Gravenger Hunt 2.2 Prosser - Info and Guidelines

 PREAMBLE

Hello to my bike friends, both new and old!  Thanks for signing up for my latest Gravenger Hunt Adventure.  

This is the general page for Gravenger Hunt 2.2 Prosser.  I recommend checking this blog for updates and new entries before you ride, as I'll be posting here with info until the course is closed on Sunday May 2 at 11:59 PM. 

Please bear with me.  There's a lot of information to digest here.  It's all important for a successful circumnavigation of the GH 2.2 Prosser course.  And this blog is a "living" document for the course.  So check back for any notes or updates before you head out.  

ALSO - Don't forget to share this with your Teammate! Two informed people are better than one!

THE BASICS

GH 2.2 Prosser is a COVID-compliant course you navigate on your bike around the hills in the Yakima Valley Wine Country outside of Prosser, Washington.  It’s a bit like orienteering, but different in some aspects, because you don’t have a map or a compass.  You won't know exactly where you're going, but your trusty phone will help you out.  The emphasis is on bike riding and discovery using simple phone tools, not hardcore navigational skills or a Deliverance-like ordeal.  

You can ride whenever you like between Friday, April 16, and Sunday, May 2.  (I'll take the course down on Monday.)  Pick your start based on your schedule, the weather, your zodiac sign, your mood ring, whatever.  

You can register in one of 5 categories - Men Solo, Women Solo, Men's Team, Women's Team, or Mixed Team.  

GH 2.2 comes in 3 sizes

- the Long Course is 67 miles with 3,500 feet of climbing

- the Medium Course is 41 miles with 2,550 feet of climbing

- the Short Course is 21 miles with 1,000 feet of climbing, and it's free!

REGISTRATION

Registration is through the website Webscorer.com, and a link for this specific event is here - Gravenger Hunt 2.2 Prosser Registration

You can register as either a solo rider for $10 or a 2-person team for $20.  The registration categories are Solo Men, Solo Women, Men's Team, Women's Team, and Mixed Team.   

The Long Course and Medium Course require the entry fee, but the family-friendly Short Course is FREE for any category - Team or Solo.  

THE SCALE-BACK

I have ambitions for making Gravenger Hunt Adventures a bigger and better endeavor.  I've had fantastic positive feedback from everyone who's ridden GHA courses. Prosser was supposed to be the one to really step out - a big open gravel course with a big climb and big views.  But I ran into a problem in the form of spotty/no cell coverage in a critical area of the Long and Medium courses.  This is in spite of the cell towers in the area.  I guess the cellular signal has a directional component to it, and they aim it into town instead of up on the hill.   

What that means is Google Maps can use the GPS chip in your phone and route you to a checkpoint in the dead zone, (Top Corner) but when you get there, and scan the QR code, it can't connect to the internet to tell you where to go.  Bummer.  

The course just wouldn't provide the proper GHA experience that I had in mind.  

So I'm scaling back on this particular ride/course.  

1. Taking away prize money.  I don't want the outcome of a race determined by an area with poor coverage. 
2. Taking the t-shirts out of it.  I have plans for a great looking t-shirt, but without people registering, I couldn't count on hitting the numbers needed to produce the shirts at scale.  I'll try selling them separately.  Maybe I can have a special color/edition for finishers of GH 2.2 Prosser.  
3. Reducing the entry fee to $10 a head.  

This is still a great course!  The checkpoints are still out there, waiting for you to discover the route!  

THE WORKAROUND

I have a workaround for the cellular dead zones in the form of two Ride with GPS files: one for the 67-mile Long Course, and one for the 41-mile Medium Course.  (The Short Course isn't affected - it's entirely in cell coverage.)  These RWGPS routes can be accessed on your phone and will show you the way to go through the cellular dead zone.  Or you can load them onto a GPS bike computer as a route.  You get a link and some instructions on when to start and end it when you register in a confirmation email.  

I have a better idea of how to work around it, but need to be in Prosser to test and implement it, and just can't pull it off right now.  

