16-Jul-2001 -- While I was home to my mother on vacation I decided to 'pick' two confluences in a day. I started out with 63°N 9°E and followed up with 63°N 10°E.

My mother lives in a town called Orkanger, some 40-odd kilometers southwest of the city of Trondheim. According to the map, this confluence would be right next to road going down the valley of Surnadal about 70 kilometers from home.

I had my GPS receiver on for the duration of the drive so I could see my progress towards the confluence. Even so I managed to pass the confluence and had to backtrack a couple of hundred meters to get to a place near the confluence where I could park my car.

My GPS receiver is of the transportable type but not handheld. It is made for maritime use and sports a large antenna and a big 12 Volt battery. I must have looked a little strange, with a white dome on a pole and a backpack with a lot of wires, running around with my eyes fixed to a large display.

After a while I found the confluence in the corner of a field. Right next to the spot there was a heap of dung, which had the most fantastic smell.

This confluence was a quick pick and I set off in my jolly carriage to try to get to the next confluence (63°N 10°E) in less than three hours.