17-Jan-2011 -- What better way to spend MLK Jr. day than by visiting a Maryland point of confluence? My boyfriend and I decided that the trip required some pretty important eating decisions: we consumed delicious 7-11 chili-cheese dogs (how did I get chili all over myself?) and bought Arnold Palmers for the trip. Also in tow was a bag of mini-marshmallows and Sixlets candy. With all this in hand and stomach, we made our way to Queen Anne’s County.

It was amazing to see the landscape change from urban Baltimore to beautiful, wide-open, flat farmland. Particularly enjoyable was the trip across the Bay Bridge, complete with ice chunks floating in the water below. We followed the directions of a previous confluence conquistador and made it within close range.

After parking the car, we headed out through the middle of a fallow field in freezing cold weather. I’m not sure if things were planted in the field (hopefully not!) but it did not seem like it. In our excitement, we forgot our gloves, hats and other cold weather accoutrements. There was an amazing flock of large white birds that we couldn’t identify, and it was incredible to see their large, powerful wings shoot them into the air as we moved clumsily into their territory.

The actual moment of being on the point of confluence was fleeting, as it was difficult to stand steadily on the patches of snow on the ground. We took our directional pictures and went in for the victory kiss at 39N 76W! The car GPS we were using worked like a charm and responded to our every move. There was one home that we could see a couple hundred yards away, but the scene was quiet and still in the mid-afternoon. On the way back, we ate our marshmallows and candy and were thrilled that we made it to our first point of confluence!