#4: [16-Apr-11]

#2: [25-Jun-01]

#3: [19-Jan-01] (incomplete)

#1: [16-May-01] (incomplete)

09-Feb-2020 -- As I had just arrived in South Carolina for a series of university visits and a data science conference, and as both of those activities were focused on geotechnologies and spatial thinking, and as the Degree Confluence Project is all about spatial thinking and geotechnologies, I thought visiting this point would be the perfect beginning. Furthermore, my last confluence visit was back in November, three months ago, and I was hopeful to successfully visit a point to start the decade of the 2020s, as my Mojave Desert hike had done to start the deacde of the 2010s. And thus, my first stop after landing at the Charleston airport was to take a few exits and ramps and then finding myself heading north on Rhett Avenue.

I turned left into Brick Greens Road, and then south onto Foster Greens, stopping beside a pond with a warning sign to watch for alligators. After taking a picture of it, I walked back out of the subdivision, across the busy Rhett Avenue, and had two thorny barriers to deal with. The first divided the road from the railroad, and the second divided the railroad from the very serious looking fence beyond, to the east. I watched carefully for trains. The railroad was in prime condition. I knew the fence would be there to the east and I am still not exactly sure what is behind it, other than maps indicating that the Nuclear Power Training Command is not far away. At any rate, by standing at the very serious fence topped with much razor wire, I was within 100 meters of the site, and even within 70 meters. I suppose I could have asked permission at the guard house to the south for access; but I did not have time and at any rate, I was within 100 meters. Hence, all good!

As I had to get to the University of South Carolina soon to teach there, I quickly took video and photos: It was a pleasant winter day in South Carolina, temperature about 70 F (21 C) under sunny skies with little breeze. Despite the very nasty thorns, I was glad to be here. The ground was flat, and I saw no birds or animals. I now have a very tidy collection of points in South Carolina, two to the northwest of here, and I was aiming to attain the one in Columbia while there. I have stood on 33 North many times, from California to an aborted attempt in Georgia a few months ago. I have also stood on 80 West many times, from Ontario on the north to North Carolina on the south. This was the last point along 80 West before the meridian headed out into the Atlantic Ocean, coming onto shore again in western South America. I reflected that most of my walks to confluences have been on hikes over fairly rough terrain; this walk was a pleasant and easier journey; thorny but short.

I walked back to the subdivision and could not help but reflecting how different the manicured lawns were from the thorns just across the road. I made some back roads cuts to rejoin the highway to Columbia, which was my favorite part of the journey. It felt good to be at a confluence point this day and I wish you all safe journeys.