18-Jul-2024 -- As a run-up to my 77th birthday, we headed to the great plains to climb the highest peaks in both North and South Dakota. Other than on visits to all of the nearby national parks, we had not previously spent much time in this neck of the woods. The last 15 months spent living with acute myeloid leukemia has driven home the point I am now at best a semi-retired confluence hunter, and my best days with this hobby/obsession are behind me.

However, we could not help but notice that once we left I-76 and turned north at Sterling CO, until our return to the Denver airport, we would be in the vicinity of the 103rd meridian, a longitude we had not previously documented. Closer study revealed adding on to our core itinerary, it would not only be possible, but entirely reasonable to visit four different latitude crossings of 103°W on four different days, in four separate states (41°N, 42°N, 44°N, & 46°N). Previously, DCP stalwarts Gavin Roy, Ross Finlayson, and Joseph Kerski have recorded nine trips to these four points, so they are all well documented (Kerski has visited all four, two on multiple occasions). However, the most recent visits at each were pre-Covid, 2019 or earlier. The time seemed propitious for an update! And with my success this trip, I now have visited a confluence in 39 of the 47 states containing one.

Our Day 3 got an early start in Bowman ND as we headed north to White Butte, at 3,506’ above sea level, the highest point in the state. The parking lot and trail have recently been improved, and that plus the ideal morning weather made for a very pleasant one mile hike to the summit. [White Butte is my 40th state high point visited.] To the southeast we had a great view towards 46°N 103°W, about 800’ lower.

Leaving White Butte, we made our way down to Scranton on highway 67. There we turned east on US-12, then south on highway 22 at Reeder. Less than ten miles later, we left the pavement with a right turn (west) on Second Avenue Southwest. It was at this point 46°N 103°W’s two previous visits (each over 20 years ago) got interesting: In June 2001, the team of Christiansen & Alcantra had to deal with a thunder and lightning “gully washer” that left muddy roads and a shin-deep confluence point. In February 2004, Joseph Kerski encountered knee-deep snow and -20°C temperatures, the coldest of his 500+ DCP visits. Today we would enjoy the first “dry weather” visit to this location: We found 2nd Ave SW was in great condition. After two miles we turned north at an impressive sign marking 18th St. SW / 126th Ave. SW, which was in fact no more than an overgrown section line track. It did however take us north to the 46th parallel, leaving us a short ¼ mile hike across the now dry drainage that had been “at flood” in 2001. On arriving, we took in both the immensity and the isolation one feels on the high plains.

Before we returned to Rapid City for the evening, we detoured by endless miles of gravel roads through Montana and Wyoming to Devils Tower National Monument, where we found the crowds of tourists we had avoided earlier in the day. It was indeed a day of contrasts.