#2: [10-May-14] (incomplete)

21-Jan-2002 -- My trek to this confluence began with a departure from Denver well before sunrise. After battling heavy Wyoming crosswinds for five hours or so, I exited I-25 onto US 20 about 20 miles from 43/-106 with the plan to access the confluence from the southeast. According to MapQuest, WY 256 (a.k.a. Cole Creek Road) forms a loop, joining US 20 from two points, fifteen miles apart. After passing numerous ranches on WY 256 / Cole Creek, I came to an open gate along the road, where WY 256 has fallen into disuse as a loop for US 20. Ahead of me was an open, unimproved dirt road surrounded by scrub as far as the eye could see. I drove to my planned stopping point encountering only a giant herd of cows alongside the road.

While the confluence scene looks like it could be about as frigid as Mars, it was actually a balmy January morning for Wyoming, with temps in the 40's. The winds were not so accommodating. They formed a crescendo of howls, probably sweeping the landscape at 50 mph+ as I walked the last 200m across an open field to the global intersection. The attached video shows the waves of dirt and you can hear the windstorm. A few times I thought a truck was approaching due to the "rooster tail" of dirt moving along the road. Turns out, the wind frequently picks up that much dust and moves it at 20 mph; I had the pleasure of catching up to one of the "invisible trucks" and driving through the dust.

The pictures include the four primary directions from the confluence, a 360-degree panorama photo and a pic of the ground at 43/-106. The shot where X marks the spot is facing roughly ENE.