05-Feb-2009 -- The visit to 13N 85W, near the centre of Nicaragua, was slotted into the return journey from a visit to the Bonanza Gold Mine. A seven kilometre detour from the main road took us to the small town of Wasayamba, approximately 7km north of the confluence, from where we had hoped to pick up a track to the south, as there were no roads marked on the map. We were delighted to find a good dirt road, navigable in any reasonably high clearance two wheel drive car (during the dry season at any rate), that heads south from the town and passes within 800m of 13N 85W.

We chose to leave the car at the top of a hill a little further south than the closest direct approach, which is only 720m from the confluence, but starts in a valley. Our approach, over 770m distance at a bearing of 280 degrees, was an easy walk across a green paddock with isolated trees and some low rounded rocky outcrops. A pleasant view and the company of a herd of healthy, tranquil dairy cows augured well for the possibility of posting a confluence photograph depicting an idyllic rural scene. This part of Nicaragua, the eastern foothills of the Central Highlands, receives some rain all year round from the prevailing easterly winds, and thus remains green and provides excellent pasture throughout the year.

In contrast to the picturesque surroundings, inevitably, 13N 85W turned out to be located in a marshy hollow that drains into a small meandering river. It being the dry season, we were able to maintain dry feet as we beat a path through 2m high reeds to cover the final 30m and reach the confluence.

We officially logged the confluence visit at 12:16 on the 5th February 2009. Confluence 13N 85W is located at 137m altitude in an area of tangled secondary undergrowth, grasses and shrubs, adjacent to a reed bed, near to a small tree-lined meandering river and surrounded by hillocks covered in grass and dispersed trees. The rocky outcrops, located within 300m of the confluence, are of volcanic agglomerate, consisting of matrix-supported volcanic bombs up to 1m in diameter, and assigned by authorities to the Cenozoic aged Matagalpa Formation.

Luc English