#2: [17-Sep-17]

#1: [26-Mar-00]

04-Jul-2025 --

With much anticipation, I hit the road on this early July afternoon to put another state on my visited-a-confluence-in list. Of those in my vicinity, 46N 100W looked most straightforward — likely having the lowest difficulty level of what's basically the "Walk in a Farm Field Challenge", a characterization that applies to many a Northern Plains/Upper Midwest confluence. During the summertime when central North Dakota's fields turn shades of green with economy-driving corn, soybeans, and wheat, I try to limit my time spent tip-toeing through crops (you might as well wait for that until everything is dormant in four months' time). Luckily, 46N 100W can be visited to within 10 meters without even leaving the gridded dirt road network, a good deal no matter what was growing in its field.

On my way there, I enjoyed a relaxing drive through the somewhat hilly landscape along the Missouri River in western Emmons County; the buttes and gulches were tempting, and I had to resist the urge to stop at various campsites and WMAs I passed. Eventually I split east from the Missouri River toward the town of Linton, whereupon reaching I turned south onto US 83. By this point the surroundings were more similar to what I'd encounter near the confluence: gently rolling, green crop fields dotted with small farm properties every few miles or so. I drove through one more town, Strasburg (located 12 mi/19 km northwest of 46N 100W), whose claim to fame — per their 'Welcome' sign — is being the hometown of bandleader Lawrence Welk (the host of a corny mid-century variety show that my grandparents remember). Past Strasburg, I carefully watched the grid road numbers tick up to 98th St SE, the drivable incarnation of the 46th parallel.

By the time I'd reached 98th St SE, the skies to the south and west were suggesting imminent heavy rain; I'd already hit a few brief showers on my way, but these ones looked a bit stronger (though not severe by any stretch). I started down the narrow dirt road, happy to find it in very good shape. It took just a couple minutes to reach the signed T junction at 98th St and 18th Ave, with only a brief slowdown while carefully passing a deer and its fawn. This junction looked like a fine spot to pull over, although I probably could have continued down the section line path between the fields if I felt really lazy. The weather was holding so it would be nicer to walk the final quarter mile (370 meters) anyway.

It was a simple two minute stroll to the 100th meridian, but I greatly enjoyed it: I spotted a couple flashes of lightning off to the southwest as the storm moved in, while some birds flew around making calls/squaks (species unknown since I've not yet taken up birdwatching). I duly arrived at the closest approach to the confluence from the dirt, and found that the plants were arranged in neat rows/columns — it would be no problem stepping through these squares for the last eight meters! I moved a couple squares up the column directly on 100°W, and soon the GPS showed all zeroes: I was now standing at 46N 100W, my first North Dakota confluence!

At the time of this visit, the confluence field and majority of adjacent fields were planted with (what I believe are) soybeans. Said crop is among the most common in the county, so not much of a surprise there! The horizon was visible in all directions, with very isolated trees and minimal terrain variation — the quintessence of Upper Midwest cropland. (I'm sure this archetype will grow tired once I visit several more.) I could actually make out the nearest town (Hague) on the horizon when facing north, almost positioned perfectly on 100°W a couple miles away. On another train of thought, this field contained a few piles of rock, including one that's clearly visible in the west-facing shot; I was left to ponder their purpose during both the walk to and from the confluence.

Weather-wise, it was humid but pleasant, with the temperature hanging in the low 70s (~22°C) thanks to clouds from nearby showers. Outside of birds, the only sound I heard during my visit was an occasional rumble of thunder — it was fun to be at a confluence when the weather wasn't completely still! The thundershower was definitely getting closer and I had to start walking back before the sky opened up or lightning started striking too close by. The timing worked out perfectly: after spending about five minutes on-site, I arrived back at my car as the first big raindrops started falling. The rain started to pour as I drove west on the same road I'd come in — had I attempted my visit ten minutes later, I would've gotten soaked! The dirt road didn't become too muddy but I was quite happy to arrive at the highway again.

I decided to swing by Hague, had a solid lunch from the Hague Diner (the nearest restaurant to 46N 100W, 2 mi/3.2 km north), then departed east along ND 11. I spent a couple more hours on the road, seeing a couple new counties and enjoying the open landscapes and beautiful skies dotted with summer storms. A great midsummer afternoon!