2009-05-21 48 -123

It's Geohashing Day and time to mount an extra-special extravaganza of an expedition.

Location

In a clearing on Salt Spring Island, a mere 200m from a nice paved road, fairly close to an abandoned building foundation. Only lightly protected by bushes, brambles, barbed wire and a solid-looking gate. Not a single "No trespassing" signs in sight.

Planning

After a week of anticipation and almost an hour of discussion in IRC chat, the final schedule for Vancouver's Geohashing Day celebration was set at 07:25.

Coordinates in the Vancouver 49,-123 graticule were in the northern mountains and beyond our group's current capability for a one-day trip, but there was an accessible-seeming point one graticule south in Victoria. Unfortunately, the ferry we had to take to get to that point at a reasonable time was on the other side of a tunnel, and too far away for everyone to reach in time by bicycle. So the Vancouver graticule decided to do something strange and unusual for Geohashing Day. We would travel a distance of less than 100 km, by car'.

Salt Spring Island has three ferry terminals (Long Harbour, Fulford Harbour and Vesuvius Bay), for ferries all going to different places, two of which were useful for getting back to Vancouver. In order to have a back up plan we couldn't leave the car at Tsawwassen, or it would be stranded there. So Rhonda would drive.

The schedule

Rhonda will pick up known participants. Surprise guests are welcome to meet us at the ferry.
10:10 Ferry from Tsawwassen to Long Harbour, Salt Spring [1]
13:10 Ferry arrives in Long Harbour
13:30 arrive at hashpoint
Zany festivities? Cake? Board games?
14:45 pack up
15:25 Ferry from Long Harbour to Tsawwassen departs [2]

Backup plan

17:50 Ferry from Fulford Harbour to Swartz Bay [3]
19:00 Ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen

Participants

Rhonda driving the vehicle
Robyn in a catwoman costume.
Elbie in formal attire
Xore in an XKCD t-shirt
Wade in formal attire

Expedition

Rhonda

Xore

Elbie

Robyn & Wade

Robyn was up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when the alarm went off at 6:20, She was online chatting and planning as soon as the coordinates were revealed to us.

Wade was up, dim-eyed and soggy-tailed around 7:00. He made breakfast for Robyn and himself, then checked the hash location. He accidentally clicked on the Port Alberni graticule when aiming for Vancouver, and saw the meetup point was a nice and accessable point in the middle of a street in Powell River. Powell River is two ferry rides up the Sunshine coast from Vancouver. He could hear Robyn muttering about ferry schedules, so he felt everything was under control. He wandered back to shower and shave, and dressed for a formal geohash, since the Powell River location was so easy to access.

Robyn continued to plan online with Rhonda, Xore and Elbie, taking a break only to create a new "XKCD" geohashing flag. The plan was finalized. She told Wade we were to be picked up at the nearby gas station at (or shortly after) exactly 8:45, and put on her Catwoman costume. The walk to the gas station was uneventful, although a lot of people stared at the "Man in black / Cat woman" couple. Wade was waiting for an accident, but no such luck. After only a few minutes waiting at the gas station, Rhonda's brave Volvo arrived, complete with Rhonda, Xore and Elbie.