#3: [06-Jun-10]

#1: [13-Jan-01]

15-Mar-2006 -- When one has days that are nothing but hurry up and wait one tends to think of things to do that will offset the boredom. So what better way to do so than to go after a confluence.

N34 W98 is nearby and I knew from doing a bit of research that it would require about a 1 mile hike to get to it. Everything indicated that it was on the sandbar near the Red River. The location is offically in Oklahoma, but the only way to get to it without swimming or boating across the river is to come in from the south in Texas.

The easy driving means is to get to Gainsville, Tx and take Hwy 82 west about 50 miles and then north on 2332. As you get within 2 miles you will see the sign for 98 Meridian Rd. This will take you to a road end. I parked there and the confluence was 1.04 miles away over a couple of rises. The good news was that it was in the mid 50s and a strong breeze from the south. This same wind was causing wide spread wild fires in the panhandle area of Texas. Over 1 million acres burned.

So with trusty GPS and camera off we go to tackle another confluence. One learns in this area to follow the cattle trails. They usually are fairly straight and without major obstacles. The only problem is that when they go down hill the cattle become bulldozers and the trails can at times become quite steep.

When I finally got to ground zero it ended up being in the middle of the sand bar as indicated. Walking is not easy since this sand is not compacted. Makes walking a bit tiring.

If you will notice in the south looking photo you can see my tracks as I was watching the GPS. I was headed exactly to the position then a slight deviation to the east and finally back on the 98 meridian as I approached N34. The confluence area photo was taken from a spot adjacant to the notch in the hill in this photo.

The actual river was another couple hundred yards to the north. Since there is very little more to see or comment about, I took the appropriate photos and headed back to the car.

Apart from seeing a cow skull that had not been there all that long and a load of natural fertilizer, which sometimes was on the path, it was a very uneventful find.

In the bed of Red River.