2008-09-21 49 -124

Location

On a suburban road, 30 km north of Nanaimo.

Planning

After Vancouver geohash ...
Allow time to deflate and store boats
Allow 1.5 hours (?) for 28 km cycling from Kitsilano to Horseshoe Bay
Horseshoe Bay bus (with bike racks) leaves downtown (Homer & Dunsmuir) at 09:35 and arrives in time to board the 10:40 ferry
Ferries leave Horseshoe Bay: 08:30, 10:40, 12:55, arriving Departure Bay 10:05, 12:15, 14:30 respectively
Cycling time ferry to geohash: 1.5 h
Cycling time geohash to ferry: 1.5 h
Return ferries leave Departure Bay 15:10, 17:20, 19:30, arriving Horseshoe Bay 16:45, 18:55, 21:05 respectively
Ticket sales end ten minutes before sailings.

Planning Discussion

I'm looking over the schedules, and we've got a lot of variables. I think I have a place to stash the boat, but like you said, deflating time, as well as cycling time can definitely vary.

How early do you feel like starting? The 12:55 ferry is reasonable, but the 10:40 would give us a little more time for the rest of the day. It would just require starting very early in the morning. Of course, we could always make it a sunrise geohash. What are your thoughts on starting times?

I was thinking it would have to be the 10:40, too. A midnight geohash and a sunrise geohash on the same day!? We shouldn't be launching toy boats before daylight, but there should be half an hour between first light and sunrise, so why not? I have a party the night before, but those are mere details. :-) -Robyn 05:43, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

The agreed meet time is 6 a.m. on the beach at Kits. -Robyn 00:55, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

Things are so much more complicated when you have to pack for 2 geohashes at the same time! Especially when 1 is a water hash.

Are you bringing an air pump? All I was able to find was my bike pump, apparently the pump for the raft hasn't been seen in some time. I'll have to blow it up by hand (read:mouth). Thepiguy 01:48, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

I know exactly what you mean. I just finished packing and then remembered that I need my driver's licence tonight and it's under some stuff on the bike. I have a pump, but it's untested, still in its packaging. I bought it ages ago and never used it. So we may both be testing our lungpower on more than just Taylor Way. I had to find my light, too. -Robyn 01:54, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

About the biking; which route did you want to take? My usual way to the ferry is the Burrard street bridge to the Lions gate and then Marine drive to the terminal. I have no idea what the roads are like in Nanaimo. Should we just follow google when we get to the other side? Thepiguy 02:01, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

I'll print off what looks like a reasonable route to the -124 hashpoint. My GPS has maps in it, not good enough to navigate by, but detailed enough to get us back on track if we decide to take a "short cut" that doesn't work out.

Have you biked the upper levels highway before? I'm a little timid about trying out new routes, but wouldn't mind trying it tomorrow. I've only ever done the lower road, it's got less traffic, but I think more hills. Since you have to drop off a boat, I'll follow your lead from Kits to the ferry.

Not sure when I'm going to get to sleep (although not that late, don't want to do that again) so if I don't hear from you, see you sooner-than-bright and early tomorrow! Thepiguy 03:32, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

I'm off to try and get a decent amount of sleep. Me and srs will hopefully be on the beach, in front of the parking lot at the end of McNicoll Ave. in the morning, blue in the face from inflating our raft. See you then!


Sun 21 Sep 2008 in 49,-124: 49.2776262, -124.1564544 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox