2009-04-08 49 -123

Wed 8 Apr 2009 in Vancouver: 49.5051543, -123.2894917 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Planning

User:Robyn has been working on a project to demonstrate the general inaccessibility of geohashes in the Vancouver graticule. Each morning she looks up the geohash and tries to calculte how long it would take her to reach it. Problem is that in order to calculate how long it would take, you have to figure out how you would get there. And once you have done that, you have a plan. And plans just beg to be implemented.

Today's installment of the "my graticule is insane" chronicles noted a point in the middle of Howe Sound, just over two kilometres from the Squamish Highway and more than six kilometres north or south of the nearest access points to the water. (The shore in between is a cliff dropping straight from the highway into the water. Dutifully Robyn typed in these details, initially estimating 5 km/h for a kayak, but then dropping it to 3 km/h because of unfavourable tides and winds, thus two hours to reach the point, plus driving and kayak set up time. Remember that Robyn owns an inflatable kayak, which she bought yesterday and has not yet removed from the original packaging. Also the weather forecast called for rain.

Robyn, somehow believing that four hours in a kayak she just bought would not be so bad, or perhaps in a fit of bravado, announced her intentions to try the day's geohash. Rhonda promptly contacted Robyn to say she would rent a kayak, and did she have a roof rack? Robyn didn't, and assumed that Rhonda would soon figure out that Robyn was crazy and would wait for a slightly normal geohash. Rhonda, however is at least as insane as Robyn. Every graticule gets the geohashers it deserves. While Robyn was about ten minutes away from Porteau Cove, Rhonda called to let her know that she was coming. "Great!" said Robyn. Or possibly just "Oh." She meant "Great," but was stunned that someone else would do this. "I'll be the one inflating a kayak," said Robyn.

We did it. We are very tired. Details to come.

Highlights

• easy to inflate
• seal followed us
• eagle
• we got told we looked hot
• wind
• waves
• tide
• five and a half hours in an inflatable kayak
• we have declared Sevylor the official kayak of the Vancouver graticule