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• An off-road capable bike - a gravel bike, a cyclocross bike, a mountain bike, a fat bike, it doesn’t matter. I don’t recommend a road bike since the course is primarily on gravel with some rough sections. But I've seen some people do some things.  Tubeless is the way to go, unless your family owns an innertube factory.  Especially because there are these things in the area called goat-heads that will shred your innertubes.  Get some sealant and roll worry free!  Maybe a mtb isn't a great idea on this course either, unless you put some lightweight gravel tires on.  A gravel or cx bike is really going to be optimal - lots of rolling on this one.
• An Android or iOS smartphone with the Google Maps App installed. If you insist on using Apple Maps or some other map software to enter the checkpoints and navigate, that’s on you. I’m using Google Maps, and it should help you find the checkpoint to a pretty tight radius. But different carriers and phones might handle the GPS data differently. This might limit it to Android and iOS users. Sorry if you’re using something else like a Windows phone. This might not work for you.
• A smartphone with the Webscorer App installed.  This app will be used for the Timed Sector.  
• A smartphone with a camera and the ability to read a QR code, and then have it open a URL which will be a location in Google Maps.  Of course it can be the same smartphone as above.
• A spare phone battery and a cable to charge your phone. This stuff seems to chew up the charge on your phone. Don’t get stranded out there! I’ll try and help if you do, but you’ll need to be able to call me before your phone is drained. Turn the screen lighting down, and shut down other apps to extend the battery life.
• A helmet. Duh.  My insurer insists on helmet use.  Don't make me come find you to nag.  
• Your trail etiquette. These are all open roads and paths. I don’t have a permit that will clear the trails of all other users. There’s no course tape. There might be cars, tractors, horse riders, and dogs, leashed or unleashed. Yield.
• Self sufficiency. Food. Liquid. Spare bike bits.  There's no support at any points on the course.  Except for #handupday.  But you really shouldn't plan for that.  It's just a nice bonus if the timing is right.  
• A sense of adventure.  

WHAT MIGHT BE NICE TO HAVE

• A handlebar mount for your phone. I’m expecting the phone to get a lot more use than your Garmin or Wahoo head unit. Of course you can record your ride, but I don’t expect a bike GPS unit to be useful for navigating. (But some people have figured out how to do this.)  Or at least use a pocket or stem bag, so the phone is handy.
  
  I've found these to be a good cheap option - under $15?  mongoora. 
  
  Others are suggesting QuadLock, but they seem to be a whole system and more expensive.  Quad Lock
  
  
• A mask. Maybe you’ll want to get a coffee. Maybe you need to help another rider change a flat. It’s 2021. Prepare accordingly.
• Money or a credit card. Maybe you’ll want to get a coffee in town. Maybe there’s a lemonade stand.  But things are really remote and desolate.  Take pictures if you see one.  Anything is possible.
• Depending on your start time, a backup headlight/flashlight.  I'm not telling you to stop when it gets dark. But the dark will come anyway, and you might not be all the way back. 
• A blinky tail-light.  Visibility is nice for road sections, even if they're short.  Especially on a gray or rainy day.  
• Dry and warm clothes for when you're done.  A towel for changing.  Shoes and socks.  A good bag for dirty wet clothes.  I keep a blanket in the car in case a ride induces shivers.  Just because it's sunny doesn't mean you can't be cold and miserable, even after the ride, when you're tapped.
  
• Sunscreen and/or sun sleeves - it's Eastern Washington.  You might get fried ec
• A COVID-compliant teammate.  I'd expect things to go better with one teammate to handle the Nav stuff, the other teammate to handle the Timed Sector scanning.  Plus it makes it more fun.  Just stay safe.  

THE RIDING

GH 2.2 is a big, open gravel course with some road segments mixed in.  There's no single track or off-road riding.  The gravel is generally well maintained, but the segments vary a little bit between fresh, new, and graded, to older with some loose rounded rocks on dirt.  The roads are very rural, and very quiet, so there's a certain amount of freedom, but don't forget cars can sneak up on you.  Especially on the paved segments.  Everything is really quiet for the most part, but don't forget these are working farms with activity happening.  

