#2: [07-Jan-04]

02-Aug-2001 -- My girlfriend and I decided to try for an easy, but out of the way confluence. Based on the maps I looked at, as well as MapQuest, I figured it was 100 to 200 meters from the highway and thought it would be an interesting trip north.

We drove up to the area the night before, staying in Grand Rapids, North East of the confluence. On Hwy 6 to Grand Rapids is a sign indicating the 53rd parallel - the picture(#5) was taken when we were headed south to get on Hwy 60 to go to the confluence (Hwy 6 and 60 meet at about N52 55'.055', W99 10.894). Keep a close eye on your gas gauge - I was getting rather nervous as we approached the turnoff for Easterville as I was getting low on fuel. There is a gas station on Hwy 60 just passed the turnoff for Easterville. After that it is about 175km to the next one.

While driving Hwy 60 we noticed a large number of small clearings and dirt roads. I was hoping this would be a good sign and would allow easy access to the confluence. No Such luck. When we arrived at the closest point on the Hwy to the confluence I was a little annoyed to see there was water at the side of the road. While it was only a foot deep or so it was about 6 - 8 feet wide, and I didn't bring along any gear to go trudging through marsh land. Looking around though I found an area just to the east of where I parked that had what looked like a little beaver dam, and a small trail off into the bush. I figured this would be a good spot to cross the water and it looked like a clearing on the other side of the trees. Unfortunatly my girlfriend fell while walking aross all the branches and mud and soon decided confluence hunting wasn't her thing. I decided to at least get through the tree line to see if there was a nice clearing on the other side. Once through the trees and bushes I found an area that was sparse with trees and mostly covered in grass and mosses. Unfortunately it became obvious the moss and grass were hiding a lot of tree branches and looked to be difficult to walk on. I decided it would best to attempt it another day with someone - the last thing I wanted to do was twist my ankle and have difficulty getting back to the car.

Once back to the car I decided to keep my eyes open for any dirt roads or clearings which we could see that might allow access to the confluence. About a kilometer down the road there was a path leading to a clearing. I ventured down it alone and found myself in a large clearing that led off in the opposite direction to where I wanted to go. Just my luck.

Although disapointed I decided to abandon the confluence and head back home.