#1: [22-Oct-02]

09-Mar-2008 -- During the morning of 9 March 2008 Robert Redden, (Fat Boy) Monty, and myself set out from base camp on a field visit to quality control seismic operations being conducted in the area called Isarene in Illizi, Algeria.

On the way to the work site, I realized that a DCP is in the very close vicinity as programmed on the surveyor's Garmin 276c (Thanks Joe, hope you read this and get involved in the project, too!)

I had to inform my two collegues all about the noble art of collecting degree confluence points, and as luck had it, the point was not far from our destination. Prior to reaching the DCP we came across a small patch of vegetation and a solitary gazelle darting across our path; however, none of us was quick enough to capture it on camera, and although Bob was awake, he might have been looking at a dust cloud by the time he tried to focus on the animal.

We reached the DCP at 9:30 a.m. after a 40-minutes drive over wādiys to reach a flat gravel plain right before the commencement of large transverse sand dune ridges.

Arriving at the DCP, it was apparent that a prior visit had been undertaken, as we found a row of small stones in the form of a graticule and a stem of a pin flag as a center marker. We were BANG on the money though, and a quick handshake congratulating my mates as an introduction to DCPs. More to follow... promise!