Journey completed through a wide variety of valleys, gulleys, canyons, gorges, ravines, saddles and curtains.
But not without problems. Twice I got lost at the distinctive rounded peak in the track where the defining sides of the source are less than distinct and went back to the start. (I know, the obvious thing is to call down the ship and get an aerial view and carry on, but there seems to be some sort of RP stuff going on where that is prohibited. Totally illogical.)
Back to the start for the second (third?) time I had a change of tack after realising that 'lost' has no real meaning when there's no sense of urgency; everywhere is somewhere, but not necessarily the place you intended to be.
So the ship was called down for a brief survey. I went to the proposed end of the trip and found a better target that was still connected to the valley system, noted the coordinates and measured the diameter of the starting crater and prepared an updated map. (Coincidence 1: it's 25km wide; Coincidence 2: that's a circle of 100px in my software. Spooky.) Laid out a series of rings based on the crater with an increase of 25km per ring, although this method becomes increasingly inaccurate due to curvature of the planet.
That helped a bit - at least I knew where I wasn't. After some time of not being able to identify the canyon I was in or on which alternative route, it pushed me onto the plain (which was definitely the wrong place) and headed west to try and find somewhere identifiable. Topping a rise I finally had a view of a feature I could recognise: Cut-through Crater, a stand-out feature on the map, just over half way.
A short way left and I dropped back down into the valley that led to the western edge of the crater.
It's bigger than it appears - just when most of it should be behind, there's this uninviting view.
It's actually the start of a long, deep, narrow valley that leads off in the wrong direction before swooping round to a wider canyon that eventually leads to the breach in the opposite wall of the crater. It's all a good route, but this can claim to be one of the best bits.
I've not made many pictures of this trip as, after a while, any place looks like everywhere else. That's not to take away anything from this trip, because it's been a lot of fun. I'm tempted to make a Nick Sticks-style aerial guide (like the Northern Route) and then run the trip again without leaving the valley systems. Perhaps a project for later if anyone else is interested. It's 383km point to point, so well over 400km on the ground.
Final shots of the terminus crater, looking ominous in the late evening (it looks just like any other crater in full daylight).
Finis.
But not without problems. Twice I got lost at the distinctive rounded peak in the track where the defining sides of the source are less than distinct and went back to the start. (I know, the obvious thing is to call down the ship and get an aerial view and carry on, but there seems to be some sort of RP stuff going on where that is prohibited. Totally illogical.)
Back to the start for the second (third?) time I had a change of tack after realising that 'lost' has no real meaning when there's no sense of urgency; everywhere is somewhere, but not necessarily the place you intended to be.
So the ship was called down for a brief survey. I went to the proposed end of the trip and found a better target that was still connected to the valley system, noted the coordinates and measured the diameter of the starting crater and prepared an updated map. (Coincidence 1: it's 25km wide; Coincidence 2: that's a circle of 100px in my software. Spooky.) Laid out a series of rings based on the crater with an increase of 25km per ring, although this method becomes increasingly inaccurate due to curvature of the planet.
That helped a bit - at least I knew where I wasn't. After some time of not being able to identify the canyon I was in or on which alternative route, it pushed me onto the plain (which was definitely the wrong place) and headed west to try and find somewhere identifiable. Topping a rise I finally had a view of a feature I could recognise: Cut-through Crater, a stand-out feature on the map, just over half way.
A short way left and I dropped back down into the valley that led to the western edge of the crater.
It's bigger than it appears - just when most of it should be behind, there's this uninviting view.
It's actually the start of a long, deep, narrow valley that leads off in the wrong direction before swooping round to a wider canyon that eventually leads to the breach in the opposite wall of the crater. It's all a good route, but this can claim to be one of the best bits.
I've not made many pictures of this trip as, after a while, any place looks like everywhere else. That's not to take away anything from this trip, because it's been a lot of fun. I'm tempted to make a Nick Sticks-style aerial guide (like the Northern Route) and then run the trip again without leaving the valley systems. Perhaps a project for later if anyone else is interested. It's 383km point to point, so well over 400km on the ground.
Final shots of the terminus crater, looking ominous in the late evening (it looks just like any other crater in full daylight).
Finis.
