#3: [26-May-24]

#2: [18-Feb-07]

26-May-2002 -- I departed 48°N 106°W earlier and drove east to this confluence. The weather was perfect and the landscape was absolutely breathtaking.

I left the road and I was able to drive fairly close to the spot along a precarious narrow finger of land with drop-offs going down a few hundred feet on each side. At one point it was just barely wide enough for my truck. I don’t know anything about geology, but it looks like this is exactly where a glacier stopped millions of years ago. I climbed down the cliff about 50 feet in order to reach the spot and take the photos. This place was one of the most awesome places I had ever been. I can’t describe it well enough to do it justice, so I’ll let the pictures to the talking.

I saw a concrete block on the way back to the road and stopped to see what it was. It was 0.26 miles (418 meters) east of the confluence and it had a brass tablet on it that read, "U.S. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY REFERENCE MARK - FOR MORE INFORMATION WRITE TO THE DIRECTOR, WASHINGTON, D.C. - $250 FINE OR IMPRISONMENT FOR DISTURBING THIS MARK" "BADLANDS NO 1 - 1948" was stamped on it. I guess 1948 was when the mark was placed there, because the elevation at the point was over 2,400 feet.

I departed around 3 p.m. and started towards the next confluence, 48°N 100°W, which was about 7 hours away.

Danny Strickland
www.artgaga.com