#4: [27-May-13]

#3: [05-Jul-03]

#1: [05-Mar-01]

26-May-2001 -- I first visited this confluence about 2 1/2 months ago on March 5th. There was still a lot of snow on the ground and the view was spectacular. The landowner, Wannetta Clark, told me that it was much prettier once the snow melted and things started growing. I was on vacation from Mississippi and I didn't think I would ever get the chance to see that.

I received an email from Kent Harker who, as it turns out, lives within a few miles of the confluence. He had found out about the Confluence Project months before and was waiting for the snows to melt before visiting this confluence. He never thought that someone would visit it in the winter. Much less someone from the South!

Kent emailed me on 11 May and told me he was planning a visit to the location and asked if I wanted photos. I had recently decided to go back to Idaho for a short trip over the Memorial Day holiday, which was coming up in just a few weeks. I asked Kent to wait for a couple of weeks so we could visit it together and he agreed.

My friend, Minda Ainsworth, and I flew to Salt Lake City, Utah and drove the scenic route for about 6 or 7 hours toward Etna, Wyoming. When I say scenic, I mean SCENIC. We must have driven 100 miles on gravel roads through the mountains, dodging ruts and cattle. The roads were sometimes so narrow and rutted, I was afraid we wouldn't make it through with our little rental car.

We finally made it to Kent's home that evening, with a few hours of daylight to spare. We had coffee and talked for a while with Kent and his wife, Helen, in their lovely home. Kent then gave us a tour of the community he lives in. It is truly beautiful out there and he's a fortunate man to be able to wake up to that every day.

We drove as close as we could get to the confluence and walked about 320 meters across a pasture to reach it. It was much easier in the spring than it was in the winter, that's for sure! We took photos and Kent shot some video before we headed back to the car.

We drove back to Kent's home and talked a bit more before leaving. Minda and I drove to the landowner's home to see her and her son, but they weren't home. I enjoyed meeting them in March and regret I didn't get to see them again. Maybe next time...

Danny Strickland
www.artgaga.com