2013-02-24 47 -122

Location

Just behind someone's back fence, in south Bothell.

Participants

OtherJack

Plans

I'll be cycling there, hopefully the rain will hold off in time for me to get there and back. Should be there around 2pm. It looks pretty easy to get directly into the woods, unless those empty lots in the google aerial photo have since been developed... -- OtherJack (talk) 15:00, 24 February 2013 (EST)

Expedition

Finally made it (after 4pm), but nearly didn't. Full story later -- OtherJack (talk) 21:34, 24 February 2013 (EST)

So I ended up setting out at 1:30, obviously way too late to make the advertised time, but didn't really matter as no one else had posted. Things were going ok for the first couple of miles, but then my ancient back derailleur broke, of all things - the metal component literally sheared in two, when I was shifting gears. (See first photo below.) The bike was rendered completely unrideable, and unwheelable too.

But this did not necessarily have to result in a Train wreck consolation prize, because by lucky coincidence I was a quarter mile from my regular bike shop! So I hand-carried the thing over there. They took a look and said they could have a new one on there in an hour and it would be fine... apparently I was really lucky the break didn't wreck my rear wheel too. So I strolled up to my friends' house nearby (my old house, actually) where they were filming a movie, hung out, worked hard to suppress laughter during filming more than once, and came back to find my bike looking much better. After paying up it was 2:50pm. I knew rain was on the way later, but decided to still go for it!

Quickly, my decision was rewarded with a wonderfully non-crowded, pretty ride up the Burke-Gilman with a nice tailwind. I reached the new-looking hash subdivision a little after 4, with no more issues, and found those empty lots really were still empty. So physical access wouldn't be a problem. However, the terrain sloped up very steeply from the back of the property fences into the woods, so I would be quite visible walking behind the (short) fences to get to the point. I readied my explanation. As it turned out though, the muddy sideways slope itself proved more of a challenge than the neighbors, who all seemed to be absent and/or not paying attention. I reached the point easily, documented it and tromped back out, bracing myself against the fence with one arm to keep from falling down the slope while walking. The gps insisted the point was about 2m behind the fence, in the neighbor's backyard, but circle of error was ~5m so I was fine.

And on the way back, the wind decided to subside for me and the rain decided to hold off... just a very pleasant geohash overall, despite the less-than-auspicious beginning! It was only when I was nearly home that I remembered the Oscars were going on at the same time, which is probably why the trail was so free of crowds and no one noticed me walking behind their property.

Also, just realized this is my, and 47,-122's, first success of 2013!