28-May-2011 -- One of my current objectives is to visit confluences (and geodash points) in as many states as I can. Maine was the only state on the east coast in which I had not yet recorded a confluence (or dashpoint) visit. With Friday and Monday off for Memorial Day weekend, I had sufficient time to drive from my home in Virginia to Maine and visit N44W70 and a dashpoint in South Portland thus satisfying those objectives.

My approach was from Ward Road from the southwest. I found a long driveway leading to a large two story brown home that was about a half mile from the confluence. I knocked on the door, but there was no one there. I decided to venture forth into the forest from there. I had read the reports from previous visitors so I knew something of what to expect, but you can’t really understand until you’ve actually been there. Photo #2 to the east gives some idea of what walking through the forest was like. There were many small branches reaching out to grab you and prevent your forward progress. Long sleeves, long pants, and a large hat minimized the scratches and inconvenience of those obstacles. They also minimized the area exposed to mosquitoes that were very plentiful here this time of the year. And yes, I encountered two or three marshy areas where a large walking stick (there are plenty of those lying around) for balance and judicious choice of foot placement (and waterproof boots) managed to keep my feet dry. There was a small clearing with some standing water at the confluence (see photo #4 to the south). Interestingly there was a red blaze on the tree closest to where I placed the confluence (see photo #1 to the north). I don’t recall any mention of that in any previous reports. Mr. Pelkey mentioned placing a geocache there, but I didn’t think to look for it. There is an open area visible through the trees in photo #3 to the west. I chose to begin my exodus in that direction. Mostly accidentally, from there I stumbled onto the path mentioned by other visitors (I assume) that made the trip back to the car much easier than the trip into the forest. It didn’t take me exactly back to the car, but close enough I could easily go the last 100 yards through the forest.