2009-02-20 30 -94

Fri 20 Feb 2009 in Beaumont, Texas: 30.9538681, -94.0724407 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Planning

I'm in the northwest corner of the Lake Charles, Louisiana graticule with only feet for transportation, and expected to have the day off, so I called upon the geohashing gods for a corner geohash, and they delivered. Not in Lake Charles, but in the adjacent Beaumont, Texas graticule, making it an eight mile (Google Maps gives answers in miles when I'm in the US no matter what I tell it my home preferences are) walk. It looked quite close to what looked like a powerline right-of-way, and there's usually a good path along a powerline, so I expected to be able to reach it. The route I chose would also take me past the only bike shop in town, so I planned to stop by and see if I could rent a bicycle for my mission. If not, it would be about a two hour walk, plus let's allow an extra hour because that last kilometre to the geohash can be a killer.

What do you think can go wrong here?

Expedition One

I did my morning tasks and packed my geohashing knapsack, plotting my route, knowing I have six hours left before dark. While I was studying the access routes, my telephone rang.

The good news: "Would you like to borrow a truck ..."

The bad news: "...to get some lunch before work at two-thirty?"

So much for my free day. I thought the airplane would not be arriving back until tonight, but it's expected now at two-thirty. I take the truck. And my geohashing knapsack. I drive up the road in the direction of the geohash, and then with strength and responsibility I park the truck in front of the restaurant and go for lunch. During lunch I turned on my GPS and looked. Eight kilometres as the crow flies. Eight miles by road. How long does it take to drive eight miles? I finished lunch at one o' clock. I walked back to the truck. Left down Main Street leads back to the hotel. Right on Main Street leads to the geohash. I turn right.

I go up Main Street, and right on Martin Luther King. I'm supposed to turn left on Armstrong Lane. MLK goes up and down a few hills and I pass a broad powerline right of way, that's probably the same one the geohash is near. It's awesome, a hard dirt road with a locked vehicle gate but easily walkable. Let me just get to the access from Armstrong Lane. And then MLK does something weird. It ends. It ends in almost a dead end. It's actually a fork, with a dirt road going each way. I turn left, and then things start to look good. The road winds back and forth. There are no "No Trespassing" signs on the sides. There's one sign that says "POSTED" but nothing else. Is that like "First post!" in a forum thread?

I reach a point under 600 metres from the geohash. I drive a bit further and the geohash recedes, and then the road turns away. I turn around (four or five point turn in the borrowed truck on the one-lane road). There are even some paths leading into the bush. It's 1:20. The bush does not look like Slave Lake bush. Surely I can go 580 metres and back in time to return for work at 2:30. I step off the road and into the bush. It's firm underfoot and easy going. I can totally do this. The trees get a bit thicker.

"Robyn!" I explain to myself, "Do you not remember Utikuma Lake?" Five hundred metres through the bush can take over an hour. I check my cellphone. No signal. Sadly, and responsibly, I walk bad to the truck. I don't even try the little trails that might have led near the geohash. No time. I drive away. I know I'll regret this later.

I get back to work with the truck at two. The airplane is early. It's here already. It's a good thing I was responsible.