#2: [07-Aug-08]

During August 2003 I drove through British Columbia and into the Northwest Territories on a combined confluence hunting and sightseeing trip. I started close to 49°N and went as far North as 61°N, covered 6,200 kilometers (3,850 miles), did 7 successful confluence visits, and had another 12 confluences that are incomplete. I made a map that shows the route, and the confluences in the order they were done, with the successful ones shown with black markers. The incomplete visits are a mix of actual attempts and situations where I drove somewhat close to the confluence, and included a 'visit' as a way to document the confluence location for future visitors. The first confluence on the trip was 52°N 121°W.

16-Aug-2003 -- After my incomplete visit to 59°N 123°W I continued north on the Liard Highway (Highway 77), passing through a lengthy section where the road is being upgraded. The highway passes to the east of Maxhamish Lake, which has white sand beaches, and is part of a protected area with no road access.

As the highway approaches 60°N, it changes direction in order to cross the Petitot River. Just across the bridge I turned off onto a short side road that led down to the riverbank (Waypoint 061), where I took the photos of the river and bridge. The Petitot River is a tributary of the Liard River, and was named after Father Emile Petitot, an Oblate priest who did missionary work in Alberta. There is information about Father Petitot, and other Francophone Albertans, on a webpage of the Alberta Heritage Community Foundation.

The confluence is located less than 200 meters from the west bank of the Petitot River. It is 4.63 kilometers from Waypoint 061, and 3.75 kilometers from Waypoint 062, where the Liard Highway crosses 60°N.

60°N is the boundary between British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, where BC's Highway 77, the Liard Highway, meets the Northwest Territories' Liard Trail, or Highway 7, which is part of the Deh Cho Travel Connection. There were a number of signs along the shoulders of the road at this point, including one about The Northern Landscape.

The next confluence on this trip was 61°N 123°W.

The Northwest Territories/British Columbia demarcation line is passing exactly through the Confluence.