You should obey traffic laws and there's a few stop signs and uncontrolled road crossings.  Please use the utmost care.  Cars can be moving extremely fast, and some of the crossings have limited sight distances from hills. 

Hey! Fast guy!  Your race will be won on the climb, or because you were clever with navigation, not because you take chances by running stop signs.  

The Long Course and Medium Course basically have one big hill to climb, and one big descent.

I'm not going to stop you from riding a mountain bike on this course, but it's really ideal on a gravel bike.  A high percentage of all three courses are on gravel, but you don't need a lot in the way of tread or grip.  If you're the type to swap out tires, you'll be fine on slicks or a file tread.  You also don't need the fattest tires in your arsenal, but I'm not going to stop you if you're too lazy to change out those 2.3 knobbies.  

All in all, the course isn't hard.  The hill is sorta big, but not monumental, and never very steep.  The gravel is fair to good for most of the course.  The big downhill is easy and long.  Hard comes if you're riding it competitively.  The biggest variable might be the wind.  I hope it's not cold.  

IRRIGATION CANAL SERVICE ROADS

The course will likely take you on irrigation canal service roads.  These are on irrigation district land with "No Trespassing" and "Danger" signs.  You are not required to ride on these roads for GH 2.2 Prosser, but you might want to.  In almost every instance, Google Maps will give you a choice which will allow you to ride to the next checkpoint on public roads.  The alternate route might be shorter, it might be longer.  The alternate route is likely to be paved, and will increase the likelihood of interaction with traffic.  Although falling in an irrigation canal is a hazard, it has to be safer than riding on the road.  

However! I've done some checking with locals to determine that the irrigation canal service roads get used all the time - for bike riding, for walks, etc.  Some of the locals I talked to live and work on the canal.  Some of the locals I talked to are customers of the irrigation districts.  Google Maps will suggest the canals as a route.  RWGPS and Strava have the irrigation roads in their Heatmaps.  It shouldn't be a big deal.  

If you are stopped and questioned about being on an irrigation canal road, please be polite and courteous, but you can say 2 things.  1. "The locals tell me people frequently ride here." 2.  "Google Maps routed me this way."  If that doesn't help, then ask how you should leave the irrigation canal service road, and then once back on a public road, navigate to the next checkpoint.  Give me a call or send me a text, and I'll be happy to help get you going in the right direction.  

If you're uncomfortable with this, I'll offer a full refund to a registered rider before you ride.  No questions asked.  

THE ROUTES

The Long Course and the Medium Course are similar, and cover much of the same terrain.  The Long Course has some stuff added on for a touch of extra climbing and extra distance.  Notice there's more ups and downs at the top of the hill.

The Short Course doesn't climb the big hill, and has a higher percentage of road on the route. It looks hillier, because it's on a different scale.  There's a few gritty hills though.  

All three courses start and end the same way, and at the same location.

THE START

All three GH courses start and end at Domanico Cellars in the North part of Prosser, WA.  The address is 24901 N Crosby Road, Prosser, WA 99350.

Historic Old Vine Wines (domanicocellars.com)

The owner - Jason Domanico - is being super cool with support for the GH course, and he's been a great local contact.  He'll be riding the course when he's not riding tractors.  He's got a tasting room right there.  And another one in Ballard. Check it out!  Get in touch with them if you'd like a wine tasting after your ride.

There's parking along N Crosby Road.  Things are really quiet out there, so most things will be way more secure than the BDOS Parking Lot.  Maybe don't block parking for tasting room visitors, and park a bit North.   

NAV CHECKPOINTS

There's a new color scheme for the 3 different courses, since this is different than other GHA courses.  

GREEN is the default color and the color of the Medium Course Nav Checkpoints.  
RED is the color for the Long Course Nav Checkpoints.

YELLOW is the color for the Short Course Nav Checkpoints.

RED is also the color for the TIMING QRs, which will give a split time when you scan them with your camera using the Webscorer App.  These all say TIMER on them, and look a little different than the Nav Checkpoints.  More blocky. 

