01-Jul-2001 -- After collecting confluence point 49N-111W and a failed attempt at 50N-110W, I found a nice campsite in a road allowance and retired for a good night's rest. I awoke at 5:00 AM to scattered drops of rain and threatening skies. I quickly packed up camp and headed east to try for 49N-109, on the Canada / U.S. border. Along the way I ducked into a roadside café to escape a tremendous thunderstorm and to top up the internal fuel tank. A short detour into the Cypress Hills brought me to Fort Walsh, a replica of one of the first NorthWest Mounted Police Stations.

Pushing on south and east to Highway 18 I eventually ran out of public roads leading southward and turned off onto a farmer's road that pointed in the right direction. Several gates later I rode past the remains of one of the original homesteads in the area. What a lonely area to call home! Further south and still too far west of my target my progress was blocked by a fairly deep streambed. Not wanting to risk my motorbike to a possible crash I backtracked up the slope to get around the head of the stream. At the top of the ridge I found another pathway leading to the correct side of the streambed and proceeded to the CP without incident.

The CP at 49N-109W is located on the NW face of a gently sloping hill. Strangely, there is a fence line running east west about 100 meters south of the point indicating that the border does not run through the CP. A border marker located about 300 meters east of my location is also north of the fence line. Could it be that the point should be listed under Saskatchewan rather than Montana? Pictures from the point really illustrate that this is "Big Sky Country".

NOTE: As Peter suggested, this point is in Canada, and has been reindexed as such.

The borderline with the U.S. is running about 50 m south of the Confluence.