14-Jul-2004 -- We had been visiting a dinosaur fossil site in the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park and were returning to Khongoryn Els for the night when I realized we were surprisingly close to a confluence. Our driver gamely tried to get to it, but the van kept over-heating, and we had to stop frequently. Eventually, one of my companions and I walked the final 1/3 mile to the confluence only to find a small cairn that had been erected by another seeker.

My GPS showed a location about 4.5 feet east of the cairn, so I took my photos at that spot. The subtly rolling terrain is fine gravel and rock. I built another, smaller cairn and topped it off with a camel chip for good luck.

This confluence is approximately 7 miles east of a desert well where we helped water the herdsman’s goats and camels, and where we were finally able to fill the radiator of our ailing van.