#2: [06-Jun-10]

#1: [12-May-01]

18-Oct-2024 --

Another free Friday afternoon, another confluence intercept! This one had been calling our names for a few weeks, both with its proximity to OKC and the fact that it hadn't been visited since 2010. Like some other recent visits we've done, it was time to give this spot a checkup for the 2020s. The decision to head out there was made on a whim, and it just happened that (some days back) I'd made my annual flu shot/Covid booster appointment for the same afternoon. While perhaps making for an unconventional itinerary, there wasn't a reason I couldn't do both — and so, I got my vaccinations and immediately proceeded to 35N 98W (as one does). I can't imagine too many people have actively sought out a latitude/longitude degree intersection point and reached it within two hours of getting immunized — if there's any world record I hold, it might be that one (thrilling stuff).

Anyway, the drive to the confluence region was relatively short distance-wise, but started out on a congested southbound I-35 — the late day traffic a result of the thousands who were trying to also go visit 35N 98W get home after their 9 to 5s in the city. Once we left the interstate and traffic lightened up, it was a good drive through a smattering of low-density exurbs before reaching Chickasha (pronounced "chick-uh-shay"). As we like to do in some places, we listened to a song of the same name as we drove through downtown (followed by a much less serious song that absolutely butchered the pronounciation over and over). We then briefly followed a well-maintained local road (formerly part of state highway 92) southwest towards the tiny town of Norge; 35N 98W lies only about 2 miles from the SW corner of Chickasha.

Much to our benefit, there's a farm path that essentially parallels 35N to the east of the confluence point — a great walking route that led directly to our destination. We parked beside the eastern end of this path, some 0.7 miles (1.1 km) from 35N 98W. Sure, it might not have been the most adventurous thing, but made for an exceptionally pleasant and low-caliber stroll on a beautiful autumn evening. You couldn't have asked for nicer walking weather: the temperature hung in the low 70s (22-23°C) with no hint of moisture and a lazy breeze that kept the air feeling fresh. Being on the periphery of a cattle field, we heard the occasional moo or two as we made our way down the trail, but luckily didn't encounter any curious bovines up close. There was actually a group of cows standing around the confluence when we were still a few hundred feet away (I'm patiently awaiting their visit report), but they calmly dispersed as we slowly crept closer. If you look closely, one of them even posed by the adjacent pond for the overview picture!

35N 98W lay on the dirt/gravel path we'd been following, just beside a fence to the north and a small pond to the southwest. It took a minute or two to zero out the GPS (a bit of pacing around was necessary to get rid of the .99999s and .00001s), but I found it and got the directional photos. As one would find if comparing our photos to those from Joseph Kerski's 2010 visit, the spot is noticeably changed. The dense vegetation Kerski had noted south of the fenceline was cleared out for the very path we were standing on — while the majority of our east-to-west walking route had existed in 2010, there hadn't been a segment that actually reached the confluence point until sometime in 2023 (based on Google Earth historical imagery). The pond is also relatively recent: while the area was occasionally flooded in previous satellite images, a distinct pond didn't show up until the December 2023 imagery. These developments make me wonder how much the spot will change in the next 14 years — the property owner has certainly been working on this piece of land as of late! Whether a patch of dense shrubs/thorns or a relatively open spot as it was now, it would've been worth a visit, though I imagine it would not have been as picturesque with trees blocking the low hanging golden sun in the west.

It must've been a perfect combination of weather, time of day, and good spirits, because we felt that 35N 98W was quite a beautiful location that evening — I guess the same might not be said in the sweltering heat of a July afternoon with the sun directly overhead, but that goes for most outdoor places. We lingered for a couple minutes and discussed how solid of a confluence trip this one had been; of the half-dozen we've done so far, this was probably Jack and I's second or third favorite (and a great introduction to confluence hunting for Luke). The walk back to the car was just as nice as our initial westward stroll, although this time I had to turn around every few minutes to check on the sunset (Oklahoma sunsets rarely fail to impress). We arrived back at our vehicle about 45 minutes after leaving it, but I bet we would've spent twice as long there if the place had been a proper public park or trail. We quickly checked out Norge — a very quiet town as expected — before heading back to Chickasha and departing the area eastbound.