#2: [25-Sep-05]

#1: [17-Jun-01]

26-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 had been looking forward to for an entire year. I had flown to Bismarck, North Dakota, two days before, and today I had already visited 48° north 100° west as well as side trips to the geographic center of North America and David Thompson surveyors memorial, which were respectively an impressive obelisk of conglomerate, and a gigantic globe of granite.

I was traveling east to west all along 48° north latitude, from 96° west all the way to 105° west, spanning 9° of longitude. I skipped 99° west and 101° west because I had already been there. Therefore, about an hour and a half elapsed after I visited the David Thompson surveyors memorial when I found myself in the vicinity of 48/102°.

Most confluence points give you some surprises when you’re actually on the ground as opposed to planning the trip via maps and satellite imagery beforehand. However, this one did not. I had estimated that in all of the 15 points I planned to visit over these four days, that this one would be the easiest. Indeed it proved to be. Due to the nice dry weather when I left the state highway to the south, as opposed to the shower I had driven through about 30 minutes prior, I had no problem navigating on the North-South section line gravel road (66th Ave NW) from State Highway 23, which had run east-west. There is a new home about a mile south of the confluence, but otherwise the land is covered in long established farmsteads and fields, with some abandoned buildings left from the time before the farms became larger and mechanized. The confluence point was literally a few feet or meters east of the road. There were no fences. I took care in stepping just in case something had been planted in the field there.

It was mid afternoon in late spring, partly cloudy skies with some thunderstorms around, but moderate winds here and beautiful temperature of about 80° F. The clearest views were off to the south, because the land sloped gently in that direction. I have a very nice collection of confluence points now in North Dakota: By the time this trip ends, I would have all the points along 48° north; I have most of them on 47° north and 46° north as well. I have stood on 48° north latitude in many places from Washington state all the way east to Minnesota. I have also stood on 102° west on the north end here in North Dakota all the way down to 102° west next to an oil pumping station in Texas at 32 North Latitude. These cover a wide range of landforms, climate zones, and vegetation types.

I took photographs and posted a video, here: 48 North Latitude, 102 West Longitude. I was on site less than 15 minutes. I did not want to depart but it was already mid-afternoon, and I had a plan to visit 3 more points today before sundown. Would I make it? There was only one way to find out ...

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!