#1: [03-May-02]

25-May-2024 -- I have established a tradition going back nearly 20 years of devoting a whole day or multiple days, solely to getting out on the landscape, seeing physical and cultural geography and visiting confluence points. Thus, it was time for the 2024 trip which I have been looking forward to for an entire year. I had landed in Bismarck, North Dakota, the previous day and despite the slow start in a sleet and rainstorm for 47 North 99 West, I visited two more points that day; and now it was Day 2.

I awakened in a wonderful city campground in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and took a 30 minute walk around the surrounding park. Then, I set out north on US 281, passing a retro bowling alley and sign which I was able to quickly photograph, on to the North Dakota state line, where I took another photograph, and then proceeded east on State Highway 11 to the vicinity of this point. Suspense mounted as I left the state highway onto the gravel county road just east of the town of Ludden, North Dakota. I traveled east on the section line road, marked as Road 5 on some maps, then turning south along the north-south road passing about 1/2 mile west of this confluence point, named 114th Avenue SE. I parked near the east-west field and fenceline. I set off walking to the east with a minimal amount of supplies.

I walked due east along the fenceline so as not to step on any planted vegetation, although the field was fallow during the time of my visit. After about 10 minutes and reaching 98 West, I walked due south to the point. The total time from the vehicle was only 15 minutes. It had been 22 years since the one and only past visit. This confluence lies on flat ground, almost in the middle of a square mile section of land surrounded by section lines and roads. It was mid-morning in late May, about one month before the summer solstice. It was much nicer than my snowy-rainy-windy walk the day before to 47 North 99 West. Now, the temperature stood at a pleasant 72 F under light breezes and clear skies. I saw a few birds but no people; I could barely see any dwellings from this location.

This confluence point is a peaceful place and I did not want to leave; however, I wanted to see if I could visit 46° north 97° west before departing North Dakota for Minnesota, and then traveling to 48 North back into North Dakota before the end of the day for additional point visits. Thus I was on site for less than 15 minutes. I walked back the way I came in after taking photos and this 46 North 98 West video. I am wearing my "I know where it is at!" geography shirt in honor of the occasion. I saw a vehicle pass as I approached the road and I noticed they were doing some work on the irrigation or drainage ditch here; we are right on the boundary of where fields need to be drained (to the east) vs. where they need to be irrigated (to the west) at this location, so I did not know which it was. But given its depth, I suspected it was a drainage ditch.

I now have a very tidy collection of visited confluence points in North Dakota. I have stood on 46° north latitude many times in the past from Washington state on the west to New Brunswick in Canada to the east. I have also stood on 98° west many times from North Dakota here on the north end down to Texas on the south end, spanning a wide array of ecoregions and biomes. This was my fourth confluence of the 15 points I would eventually visit for my current four day trip. I then drove to the north, east, and then north again on gravel roads before heading east again on the state highway in the hopes of reaching 46 North 97 West an hour from now.

When the trip was all said and done, here are the final statistics:

-------------------------------------------------
Days set aside to visit points:  4

Confluence points attempted:  15.  

Confluence points successfully visited:  15. 

Points where I met the local landowner = 3 of 15 points. 

Points where I met the local dogs = 3 of 15 points.

Miles = 1588, Kilometers = 2556.
  
Percent of travel on interstate highways:  15%
Percent of travel on US, state, and county roads:  85 % :-)

Campgrounds = 3.  

Windy confluence points:  13 of 15.
Rainy confluence points:  3 of 15.
Snowy confluence points:  1 of 15.

Beautiful confluence points:   15 of 15.

Convenience store stops = 7.  

Points I thought would be

                easier than they turned out to be =           2 
                about the same as I expected them to be =     2 
                more difficult than they turned out to be =  11 
		------------------------------------------------
			                                     15 points.
Points          in wetlands              1
                in woodlands             1
		in non-tilled hills      2
		in agricultural fields  11
		---------------------------
			                15 points.

Points along 	45 North = 1 
		46 North = 3 
		47 North = 3 
		48 North = 8  
		-------------
			   15 points.

Points visited on 	Day 1 = 3 
			Day 2 = 5 
			Day 3 = 5 
			Day 4 = 2
		-------------------
			   	15 points.  

Points visited in the 	morning = 	5 
			afternoon = 	7 
			evening = 	3 
		-------------------------------
			   		15 points

Points visited in 	Minnesota =     2
			North Dakota =  11
			South Dakota =  1 
			Montana =       1
		-------------------------------
			   		15 points 

The most frequently visited longitude line:  99 West:  3 points.

Get out there and explore!