#3: [29-Jan-07]

#2: [15-Oct-05]

27-Jan-2001 -- On Saturday morning, I called Vic, my confluence buddy, asked if he was up for another adventure. After our unsuccessful attempt last week of a different point I was determined to reach the location this time. He said he was game, and our trip began at around ten o'clock as we started south from Madison, AL on interstate 65. We had about thirty miles to go before our turn-off and took the leisurely option of attending a flea market along the way. Back on the road and travelling south on I-65 we took exit west onto Hwy 69. Five miles later, we turned right on CR222, and finally left onto CR108 straight towards our destination.

When we realized that we were less than a third of a mile from the confluence point we began looking around for entrances onto the property we felt sure the point was located on. We stopped at the gate of a grazing pasture to look around and were met with the many moos of cattle expecting us to feed them. Less than a minute later the feed truck arrived and we talked to the gentleman who looked after the livestock. He told us that the confluence point most likely resided on land owned by Champion (the paper company.) We could see a rich green (replanted) forest in the background reaching over a hill.

After asking a few of the other neighbors in the area how best we could reach the "survey point" (this is easier to explain to many people than an arbitrary latitude and longitude), we settled on taking the straight-through-the-forest approach. There was already a trail for vehicles (though muddy) extending nearly to the Champion fence -- at which point I continued on foot. Sure enough, the confluence lay 0.14 miles beyond the barbed wire. I took my chances that Champion wouldn't mind a survey of their land as long as I didn't damage any trees. Had there been a no-trespassing sign I would not have ventured further. Nevertheless, I found the confluence point in a clearing before I reached their forest. While I saw no cows, I found evidence this was another grazing area (Champion's cows?)

The only disconcerting point on the trip was when Vic and I nearly got stuck in some mire on our way out of the woods. After a few minutes of intense concentration, and Vic's expert driving, we finally made it back to the blacktop. There's no substitute for a Jeep. :) I look forward to another successful attempt like this one.