2009-11-28 33 -84
| Sat 28 Nov 2009 in 33,-84: 33.8241903, -84.3159675 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox |
Graticule
About
In an apartment complex on North Druid Hills.
Expedition
NWoodruff
Today seems like the perfect day for Geohashing. This Geohash is all of about 10 miles from my house so there is no reason why I shouldn't make it. The hash is also in the middle of an apartment complex that doesn't require any permission to reach.
My girlfriend wanted to make this one too, so I pick her up at about 3:30 and we make our way down the interstate for a few miles. We turn off the interstate and find the apartment complex. I park at the building closest to the hash that I can find. 135 feet to go.
We walk around the building via a walk way and here in the center of all the buildings is a pool, a patio and a covered area for picnics complete with tables. The Dow couldn't have picked a more perfect place to meet.
I take a picture of my eTrex for the time. 3:59pm, right on time. We take a few pictures of each other and then decide to go explore the pool.
Off in the distance this guy comes walking up. We both smile and say "Hi" he askes, "Are you Geohashing?" I ask how did you know?
Out of the more than 100 houses I have knocked on and more than 200 people I have talked to about Geohashing, none of them had ever heard of geohashing. Not only was I amazed that this guy had heard of it, he knew what we were doing. I was assuming the guy lived there and was wondering why we were taking pictures.
He introduced himself as Kajong and said that he had been looking over the Atlanta page for some time. The first time that I did an official meetup in the Atlanta Graticule was with team Woodveil in January. I had actually been looking previously at Atlanta pages and was on the look out for the two guys when I rolled up on the geohash spot. I recognized both of them as soon as I saw them.
I asked Kajong if he recognized me because it would be very difficult not to see my picture if any one person was looking through the Atlanta expeditions. He said "Sorry, No." which was okay with me.
I then suggested that we leave a marker on the very off chance that someone else might show up. The only thing that was really available was small sticks and we decided to use that.
I don't normally leave any marker mostly because the geohashes are on private property or far into the middle of the woods were it is highly unlikely someone else is going to visit any time soon. If someone was to come on to my property, I don't think I would like them leaving a marker. That is just me though. But, this Goehash is on public property and very likely even today that someone might pass by.
We took a few more pictures and headed on our way. I needed to take my girlfriend to go pick up her kids. I told Kajong that I would see him again tomorrow same time. He said that he will try his best to make Saturday meetings. I said "Okay, see you then." We went our separate ways.
Meetups are for the enjoyment of being social. Usually games are played at meetups. For the longest time, I've carried a deck of cards and a chess board in my truck. But after 100 or so meetups of being the sole geohasher, I tend to leave these items behind.
Today's geohash neither or my girlfriend could have spent that much time there at the hash even though there were tables because of having to pick up her children. I apologize next time I will be better prepared.
Kajong
This was my first time at one of these Geo Hashes, so I was fairly unsure of what usually happened. I suppose, based on this experience, that it usually goes like this: people show up; people take pictures; people make "xkcd" out of sticks; people leave. NWoodruff was walking around the area of the coordinates, so I approached him and greeted him. He then expected me to know who he was (sorry I didn't do my homework) and now I'd like to congratulate him on keeping the Atlanta Graticule alive. I apologize for being ignorant.
