Note: The status of this confluence has been changed to unsuccessful, after visitors at the
second visit to this confluence determined the photos were from approximately 120 meters from the confluence.
26-Apr-2000 -- After visiting 44N088W yesterday, I
am afraid that the land to West of Lake Winnebago wasn't quite as
exciting, although the navigating was a bit more interesting.
We're still in dairy country - the unmistakable odor of a lot of cows
living in close proximity to each other (but it's not a bad smell,
really). What really got me was the gun-barrel straight roads - 15
miles of almost flat, unswerving highway. Acres and acres of stubble
fields (well, it was the start of planting season, after all).
And the billboards... there are no ads for food or radio stations, but
everywhere (and I mean everywhere, even on the minor farm
roads) there are pro-life, anti-abortion, or religious billboards. It
was kinda creepy. Who are they trying to convert?
Anyway, I started in Fond du Lac, and turned west once I reached
Oshkosh, by gosh! From there, it was about 15 more miles to the smaller
roads, until I was once again about half a mile from the confluence.
Between me and it was a marshy field, and a house. I knocked at the
door, but no one was home, so I squelched across the field and there,
just across the irrigation ditch (with no way across but a waist deep
wade), I contented myself with seeing (but not standing on) the
confluence. I was easily within 90 yards, so I made it fine :-)
Naturally enough, on the walk back, the owner of the house drove up,
and not wanting to seem suspicious, I explained what I was doing. I am
not sure he understood, because he wanted to know who I worked for, but
now I know the kind of people that put up those billboards... If anyone
else comes here, make sure you ask permission to cross his field.