31-Mar-2001 --

My co-explorer, Thomas C.H. Mueller and I set out in the morning from Wisconsin to Illinois with the goal of visiting three confluences along the 40th parallel. We reached N40W089 just before 1 p.m., and N40W090 a little after 2:30. By the time we got to W091 it was getting close to 4:30.

Like the other two confluences visited today, this one also was out in a farm field. Unlike the other two though, we could see from aerial photos that this confluence was within shouting distance of a house. We figured we'd go anyway, and if someone came out we'd just have to introduce ourselves. We never seem to run into anybody on these visits though, and today was no exception. Also, the rain that had been dogging us all day finally did us a favor and abated for this stop.

All the gravel roads in this area follow an arcane numbering system that I won't try to describe. Mapquest claims that the road that got us adjacent to the confluence is "2650." We didn't drive up as close as we could have to the confluence, preferring instead to stop a little short so a high embankment to the right of the car would conceal its presence from curious locals. Once out of the car, we moved quickly into and out from the field to minimize trespass time. The fence adjacent to the road was well-maintained and barbed, but fortunately there was a gate not far out of the way which wasn't too hard to climb over. The gate can be seen in the "west" picture.

Of the three confluences today, this confluence provided the most to look at in the pictures. To the north is the house and a rather nice yard with mature trees. More trees break up the view looking east. There's another farm to the south, but considerably further away.