#6: [28-Jul-25]

#5: [06-Jul-25]

#4: [06-Apr-11]

#3: [11-Jan-06]

#2: [25-Aug-04]

#1: [05-Dec-99]

24-May-2026 -- As I had a multi-year tradition of setting aside a few days, preferably near the summer solstice when I would have the most daylight, to get out onto the landscape and see fields, old railroad depots, trails, and confluence points, and as I would be teaching soon at a geotechnology conference at Dallas College, and as it had been six months since I had last visited a point, the weekend had finally arrived. I had been looking forward to it for quite some time and it exceeded all my geo-hopes and dreams!

The Approach: I had started my 4-day confluence trek yesterday by flying to DFW airport, thereupon visiting two points in Oklahoma, and camping in western Arkansas. This being Day 2, I began at Big Foote campground and by 0900 this very morning I had visited 35 North 94 West, and by 1115, 35 North 93 West. My shoes were still wet from that first trek, with burrs in my socks, but I was having a grand and glorious geo-time.

I traveled east on Arkansas State Highway 10 through small towns and some magnificent rural vistas, but in the interest of my goal of 4 and maybe, just maybe, 5 confluence points today, at Perry I headed north to I-40, taking it east to Conway, and then east on US 64. En route, I picked up several new counties. I turned south and east on small roads, went through Wildwood, and as I traveled northeast on the frontage road to the newly designated I-57, anticipation mounted. I parked along what I deemed to be the least intrusive pull out along the frontage road; there was a fair amount of traffic here, and gathering supplies, set off toward the southwest, to the point. I reached it about 7 minutes later.

The Site: This is a noisy point, being only a short distance from the fence, and then on the other side of the fence, the interstate highway to the south and southeast. But the site is exactly as I expected it to be: In grasses and thorns, on nearly level ground, slightly sloping to the south. Except for a few birds, I saw no animals; a highway department vehicle slowed, and I waved. I suppose I looked either lost or a bit suspicious; but really, just a geographer literally in the field, thanks folks! A structure to the northeast is visible from the site and a highway interchange is clearly visible to the southwest. The view is best to the southwest toward the interchange. When one thinks that if the highway had been located a bit north of where it is, there would be no way to stand on this point: Incredible!

As I typically do, I had a reflective moment about the people living here on the land past and present - the Indigenous Americans, the settlers, and admired them all for choosing this land. No doubt this site has been radically changed over the decades with the transportation arteries cris-crossing this area. This is also one of the noisiest points I have ever visited.

I have stood on 35 North many times in the past from California on the west to North Carolina on the east. I have also stood on 92 West many times, from Wisconsin woods on the north end to cotton and other fields in Mississippi on the south end. I have visited numerous points in Arkansas; my last two in this state occurred about 7 months ago, and then again this very morning, 2 degrees and then 1 degree west of here.

Weather Conditions: It was not too humid; a late spring early afternoon; sunny to partly cloudy; moderate winds; visibility good and much improved from my misty confluence hike earlier this morning; about 84 F. After taking photos and filming this video on my Our Earth channel, I left after taking 10 minutes to zero out the GPS unit and then spending 10 minutes more at the confluence. Total round trip time from vehicle: About 40 minutes. On the way out of the area, I just had to stop at Casey's convenience store about 20 minutes to the southwest. Magnificent!

Next Stop: I headed southwest with 34 North 94 West as my goal.

Onward with gratitude!

----------------------------------------

When the trip was all said and done, here are the final statistics:


-------------------------------------------------
Days set aside to visit points:  4.

Confluence points attempted:  14.  

Confluence points successfully visited:  13. 

Points where I met the local landowner = 5 of 14 points. 


Miles = 1,945, Kilometers = 3,130.
  
Percent of travel on interstate highways:  15%
Percent of travel on US, state, county roads, and the "back of the back roads":  85 % Hooray!

Campgrounds = 3.  

Rainy confluence points:  3 of 14.
Beautiful confluence points:   14 of 14.

Convenience store stops = 7.  

Points that turned out to be

                easier than I thought they would be =           1 
                about the same as I expected them to be =       8 
                more difficult than I thought they would be =   5 
		-------------------------------------------------------
			                                     14 points.
Points          in prairie or scrub      3
                in woodlands             5
		in non-tilled fields     2
		in agricultural fields   4
		-----------------------------------
			                14 points.

Points along 	36 North = 1 
		35 North = 4 
		34 North = 2 
		33 North = 3
                32 North = 4  
		----------------
			   14 points.

Points visited on 	Day 1 = 2 
			Day 2 = 5 
			Day 3 = 4 
			Day 4 = 3
		-------------------
			   	14 points.  

Points visited in the 	morning = 	6 
			afternoon = 	5 
			evening = 	3 
		-------------------------------
			   	       14 points

Points visited in 	Oklahoma =       2
			Arkansas =       4
			Louisiana =      2 
			Texas =          6
		-------------------------------
			   		14 points 

The most frequently visited latitude line:  
-------------------------------------------- 
                       32 and 35 North:  4 points each.

The most frequently visited longitude line:  
-------------------------------------------- 
                                      94 West:  4 points.