2009-03-21 33 -84

Expedition

NWoodruff

What a weird and unusual time I had with this GeoHash. I started out early around 3pm or so to give me time to explore Atlanta some, especially this side of Atlanta that I had never been to before.

The weather was warm enough in the sun that I decided to take the motorcycle to the hash. The motorcycle had been sitting in the garage since about the end of September. I hit the starter button for the motorcycle and the motor rotated about 2 or 3 times and then all I heard was a clicking noise. Dead battery.

I should have had the battery on a trickle charger. But for some reason last year, I didn't remember or couldn't find the charger so it sat for 6 months. My house is on a small hill and decided that I was going to push start it.

I engaged the choke and started pushing the bike down the hill. I engaged it in 3rd gear and the back tire bucked and jumped. The engine was attempting to rotate but it was refusing to do anything just like a little child refusing to eat spinach. No go. I coasted another 10 feet to pickup some speed to about 5mph and tried it again. The tire skid and I came to an abrupt halt. Time to push it back up the hill.

I got about half way up the hill and was tired out. I turned the bike around and attempted again. And again. And again. On the 4th attempt, I could hear the engine sputtering like it wanted to start. The 5th attempt, I gave up because I was really tired.

I pushed it back to my garage and connected up my battery starter that will start a Mac Truck. The motorcycle started on the first push of the starter. I wasted 30 minutes trying to get it to start. I put the faring back on and I was on my way.

I had to stop for gas as in last September, I didn't want to leave a full tank of gas in it over the winter. The gas stop took another 10 minutes. I was finally on my way and to the interstate. As I was riding down I-85, the sun went in. It was becoming overcast quickly. Me only being in a long sleeve shirt started to get real cold.

I finally make it to I-75 North and Howell Mill Road. Something really didn't seem right. This is the very industrial part of Atlanta. There were run down and abandoned houses everywhere. I decide to take the shortest route to the hash point and decided to turn on Chattahoochee ave. Just as I was turning the corner to Chattahoochee, two Atlanta Police cars came around me from behind and turned on to the same street with their lights on full.

I pulled over to let them by. As I started back on down the street, less than a mile down the road there was a convenience store with 3 or 4 police officers pointing guns at a man on the ground. Coming out the door on a stretcher was a man covered in blood. That was my first clue not to hang around in this place too long.

This side of Atlanta, none of the streets have any signs on them for the name of the street. I turned on what I though was Carrol and it happened to be a side street of Ellsworth. I followed that down to Huff which I though was Marietta. There was no street signs, so how was I supposed to know. I was was really lost with homeless people on most every street corner looking like they wanted to take my motorcycle. I was really lost. I ended back up on Howell Mill somehow and finally found my way to Marietta St.

I eventually rolled up on the hash point. After trying to make it there early, I ended up getting there about 10 minutes late.

Nobody home. I yelled and screamed Hello, for a minute or so, maybe more. There had to be nobody around for a mile or more. No cars drove past. Nothing. I did feel really alone in a city of 5 million and more. Nobody around.

The gates were locked. I walked down the street a ways and found that there was a gap in the bottom of the fence of a foot or more. I could have easily slid under the fence and walked to the hash point as in I was there at the hash point a good 15 minutes causing a commotion and nobody showed up. I figured I was within the required 10 meters so I didn't push it.

I gathered up my stuff and headed back for Norcross.

Gallery

Photo Gallery
Nobody home. They are only open Monday through Friday
A picture of the office with my motorcycle parked near by.
Nobody was around for a mile or more. I'm standing in the middle of the street taking a picture looking North.
Yep, gate is locked.
The hash point is just inside that door.
There is a big enough gap in the bottom of the fence that I could have easily slid under.
A picture of the major cross streets.