2009-04-25 48 -123

Sat 25 Apr 2009 in 48,-123: 48.4809778, -123.3527699 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Planning

Elbie is planning to do this one. Her current plan:

• 8:00 - 10:00 -- help a friend move. Hopefully will be done by 10.
• 10:00ish -- bike to Airport Station in Richmond, take the bus to Tsawwassen.
• 13:00 -- get on the ferry to Schwartz Bay
• 14:30ish -- get on the Lochside trail, bike to coordinates. Should arrive around 16:00-16:30.

Note to self for getting home: ferries depart Schwartz Bay at 15:00, 17:00 and 21:00. Must get back to Schwartz Bay by 20:30!!!

Oh noes! Looks like we're splitting the graticule. Has this ever happened before? Wade and Robyn are planning 2009-04-25 49 -123! Yours is a slightly cheaper ferry ride, and it's on a golf course. Decisions! -Robyn 01:48, 25 April 2009 (UTC)

Expedition

Getting to the Island

Elbie wound up leaving UBC around 10, and had a smooth bike ride down to Richmond (except for one near-collision with a car on SW Marine, and feeling terrified crossing the Arthur Laing Bridge, but that seems like as smooth as it gets). Getting to Airport Station from the bridge turned out to be tricky. There was a nice sign for cyclists indicating one should turn off there to go to "Richmond and Airport Station", so naturally she turned off there. The turn-off then forked, one way to "Airport" and one way to "Richmond." Confused by the latter sign's wording, the former was taken, which led to a shoulder of an exit of a highway that initially looked like it clover-leafed over to Airport Station. But no, after ridden on it for a minute, it was discovered it went, instead, to the Airport.

Elbie backtracked, and then took the route to "Richmond", soon arriving at Airport Station, well in advance to take the 620. She wound up talking to a nice lady there who, shockingly enough, had heard of geohashing! The lady mentioned her husband had done it. Elbie wishes she'd gotten the lady's name.

The 620 arrived on time, and soon Elbie was at Tsawwassen, just in time to take the nonexistent 12:00 ferry to Swartz Bay. After a nice wait where she reread nearly all of Flowers For Algernon, the 13:00 ferry arrived, late.

Getting to the Hashpoint

Eventually arriving at Swartz Bay around 15:00, Elbie hit the Lochside Trail, along the way consuming copious amounts of chicken broth and granola bars. The Lochside has markers every kilometer along the trail, with the 34km marker at Swartz Bay, and the 1 km marker in Victoria. By the maps she had printed out the night before and consulted well, she continued on the trail until the 10 km marker, and then took the first left onto a little rural road, eventually turning right onto Blenkinsop Rd, a little highway. She rode on the shoulder until she got to the first golf course, and turned off.

She had correctly remembered that the hashpoint was on a golf course on Blenkinsop Rd, but it turns out there were three such courses in that area. After getting directions to the Mt Douglas Golf Course, she promptly headed over, consulting her map printouts as she went. Upon arriving, she quickly found the hashpoint was right beside the rental office for the course.

Going in, she rented some clubs and a ball, and quickly nabbed the Golf Geohash Achievement. Then, deciding she should get her money's worth out of the clubs, she made a valiant and hilariously clueless attempt at real golf. The receptionist wound up coming out and politely asking her, "do you know anything about golf?" To which she could only answer, "No."

Elbie had come to an advanced golf course, wearing riding boots that had a 1-cm heel. She was then informed those are not appropriate golfing shoes, and that they would leave marks on the green. The receptionist kindly gave her a refund for the club rental, and Elbie quickly and embarrassedly left.

Getting Home

From there, Elbie got back on the Lochside Trail, and biked back to Swartz Bay just in time to see the 19:00 ferry leave. She had another long wait, taking the 21:00 ferry (which was delayed by half an hour). Only one other cyclist turned up at the terminal. The two exchanged relief that they wouldn't have to fight for the bike racks on the 620.

Elbie and the other cyclist arrived in Tsawwassen around 23:00, and quickly nabbed the bike rack on the 620. At Airport Station, the other cyclist gave her directions on how to get onto the Arthur Laing, and after a snack, she was off. As it turns out, the bridge is extremely terrifying around 23:45. Not reading signs properly as she was trying not to get run over, she got confused and took the turn-off to Granville. This involved a completely frightening merge with vehicles going horrifyingly fast.

Once on Granville, Elbie realised her mistake, and got onto SW Marine. Pumped full of epinephrine from the Arthur Laing Experience, it was a pretty quick ride back to the University Endowment Lands, followed by a slow ride home from there once her parasympathetic nervous system had reasserted itself. Home at half past midnight, she stumbled into her apartment and fell asleep.

Photos

Will be added soon.

Achievements

- golf - no batteries - bike