2009-08-06 48 1

From Geohashing
Thu 6 Aug 2009 in Chartres:
48.5310632, 1.8530283
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Location

Right in the middle of the highway between Paris and Chartres (direction Nantes)

Participants

NeThuS

Expedition

NeThuS

After doing some geocaches the last months, time to take it to the next level: GeoHashing! already following the locations for a week or two, but never had an opportunity if the point was reachable. Until today: while working on a project in Paris, France, I quickly checked today's coordinates. 60km? not too bad, I don't have anything to do anyway. Leaving at my client around 20.00 plans were being made: first to the hotel, have dinner and then go for it. During the dinner I decided that I could also try to win some achievements: Midnight GeoHash, Tron achievement and, because of the location, Speed racer achievement.

A quick look on my PC learned me that by only taking highways I could easily get there, without ever crossing the way back if i took the first exit after the GeoHash. I quickly pointed out a route back and to the highway, and the route trough the hotel. I stayed in a big hotel, so plenty of choice from corridors, elevators, car park entrances and exits so I could get there and back with not crossing my track at all, starting from my bedroom door :-). A small detour to get on the Highway and off I went. It was already 23.20, and the GPS calculated the ETA at 23.55, so I would just be on time for today's GeoHash with a chance to get a Midnight GeoHash award.

Apparently I was too optimistic about the state of the Highways south-west of Paris: lots of construction sites, and parts of the Highway were blocked. I was forced off and crossed my planned return path, and ETA now showed 00.00. If I wanted that Tron achievement I would had to pay attention on my way back, to make a detour around my detour.

A little further I received an almost out of gas warning from my car, and 3 km from the GeoHash I had to pass the péage. upside: now this attempt also counts as an 'admit one geohash'. I drove exactly trough the point at 0:00:00, driving 130 Km/h = max allowed speed on Highways in France. hooray! although I was riding alone and driving 130 in the dark I tried taking a picture, but they were very blurry. if I have some more time I'll post them anyway.

on the way back I had to refill the car, carefully walking around the back to the pump on the right, via the right side to the counter in front and turning really sharp to the left when leaving again to ensure a not intersecting tracklog for the Tron achievement. so far so good, but unfortunately I miscounted the Highway exits: when I saw that I had to get of in order to not cross my path where I had to make the detour. driving backwards on highways is of course not allowed, and would have voided the Tron attempt anyway :-(

Back in the hotelroom a quick check on the tracklog and indeed: passed there at 00:00:00 exactly, driving 124 Km/h. looks like the speedometer of my car isn't that very precise. but apparently I had to be there 24h earlier for the Midnight Achievment because I'm east of -30W.

Virgin-graticule.png
NeThuS earned the Virgin Graticule Achievement
by being the first to reach any hashpoint in the (48, 1) graticule, here, on 2009-08-06.
Speedracer.png
NeThuS earned the Speed racer achievement
by passing through the (48, 1) geohash on 2009-08-06 at 130 km/h.
AdmitOne.JPG
NeThuS earned the Admit One Achievement
by paying unknown (automated payment) to access the (48, 1) geohash at A11 Highway in Paris on 2009-08-06.
Landgeohash.png
NeThuS earned the Land geohash achievement
by reaching the (48, 1) geohash on 2009-08-06.