2009-05-24 40 -2

Participants

relet

Plans

This time, the decision came easier.. today's hash point in 40,-2 would be right next to a Natural Reseve, the Alto Tajo. I love Natural Reserves about as much as I love mountains. And Alto means high, so this is going to be a Natural Reserve on a Mountain.

Expedition

Pre-expedition:

A library in the metro station. Only in Madrid!

Again, I will still have to write this one up. But here are the pictures. I really enjoyed taking them - do have a look at all these flowers.

A tower in a field - There was a town posted, called "Torremocha del Campo", meaning ugly tower of the field. I assumed that this had to be it, but I seem to have been wrong.
I was on the Don Quijote route. No windmills here.
A milestone, or just a spur post? - I started to take pictures roughly as soon as I left the highway.. there were still 30km to go on single lane, badly paved roads. It made me think these occasional stones might be milestones.
It rained a bit
I walked from here on - it's off the road to the north of the geohash, if you'd like to compare with the satellite pictures. Still a bit to go.
A poppy
I'm going to need help with naming all the others
But they appealed to ḃoth my aesthetic and geometric senses - It's a fractal!
Same flower, but earlier
Trumpets in blue
Common Mullein, probably
I identified this branching on my hand-drawn map
A very small troll - I later saw that the path I took was indicated on a hiking track map.. so it must be hikers who did this]
Across the sea of rose - I left the track when Tomtom said I had reached the correct latitude.
Suddenly, a field.
I followed the tracks of a machine - so as to not trample anything. However, the ground was really dry and the plants wide apart.
Patches of haulms were everywhere among the fields where the machines couldn't cultivate them.
A dry thistle - another fractal!
Bear tracks? - in a sandbed at the bottom of the valley. Could have been a dog just as well.
Hash point reached! - I won't complain about the batteries of Tomtom again. Once it is fully charged, it's great.
A happy hasher
I marked the place with 'xkcd' for a change
More flowers on the way back
and in white
and in large
I spotted this little buddy drinking nectar - are they supposed to do that?
more white and yellow
A beeyard
violet!
blue! - more fractals
violet again
and another poppy
and a live thistle - I created some 3d fractals in Mathematica[tm] once upon a time, but nothing as elaborate as this.

Post-expedition expedition:

The Alto Tajo greeted me like this. This is actually the river Tajo
Impressive rocks - and I know there are more people here who can enjoy nice climbing spots
down by the river - Unfortunately, I could not find the hiking path I was looking for in either direction.
These buddies were huge compared to the ones we had on our garden pond
A solitary picnic site
and one for the next migration hash
more rocks
returning to Madrid on another road
Even highways can look good provided the right weather. (I was actually trying to zoom in on the city in the background, but forgot to do exactly that)

Gallery

A library
A tower in a field
I was on the Don Quijote route
A milestone, or just a spur post?
It rained a bit
I walked from here on
A poppy
I'm going to need help with naming all the others
But they appealed to ḃoth my aesthetic and geometric senses
Same flower, but earlier
Trumpets in blue
Common Mullein, probably
I identified this branching on my hand-drawn map
A very small troll
Across the sea of rose
Suddenly, a field
I followed the tracks
Patches of haulms were everywhere among the fields
A dry thistle
Bear tracks?
Hash point reached!
A happy hasher
I marked the place with 'xkcd' for a change
More flowers on the way back
and in white
and in large
I spotted this little buddy drinking nectar
more white and yellow
A beeyard
violet!
blue!
violet again
and another poppy
and a live thistle
The Alto Tajo
Impressive rocks
down by the river
These buddies were huge
A solitary picnic site
and one for the next migration hash
more rocks
returning to Madrid on another road
Even highways can look good


Sun 24 May 2009 in 40,-2: 40.7976355, -2.3838622 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox