#1: [27-May-02]

24-May-2024 -- I have established a tradition going back nearly 20 years of devoting a whole day or multiple days, solely to getting out on the landscape, seeing physical and cultural geography and visiting confluence points. Thus, it was time for the 2024 trip which I have been looking forward to for an entire year. The only thing that would be a challenge for this first point at least would be that I probably selected the worst day of the entire month to travel. As I landed in Bismarck, North Dakota, I could see the wind howling and rain falling in horizontal sheets. As I drove east from the airport, the temperature on my vehicles outside thermometer ticked downward: 37 F, 36 F, 35 F. But it was the end of May: How bad could the conditions be out in the field?

They really were more like March or February than May. Sure enough, as I turned to the north off the interstate highway, I immediately had doubts about the wisdom of traveling to 47 N 99 W today. The road even at the village of Windsor was a muddy track. How many times in my confluence narratives have I written, "this road was OK, but it may not be passable in a rainstorm or snowstorm". Today was that day! As I drove north on 67th Avenue SE, it began sleeting. It took all my focus to keep at a steady pace without sliding into a rut or onto the shoulder. I turned east as I had planned, on 30th Street SE. The road deteriorated, and past the farmhouse at 69th Ave SE stood two No Trespassing signs to the north and northeast. It was still over 2.18 mi (3.5 km) to the confluence from here. Turning around, I drove back east toward the north-south road 68th Ave SE, and decided to attempt this point from the east-west road that borders the fields to the north (28th St SE). The avenue and street designations on these roads, for E-911 rural addressing purposes, make them sound like urban avenues, but really, they were dirt and gravel section line roads. Sometimes, they were only trails and other times, only fencelines. Sure enough, driving to the north of the point proved to be the right decision. About 10 minutes later, I stopped and parked with about .75 miles to walk to the east and .80 miles to walk to the south, 2.14 km total. Gathering supplies, I set out, immediately seeing that my light backpack due to the wind was useless. I should have worn another few shirts, but I hoped the point would be achievable in a short amount of time without going back for more layers.

I set off as briskly as I could, walking due east along the road. In retrospect I could have driven a bit further east, but this was all part of the adventure. The wind blew so hard that there were practically whitecaps on the large puddles of water on the roadway. At 99 West, I turned south, walking right through low points in the fields that were underwater. I did my best to walk along fencelines where the ground was slightly drier and where I would not be stepping on any plants. When I did so I had to be careful not to trip on any loose barbed wire. After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to zero out the GPS unit.

The confluence point lies in a gently rolling area, with the best views to the southeast, though today the visibility was extremely limited in all directions. I took photographs which look like a mild day; to get the full effect of the conditions, see my video, posted here. Due to the conditions I was on site less than 10 minutes.

I have visited quite a few points along 47 North in the past, from Idaho on the west to Minnesota on the east. I have also stood on 99 West many times, from a boat in North Dakota, one degree north of here, to a stand of prickly pear cactus in Texas on the south. This visit completes a long string of 47 North visits by me over the past 20 years from a line extending to the east from here, and to the west of here. I have at least 10 points now visited in North Dakota. I saw no birds or animals - only humans would be out on a day like today! I took pictures and this video: 47 North 99 West, holding onto my glove with my teeth to prevent the glove from blowing clear to Minnesota.

There was only one thing on my mind as I now turned around, heading straight into the wind, toward the vehicle: Avoid freezing, so nobody would have to find my body when summer finally arrived. This time instead of going due north and due west, I cut diagonally to minimize my time outside, again taking care not to step on anything that might have been planted. As I trudged on, I reflected on the toughness of the Native Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains, living here all these centuries, and the settlers of the 1800s and early 1900s as well. I admire them all and respect this land! I did my utmost to leave no trace, just a few impressions in the wet, soft earth. I probably was outside for one hour, though it seemed far longer. Once I arrived at the vehicle, after setting off, driving west, I did not get stuck, fortunately, while my fingers and toes thawed. In retrospect, driving IN this way might have saved me some time, but I would not then have such a story to tell. I then turned south on US 281 - 52 and set my sights for visiting 46 North 99 West. Would the conditions improve for me to visit that point?

When the trip was all said and done, here are the final statistics:

-------------------------------------------------
Days set aside to visit points:  4

Confluence points attempted:  15.  

Confluence points successfully visited:  15. 

Points where I met the local landowner = 3 of 15 points. 

Points where I met the local dogs = 3 of 15 points.

Miles = 1588, Kilometers = 2556.
  
Percent of travel on interstate highways:  15%
Percent of travel on US, state, and county roads:  85 % :-)

Campgrounds = 3.  

Windy confluence points:  13 of 15.
Rainy confluence points:  3 of 15.
Snowy confluence points:  1 of 15.

Beautiful confluence points:   15 of 15.

Convenience store stops = 7.  

Points I thought would be

                easier than they turned out to be =           2 
                about the same as I expected them to be =     2 
                more difficult than they turned out to be =  11 
		------------------------------------------------
			                                     15 points.
Points          in wetlands              1
                in woodlands             1
		in non-tilled hills      2
		in agricultural fields  11
		---------------------------
			                15 points.

Points along 	45 North = 1 
		46 North = 3 
		47 North = 3 
		48 North = 8  
		-------------
			   15 points.

Points visited on 	Day 1 = 3 
			Day 2 = 5 
			Day 3 = 5 
			Day 4 = 2
		-------------------
			   	15 points.  

Points visited in the 	morning = 	5 
			afternoon = 	7 
			evening = 	3 
		-------------------------------
			   		15 points

Points visited in 	Minnesota =     2
			North Dakota =  11
			South Dakota =  1 
			Montana =       1
		-------------------------------
			   		15 points 

The most frequently visited longitude line:  99 West:  3 points.

Get out there and explore!