TIMING CHECKPOINTS

These are the QR codes that you'll scan with the Webscorer App for the race part of the ride.  

The Long Course has 3 intermediate Timing Checkpoints plus the Start and the Finish.  

The Medium Course has 1 intermediate Timing Checkpoint.

The Short Course has 2 intermediate Timing Checkpoints.

There's more on timing and racing in this blog post - GH 2.2 Prosser - Timing Info and Race Details

TEST COURSE/WALKING COURSE

I set up a short course with 3 QR codes to help people test out navigation and to make sure their phone is reading the codes.  You can figure out how to navigate before setting off on your bike and riding 3 miles away to discover you can't make these codes work.  The 3 checkpoints of the walking course go in a clockwise direction.  The first one is called Pole, and here's a Google Maps link for it - Pole.  The lat/lon for it is 46°15'04.7"N 119°44'49.6"W, if you care about such things.  Scanning the code on Pole, will help you find Fencepost, which will lead to Postal Pole, and then back to Pole.  

The Nav QRs work the same way out in the fields and hills.  

Being prepared is a particular concern for certain Android phones because they sometimes don't have a QR reader integrated into the phone's camera.  As far as I can tell, this isn't a problem with iPhones.  

You can test if your phone has an issue with scanning the QR codes I generate by scanning this test Nav QR, right off the screen.  If you're reading this on your phone, I can't help you.  Maybe a mirror shot somehow?  Or you can print this QR code out and scan the print.  

Did it open up the Google Maps App and put a pin down in the almost middle of the Montlake Bridge?  Can you put the App into Bike mode, and give you directions from where you are now to the spot in the middle of the bridge?  If the answer to both of these questions is "Heck yeah" then you're in business.  If the answer is "Not really" then maybe you need to find a QR reading app to get the job done.  

Here's a web link to the same location.  Montlake Bridge in Google Maps It should open up the exact same location if you want to test that out too.  

STAYING IN PROSSER

If you didn't know, the wine industry is exploding in Prosser, and it's a tourist destination.  Things right now aren't at capacity because of COVID, so maybe staying there is a good option.  Try some wine and tasting room things.  Especially at the host of the GH 2.2 Prosser start and finish - Domanico Cellars!  

I've stayed at the Horse Heaven Best Western.  A basic single room is in the $110 range.    

I also hear that the RV park in town is pretty good, and it's starting to fill up.  Wine Country RV Park  

I might have some angles on Bed and Breakfast type places.  Holler if you're looking for a place like that.  

I drove to Prosser from Seattle, rode the 41 mile course, and drove back on the same day.  The entire thing was essentially 8am to 8pm, but that includes a leisurely change on either end of the ride, 45 or so for a burrito, and gassing up my car.  

A great place to go after the ride is Ready and Out for Mexican food.  They aren't doing dine in, but I recommend calling when you leave Domanico Cellars, and your food will be close to ready by the time you get there.  They have picnic tables in front.  The burrito I had was giant an amazing.  One of my all time top 5 burritos.  

And then you can't go wrong with any of the wineries in the area.  Too many to count.  Tour Prosser

COVID SAFETY

You’re welcome to have a friend or family member participate with you to make a COVID-19 compliant team.  You should have a mask with you. I’m not expecting you to wear it while you’re riding. But people you encounter in the wilds or trails will have them on, and some will give you dirty looks if you don’t have one on. People might jump off the trail if they think you’ll infect them or their kids with your maskless breathy face. I expect you to avoid congregating with other riders and people outside of your thoughtfully crafted bubble circles. Don’t participate if you have symptoms! The good news is that we’ll be outdoors enjoying the fresh air.

GENERAL SAFETY

You'll be riding this course entirely self supported.  No sag wagon.  No follow car.  No beer garden at the finish.  No podium.  I'll support you with troubleshooting course problems as best as I can remotely.  (I have some tricks planned for this.)  

