#3: [25-Mar-12]

#2: [24-Feb-01]

#1: [21-Feb-01]

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!

I had started my 4-day confluence trek by flying to DFW airport, thereupon visiting two points in Oklahoma, and camping in western Arkansas. On Day 2, I visited 4 points in Arkansas and 1 in Louisiana and having a grand and glorious geo-time.

The Approach: I awakened on Day 3 of my trek camping at Caddo Lake. After some last early-morning beautiful lake views, I really didn't want to leave that spot. However, I then drove south through some beautiful terrain across northwest Louisiana. I crossed I-20, stopped at a very busy Love's Travel Stop, and headed towards Longstreet. Once there, I drove south-southwest along State Highway 5. Slowing, across from the church, I turned west along a gravel road leading to several oil and gas pads and infrastructure. Nobody was there working. At the last pad, not on the pad itself which had a warning sign, but along the road, I parked.

Gathering supplies, I walked east, then south along the clear-cut for probably underground gas pipelines, then west along another clear-cut. It was already hot. I passed some gas infrastructure and a hunting tower blind, my socks gaining burrs all the while. I was aiming toward something I had seen on the satellite imagery that gave me hope--the narrowest of openings -- could it be a path? I kept looking to the south and found it. Eureka! Turning south, the "path" was narrow and hilly but about 10 minutes later, I broke into a single lane road for vehicles that were involved in the two main activities of the area. These activities seemed to be oil and gas, and timber harvesting. Not far from here though, to the southeast, is a high school.

The road led straight south in the direction I wanted to trek. After 15 more minutes, I arrived at an area that had been cut of timber, leaving a wild and jagged landscape. However, I was very glad to see, to the west, that the harvested area had been replanted. In this jumble of branches and stumps, I found the confluence point.

The Site: The site lies on level ground in what had not long ago been forest, about 50 steps west of the north-south one-lane road. 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. I also thought about our dear veterans, this being Memorial Day. Approaching this site was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be, with the trek across some uneven terrain, but given the nearby swamps, thorns, and forests, it really could have been even more difficult. The oil, gas, and timbering in the area really made this easy when all was said and done.

I have stood on 32 North many times in the past from west Texas on the west side to Georgia on the east. I have also stood on 94 West many times, from a forest in Minnesota on the north end to another forest in Texas on the south end. I have visited numerous points in Louisiana; yesterday, and next-most recently, 2 years ago. This point made the 8th point in my current 4-day journey. I saw no people or animals or structures at this site; fortunately no snakes and few insects. In my video you can hear some very distinctive bird calls, and maybe someone can contact me with knowledge (or the Merlin bird app) of what these birds might be. This being Memorial Day, I considered that a good thing; as perhaps otherwise, workers would be in the area. A few puddles lay in the road.

Weather Conditions: It was a bit humid; a bit hot; even though early morning; understandably in Louisiana on a late spring morning; clear and sunny; brilliant skies; very light winds; almost calm visibility good and much improved from my misty confluence hike yesterday at this time; about 85 F already. After taking photos and filming this video on my Our Earth channel, I left after taking 10 minutes to get zeroes on the GPS unit, and then spending 15 minutes more at the confluence, filming some deforestation videos. I was wearing my Map This shirt and my map hat. I took the same route all the way back to the vehicle as there really wasn't any other way. I thankfully found my vehicle and no one around. Total round trip time from vehicle: About 75 minutes. The route I had chosen had indeed been perfect.

Next Stop: I was now bound and determined to head as straight west as possible, for hundreds of miles, to visit at least 3 points in Texas along this same line - 32 North Latitude. My next goal was 32 North 95 West. I drove back to State Highway 5 and then north and northwest where I made an unexpected geographic discovery at the state line! Read my 32 North 95 West confluence narrative to find out what that was.

Onward with gratitude!

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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.