#4: [31-Mar-12]

#3: [21-Oct-07]

#2: [22-Mar-06]

#1: [04-Mar-98]

20-Sep-2024 --

Antsy to get out on the road after a few weeks with no adventuring, Jack and I set our sights on 36N 97W. It wasn't something planned out in advance, we just happened to have a couple free hours on an unusually hot September evening. Not wanting to make it too simple or quick, I did manage to sneak in a short highway clinch en route to the spot (OK 105), which we drove from west to east (Guthrie to Agra). The landscapes along the way were quite familiar — rolling farmland with patches of forest (and a couple small towns that were pretty representative of others I've seen in the region between OKC and Tulsa). Although there were no surprises, I greatly enjoy rural Oklahoma drives and it was nice to get out of town for a bit.

From Agra we drove north to OK 33, then began our approach to the confluence from the east. When we reached our turnoff from the highway, we found ourselves behind a group of 4 or 5 bikers and a van. It wasn't to be, but we thought it would've been great if they were also heading to the confluence — a spontaneous gathering beside some random dude's backyard would've made our week. Shoot, they could've been the 36-97 Biker Gang for all we knew! But alas, they drove on past the road closest to the confluence.

36N 97W lies beside a gridded gravel road (one block/one mile north of the highway), making it very easy to get within the 100 meter range needed for a successful visit, but some 7 or 8 meters into a nearby home's land. There was a car parked in the driveway and the place was clearly taken care of, and being only about 300 feet away from the front door, we decided it wasn't the best idea to thrust ourselves over their barbed wire fence to get any closer. (It was a Friday evening around dinnertime, and in the alternate reality where recklessness prevailed, I could almost picture the landowner looking up from their plate to see us hopping the fence, dropping their fork, spitting out their water cartoon-style, and storming out to understandably figure out why in the world we were doing that.) Instead we walked over and took our pictures from the public side of the fence directly on 97W — although I couldn't zero out both coordinates, it was nice to at least get one. A vehicle also happened to drive by while we were there, kicking up dust and further justifying our decision to play it safe. I wonder what they thought we were doing there, looking intently at seemingly nothing?

Though it was only just past 7 PM, the sun was already approaching the horizon, reminding us that it was indeed late September. The weather certainly wouldn't have suggested that — although it'd cooled into the low 90s (33-34°C) when we visited the confluence, much of central Oklahoma had reached 100°F/38°C just a couple hours earlier (right around record highs for the time of year). The lowering sun cast a pink-orangeish hue across some of the sky, and in the absence of much wind, it was a pleasant, peaceful spot at that moment. 36N 97W's field had some cattle off in the distance (visible in the overview picture) and a nice looking tree. I suspect the grass color was a bit duller than normal owing to a recent dry spell the area has experienced; much of Oklahoma hasn't had substantial rainfall in over a month, and the vegetation is starting to show it in places.

Once we'd captured our pictures, we started on the road back toward Guthrie. Driving west into the setting sun is never ideal, but we were at least treated to a very colorful sunset. It was Braum's for dinner, then we partook in the decades-old tradition of post-confluence grocery shopping at WinCo.