errands while my daughter Gretel (Medicare number 1415926535 3) was in childcare. So I wasted my time until 10:45am when I needed to start my first one. But a critical errand got shifted to tomorrow, when I had been planning on a big bike ride (and maybe geohash), leaving today free for such things. Except that it was already a quarter to 11 and I'd wasted a tonne of time :/

I was convinced to go anyway, so I rode out to the station, waited a bit for the train, realised I had the wrong line and switched to the Hurstbridge Line down the road, waited for the train, train came and I realised I'd idiotically been right the first time and had to ride back to the Mernda Line where I was just at and waited 10 minutes for the train there. Anyway, I got on the train and headed north to Mernda.

I rode north from Mernda station, over a couple of bridges I'd been responsibility for the construction of at my old job with the state government, and then up the ever beautiful Humevale Rd. I saw probably the best view of a lyrebird on the way up, running along side me and then cutting in front of me, but I sensibly didn't try to take a photo and detract from the moment.

Anyway, this whole time I was really debating whether it was still feasible to actually get to this very ambitious hash. I had to pick up Gretel at 4:30 and it was already about 1pm. My plan was basically to ride through Hazeldale and Flowerdale, get to Strath Creek, turn off and take the hash, then proceed onwards to Broadford and take the train home.

But taking the Broadford train would involve switching at Broadmeadows to get off at Moonee Ponds, and that was looking like a 1.5 hour exercise. I only had 3.5 hours until pick up time. And the hash was 2 hours away. Plus, the Broadford train only came once an hour and was kind of not lined up very conveniently with my plans....

So, a little before arriving at Hazeldale, after riding down a big hill I knew would be an effort to get back up again, I called it. There was no sensible way of doing the hash and also being on time to pick up Gretel. So I found a spot where Google suggested I could turn off towards the hash, just to see how gnarly the road that way was (maybe a cruisy shortcut!?), but the turnoff didn't even exist. I turned away in disgust and legged it crazily back up the hill and back down to Mernda. I made the train by one minute and got home with plenty of time to spare.

But it was good that I didn't go for the hash, because I certainly would have been late for pickup, and Gretel had a very bad nap and I needed to initiate emergency bedtime protocol and feed her dinner immediately, so there would have been no wriggle room.

So I feel a bit dodgy putting this in as an attempt. It was not attainable and deep down I knew this the whole time. So maybe it's not worth a write-up here. Still, it was a beautiful day and a nice ride, hash or no hash.

Photos

• 

  Me not at the hash but turning around instead