20-Oct-2001 -- I had been planning to take a weekend confluence trip for some time, but work and weather delayed the trek to the 47th parallel for a few weeks. October in Montana can give you anything from a nice summer-like day to arctic blizzards, so Kirsten and I were happy to take advantage of a warm and only mildly windy day, even with occasional overcast.

This confluence is less than a mile off Montana Highway 200, the main road from Lewistown to Jordan. We drove north from Billings through Roundup and Winnett before turning east on 200. We parked at the top of a ridge, looked for no trespassing signs, found none, and went through the gate onto a hilly ranch. Getting to the point took little effort - we only had to make sure we didn't end up on the wrong side of a small canyon. Gently rolling hills lack the obvious allure of mountains but are typical of the eastern part of Montana.

On the way out, we ran across some hunters from Helena who were friends of Leo Solf, the owner of the ranch. We chatted in what I've come to accept as the typical friendly rural Montana way. Afterward, Kirsten and I wondered if it was a good idea to go confluence hunting in the middle of deer season - but in the end we decided to go on to the 47N/109W confluence.