The good news is you'll have a phone and a bike.  Dial 911 for emergencies.  The closest hospital to the course is the Prosser Memorial Hospital, and it has a Level 4 Trauma Center.  We don't want to find out what that means.  

As awesome as trail dogs are, this isn't the ride for them.  Leave the pups at home unless your name is Jessica and you have Millie in a backpack.  

You know about #handupday, right?  I'll be out there on May 2 with some drinks and snacks to giveaway.  

GH NAVIGATION TIPS 

• Don't spend 5 minutes looking for a checkpoint!  Of course you have to get close first. The navigation is supposed to be brisk.  The point of GH 2.2 is bike riding, not stumbling around lost.  Pull the trigger quickly and call or text me (Reeve) at 206-369-8246.  I've given excellent support so far, and I don't plan on stopping.  
• There's a bias for trails and gravel.  I try and steer you towards dirt/gravel when I can.  Some road parts can't be avoided, but I really hate riding in traffic, so interaction with cars will be minimal.  If I put you on a gravel road, there's a reason for it, stay on the gravel until Google Maps tells you to get off of it.  
• There's a bias for forward motion.  I don't send you to a checkpoint, just to make you turn around and go backwards.  Keep Going.  If you're on a trail, check the direction you should go, and keep going.  If you're backtracking, it's not by design.  The course is linear.  
• The QR codes will tend to be hidden on the back sides of things - posts, signs, other urban environment stuff.  I try and choose something that's distinctive.  I put them as out of sight as I can, so they don't get messed with.  I've had QR codes pulled down, and that means I have to go out and replace it, when I really shouldn't have to.  GH 2.2 has a lot of checkpoints on wooden posts that hold up steel guardrails.  
• With moisture and rain, some of the QR codes might curl up, and they'll perform better flat.  So you might need to flatten them to get a good scan.  I'm beefing up the moisture protection, so hopefully they stay durable.  They definitely performed better with my new taping method.  
• I'm not saying you have to have it, but other apps with map capabilities could be useful.  Ride With GPS is what I use.  Strava.  Trailforks.  There are others.  Maybe they can offer a different perspective than Google Maps can.  I chose Google Maps because it's common and seems to work well everywhere but Black Diamond and Ravensdale.  (That's a joke from GH 1.3)
• For those who'd rather not be pulling their phone out all the time for navigation, Forrest Murphy was kind enough to write up a Hack.  It tells you how to get location info from your phone into your Garmin GPS head unit.  I've put it in a blog post here.
• If the routing looks suspect in the Bike Mode of Google Maps, maybe check the Walk Mode.  It's just a different perspective on routing.  It might be the one you want sometimes.  (This is a general statement.  Not specific to GH 2.2.)
• A similar trick is to swap "Your location" and the destination using the little double arrow icon in the Google Maps App.  Sometimes the route changes if make it try to navigate backwards.  
• GH courses, navigation, or Timed Sectors don't use or have anything to do with Strava Segments.  

COURSE NOTES

• Checkpoints with "Roza" in the name are on the Roza Irrigation canal.  
• The Long Course will have a section where you double back on the way you came.  If you see a rider coming from the opposite direction, it's possible you are both going the right way.  Think of a lollipop coming off of the main loop of the course.  It's not a direct violation of the bias for forward motion, because it's not a straight-up U-turn.  
• The big downhill on the Long Course and Medium Course is amazing.  It's a really cool balance of gravity, wind resistance, and rolling resistance.  You can cruise at 30 miles an hour and not have to worry about braking.  The turns are all gradual.  The gravel is pretty good. 
• At the top area, as you're heading west on the Long Course, there's a ravine with a nasty downhill turn.   You'll crest into the ravine from the flatter plains, and it gets steep.  As you're going down, you can see that it turns right, but by the time you get there, you won't see exactly how sharp the turn is.  It's sharp, a little off camber, and in loose gravel.  You need to be braking before you get there.  
  
  Here's a picture from the other side of the ravine.  You can see how across the ravine, it dips down before turning.
  
