#3: [23-Jul-11]

#2: [11-Aug-04]

#1: [24-Jun-00]

19-Nov-2015 -- As I had arrived in the area for a series of presentations, workshops, and meetings surrounding Geography Awareness Week and GIS Day, what better way to continue the week than a confluence visit? I had just finished my duties at Penn State and would soon be at Cornell University: This confluence lay almost directly in the path between the two universities. I had left at dark to allow time to attempt this confluence. The only problem was as I drove toward the point, it was pouring rain. Nevertheless, the countryside was beautiful.

I exited I-99 and drove east and north toward the border. Confluences along state and national borders are extra special, and thus I greatly relished the fact that before long, I was driving on a segment of road was directly on the New York - Pennsylvania border. This, fittingly named State Line Road, then dropped into Pennsylvania, becoming N Road. South-southwest of the point, I pulled over. The rain had let up! No fence lay between myself and the point, and thus I wandered north on foot. Upon cresting the hill, which was a field previously planted in corn, I had a magnificent view into New York. A scenic and fun small swimming lake lay to the east. I found the point on nearly the highest part of the hill. I had visited several confluence points in corn in the past, and it is extremely difficult, but due to it now being November, it was incredibly easy. The ground was fairly hard despite the rainy day. Plus, more recently than the corn planting, the field was very grassy, so perhaps the corn had been a few seasons ago.

It was late morning in late fall, and despite the rains, it was surprisingly warm for this time of the year and in this location - about 54 degrees F. The point lies on nearly the highest and flattest part of the hill. Good views can be seen in all directions as a result, but especially into New York to the north. I had stood on 42 North a few times in the past, from Massachusetts on the east to Wyoming on the west, and on 77 West a few times also, from New York on the north to Virginia on the south. I by now had a decent number of points in Pennsylvania - probably at least a half dozen. I saw no people and no animals except for cattle during my walk (see below) to the south.

After reaching and spending about 10 minutes on the point, I did what I have done a few other times over the years, such as in Kansas and in Minnesota, where I have gone on a decent walk around the rural confluence neighborhood. Here, I took a conference call while I walked east to Picnic Grove Road, south to Skyline Drive, west to Fisher Road, and north back to N Road. The rain held until I was only about 10 minutes from the vehicle, and I took some very nice rural photographs along the way. The only unfortunate part was a dog that was not chained on Skyline Drive.

Upon reaching the vehicle, my call ended and the walk ended up at just under an hour and about 3 miles. Next, I drove out of the area, to the east, then northeast into Elmira, New York, where the rains resumed, and continuing on to Ithaca, where I taught a GIS workshop at Cornell University that afternoon. Visiting this point was a great way to begin the day filled with geospatial technology! Want some pigs? There were some advertised for sale on a hand drawn sign on State Line Road not far from the confluence.