2009-06-27 42 -72

Sat 27 Jun 2009 in 42,-72: 42.0192602, -72.5136594 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

Just outside the fence of the prison in Enfield, CT, about 10 or 20 m from the road.

Participants

Sara, who is disappointed to have missed out on the Walk Geohash ribbon and on completing an expedition in the CT part of the Springfield MA graticule, but excited about the Police Geohash ribbon.

Plans

When I left the house I was planning to make it to the actual hash point, even though it was on prison grounds. I was honestly thinking "They won't mind because it's outside the fence." I chickened out when I got there, though. I'll take a "No Tresspassing Consolation Prize".

Expedition

My husband and extended family agreed to watch the kids while I went on a 17.5 km (round trip) walk, but they thought I was crazy. Sure, you deserve a chance to get away from the kids for a while and get outside and get some exercise, but why do you need to walk to a prison?

I have driven along this route often, but when I walked it of course I noticed a lot of things I hadn't noticed before. The weather was nice. As I walked, I was thinking about

1. We incarcerate way too many people in the USA.

2. How long would the longest possible walk geohash be? On a holiday weekend (such as the coming weekend, when the market is closed Friday), we in the Americas can find out Sunday's coordinates on Thursday morning, and overseas one can find out Monday's coordinates on Thursday afternoon. Therefore, one could leave home on Thursday and walk until Sunday (or Monday) to reach the hashpoint. One doesn't even have to camp out if there are hotels or friends' houses near the route. One doesn't even have to carry one's supplies, if one has a helper. One doesn't have to walk back.

3. There are so many interesting pictures from all over the world on the Geohashing wiki. What can I find to interest people on this suburban walk?

There was a red, white, and blue sign on one of the prison buildings which I thought said "CT Dept. of Corrections, Housing America's Heroes" but I realized it must have said "Honoring America's Heroes"

Although I had been planning to trespass, I got a little nervous as I approached and saw the actual prison and realized that with prison buildings on both sides of the road and with "no stopping" signs along the road, I was very likely being watched the entire time I was anywhere near the prison.

I took a bunch of pictures. There turned out to be a plaque commemorating Shakers across the street from the prison, and when I walked right up to the plaque to take a picture of it, I turned around and took one last picture of the prison. At that point, a corrections officer drove down from the prison building in a truck and told me that although the Shaker plaque was a historic site, taking pictures of prison property wasn't allowed. I apologized and said thank you and turned off my camera and put it back in its bag. He didn't ask me to delete the pictures I had already taken, so I didn't.

Sara earned the No trespassing consolation prize by almost reaching the (42, -72) geohash on 2009-06-27.

Sara earned the Police Geohash Achievement by meeting a corrections officer while attempting the (42, -72) geohash on 2009-06-27.

Photos

Photos to be uploaded soon, really.

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