#7: [02-Jun-14]

#6: [21-Apr-07]

#5: [25-Sep-04]

#4: [11-Aug-02]

#3: [12-Jul-01]

#1: [21-May-01]

14-Jun-2001 -- Fear and Loathing Near Las Vegas. OK, it's been three days since the little 'incident' at my previous confluence visit (39°N 116°W), but I'm better now. I can go for hours without thinking of pink flags. Only later did I realize just how the fates were against me - today's visit is on our nation's flag day!

I approached the confluence from the south. I left highway 318 opposite the small hamlet of Preston, and proceeded north on a fair dirt road. Of course my detailed road atlas, as well as the topo maps, were all useless. After wandering around a bit, and having to cross a washed-out section of road, I finally ended up on the east-west road just north of the confluence. As the GPS wound down to 115.0 degrees, I found I was approaching a fenced-in field! Way out here in the middle of nowhere! And even worse, the grass on the other side of the gate looks better than my lawn at home!

Fortunately I realized that the meridian was just west of the fence, so I headed a few hundred yards down the access road until the GPS showed I was on the 39th parallel. The actual confluence was about 200 feet west of the road. I walked to it and, of course, there was another of those little pink flags just flapping away in the breeze. But I'm better now, so I completely ignored it.

My GPS zeroed out about 75 feet south of the you-know-what. I put in my own marker, a wooden stake, and put my red bandana (a much nicer color than the you-know-what) on it for the photographs. Ward Mountain, just south of Ely Nevada, was prominent to the northeast (photo #1). The spectacular Currant Mountain is to the southwest (photo #2), but it looks better in morning light. To the south, White River Valley (photo #3) curves off over the horizon. I may have taken some other pictures, but I can't remember of what. I'm definitely feeling better now.