24-Dec-2003 -- My son Erwin got up at 5 a.m. to take the 2 hour drive to the town of Ashern on Hwy #6; I drove from Fisher Branch and we met by the Sharptail monument (big prairie chicken). From there we took the 2 hour drive to Dauphin River at the edge of lake Winnipeg.

We continued from there in my 4WD Pick-up. Since we where expecting to find some rough ice and deep snow on the lake, part of our expedition gear also included shovels, snowshoes, life vests(in case the ice ended up being to thin), 2 GPS's(of course), cameras, tripod and some food.

We then consulted with a local native boy if the ice was safe to drive on or not. He said Bombardiers where out already so it should be safe for a pickup truck. We decided to try and see if the ice would hold: No problem! The ice was already two to three feet thick.!

We started navigating using the GPS and made a beeline along the 52° 00' 00" N to find the 98° 00' 00" W. We made so much progress we went right past the confluence and had to backtrack a few meters. We then discovered the inaccuracies of a GPS when it receives signals from more than four satellites: a while was spent walking in circles from one theoretical confluence to another until we finally managed to get a steady picture with the GPS steady on 52° 00' 00" N 98° 00' 00" W.

We could barely make out the shore we left behind on the West side where we had driven onto the lake, and around us not a thing in sight only ice, sun, and the pristine blue sky! The wind was light, the sun very bright and the silence and beauty overwhelming!!

Unforgettable: our first confluence!, our truck standing on solid water, the first two people amongst the many millions on this God given Earth, being aware of the confluence presence at this spot in the middle of nowhere, what a thrill, Unforgettable!!

In Sturgeon Bay of Lake Winnipeg, about 3.6 km from land.