2019-06-28 42 -85

Location

The on-ramp onto Highway 131 over the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids

Participants

Expedition

It was a pretty straightforward expedition. I drove up the onramp in my car and noticed that I reached the hashpoint without stopping. However, the more tricky part was proving it. I went off the highway, looped back around, and went up the on-ramp again to try and capture the perfect screenshot, but when I failed a second time I gave up and just pulled over on the on-ramp for a couple seconds. I took a screenshot and snapped a picture (not recommended to try at home) and sped off quickly. Probably the most scenic hashpoint I've been to, but it wasn't exactly the type of hash you can sit around and admire the view at, unfortunately.

In addition, because the coordinates were on a bridge, I can win the Cross that Bridge Achievement. Because this is such a well-traveled place in Grand Rapids, and I've lived in Grand Rapids for over four years, I have certainly been here before and I think it would be more remarkable to NOT have passed over this hashpoint at some point in my life. So I'm counting that as proof for a Deja Vu Achievement as well. However, because I need an old date to make this achievement, I went through my Google Maps history (which I discovered is a frighteningly large amount of data), and found that on June 5, 2018, I drove from Founders Brewing Company to my house and passed directly over the hashpoint. So that is the date I am using.

Mcbaneg:

Ack. My normal morning commute goes right past this spot, but I'm already on northbound highway 131, in the right-hand lane, preparing to exit at Pearl St. (where I presume Ipswichb also exited to make the loop.) My car therefore passed about 50 feet southwest of the hashpoint. I had a 9:30 meeting on Friday morning, and I think I took the 8:33 bus from Seward and Lake Michigan Drive, so I almost certainly passed by the hashpoint - which, of course, hadn't yet been identified - about 8:25 am.

I left work around 1 pm to go catch a plane, and didn't check hashpoints before I left, so I made no attempt at it later in the day; I didn't see where it was until it was too late.

Unfortunately I don't think my 50-foot error even quite qualifies for Curse of Unawareness - maybe an Honorable Mention?

Update: the three samples of Curse of Unawareness I see posted are all longer misses than mine - so I'm claiming it :-)