  
  

• As mentioned just above, lots of checkpoints are on wooden posts that support steel guardrails.  A lot of these are along irrigation canals.  Most other checkpoints are on the backs of metal road signs.  

SAVING YOUR CHECKPOINT LOCATIONS IN THE GOOGLE MAPS APP

Some people have lost the info on where the checkpoint is while they're navigating by doing things with their phone.  (Imagine you check a text, and the Google Maps app crashes.  Something like that.)  Instead of having to go backwards to re-scan the previous checkpoint, you might consider making a habit of SAVING the location in your Google Maps App right after you scan it.   

I'm not saying you have to do any of this for a successful ride, but a few people do.  These steps are likely better than other cutting and pasting methods.  

I wrote this up in a blog post with some screenshots here - Gravenger Hacks - Saving Locations in Google Maps

There's pictures and more details on the blog post, but here's a simple description.  

• After you scan the QR code, and the next checkpoint shows as a red pin in Google Maps, tap the red pin. 
  
  
• You can then swipe up from the bottom to bring up a menu with details about that location. 
  
  
• On that menu, there's 2 good options to save a checkpoint/red pin location.
  1) LABEL the checkpoint. I suggest using the same name that I put on the Nav QR code. Each GH checkpoint will have a unique name.
  2) Create LIST for GH 2.2 and then SAVE the checkpoint into the LIST. But then it won't have a label! So you can put the name into the note. This is kinda wonky, but it puts them in a safe place if you have other spots saved in Google Maps like your Home or Work. 
  
  
• There's also no reason that you can't do 1 AND 2.  SAVING and LABELING are like 2 complementary features in Google Maps.  
  
  
• Do it right, and you'll end up with a GH 2.2 folder that looks just like mine!
  
  
• I also recommend that you don't put these checkpoints in STARRED places. That feature just doesn't work that well.
  
  
• Once you have locations saved into the LABELED category, or into a LIST, you can open either of those through MY PLACES in Google Maps, and the pins will show up in a light blue shade for future reference.  

TIMED SECTORS AND RACING

As part of the scale-back, I'm taking the race prizes away, but there's still going to be a "race".  You can still compete for glory and recognition and all that stuff.  Set your mark.  Webscorer will be tabulating the results.  I just didn't want money to be at stake with the spotty navigation at the top.  

Each course will be a complete racecourse - essentially one big Timed Sector.  You'll scan a Start QR Code, and the timer is running!  There will be checkpoints to scan along the way to make sure that you cover some ground, and when you get back to the start, you'll scan a QR Code to stop the clock, and you're done!

Navigating the course and finding the checkpoints is part of the racing experience on a GHA course.  The fastest rider might not be the winner. 

Although you're racing, keep in mind that you're riding on roads open to cars, tractors, other bikers, horses, pedestrians, and wildlife. You don't have right of way, and need to operate safely.  Check yourself at road crossings and stop signs.  Rural cars might be going ridiculously fast.  There's lots of lumpy hills that obscure what might be over them.  Assume there's a speeding car coming.  

There's absolutely no obligation to "race" the course.  You can skip the Timing QRs.  But if I don't know you're riding or racing, you might miss #secrethandupday.  Plus, I try to keep track of who's ridden, so it helps me with the bookkeeping side of things.  

Don't forget there's more on timing and racing in this blog post - GH 2.2 Prosser - Timing Info and Race Details

GH 2.2 RACE PRIZES

I'm scaling back the GH 2.2 experience and lowering the entry fees.  There's not going to be racing for cash prizes.  However, the Webscorer App will still be recording the start and finish and checkpoint split times, so there will be results listed for every category and every distance.

GRAVENGER HUNT ADVENTURES T-SHIRTS

Because I'm scaling things back, I'm dropping the t-shirt as part of the registration.  I'm still planning on making and selling some shirts, just not as part of registration for this race.  The designs I have are great.

Look for a shirt design release on the GHA Facebook Group in a bit.  

GH SITUATIONAL AWARENESS COMPETITION AND RAFFLE

It's not happening in Prosser.  Next time.  Fo sho.