#2: [08-May-02]

#1: [23-Mar-00]

24-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 had been looking forward to for an entire year. The only thing that would be a challenge was the horizontal sleet falling here even at the end of May. After thawing out after my trek to 47 North 99 West earlier this afternoon, I drove south and was after an hour's time at Edgeley in southern North Dakota. I stopped and had a huge hot coffee to thaw out.

After driving west and then south from the town, through Kulm and Wirch, a rather unexpected and remarkable thing happened: The sky brightened considerably, and the temperature warmed up about 20° F. I rounded some beautiful lakes from the north, turned to the west on State Highway 11, and then south on a gravel road. If it had been a few hours before, as I recounted in my 47° north 99° west narrative, the road would have been next to impassable because of the fairly steep hills and mud. But now the road had dried out from the recent sleet and rain. I rounded the last bend, and came upon a beautiful but abandoned farmstead. It was still very windy, but much more pleasant than a few hours before. Still it was rather cool for late May, however. Thus, donning a coat, I gathered supplies and set out to the south and to the east. I crossed two fields, and then headed to a magnificent Vista from the top of the hill in the third field to the east. I deviated from my course a bit to take a picture of a large pile of rocks that the landowner had placed after years of farming. These glaciers had really done a good job at scouring the landscape and leaving rocks which the farmers had to gather and pile up. I had a great view of the confluence to the southeast. What I had not counted on was a small creek running in front of me: My shoes had just recently dried from my earlier trek in the rain that day. Oh well, I got some more wet feet crossing the creek, but after about 100 m on the other side, I managed to zero out the GPS unit.

Thus, the confluence lies near the bottom of a small valley with great views off to the north in particular. It was peaceful place and I hated to leave but I wanted to see if I could visit 45° north 99° west before the end of the day across the state line in South Dakota. Thus I was on site for less than 10 minutes. I walked back the way I came in after taking photos and this 46 North 99 West video. Due to the wind I had to hold the confluence sign with my teeth. Underneath my coat I am wearing my "Lost?" geography shirt.

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 99° west many times from North Dakota here on the north end down to Texas on the south end. This was my second confluence of the 15 points for this on my current four day trip.

After hiking back to the vehicle, I drove north and retraced the way I came in, but then I turned west and then followed the Google Map directions to the next confluence point. For some reason the Google maps directions are woefully inadequate out here. This mapping tool thinks that all these gravelly section line roads should be traversed at 55 miles an hour but they can be traversed at about half that. But it turned out to be enjoyable because a few miles to the south on one of the section line roads, I turned east, and realized I was actually traveling on the north and South Dakota State line. I recorded a video and that was very enjoyable for a geographer. But after awhile I got on to some state highways so that I could make what I hoped to be 45° north 99 W. before sundown.

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!