#6: [10-May-05]

#5: [19-Mar-04]

#4: [11-Jan-04]

#3: [24-Jul-03]

#1: [04-Aug-00]

05-Aug-2000 -- After hearing of the Degree Confluence Project a few weeks before, I carefully laid plans to visit the closest available confluence to my home in Central New Jersey, 40N 77W. I had made arrangements with the someowhat dubious Jack Shea to ride our motorcycles through the Amish Country back roads armed with GPS and Sony Mavica.

I waited at the meeting spot for Jack, but after a half hour past the departure time, he paged and said it was a no show. No problem. I fired up the bike and had a great trip, sticking mainly to two lane roads the whole way from NJ. Each way point I passed left me more excited until I made the final turn off Davidsburg road on to 194. I remembered from the aerial photo that the confluence wasn't far off the road in some trees behind the house. As I pulled up in the driveway, the 'needle' on my GPSIII+ was pointing directly behind the house and the spot was less than 300ft. away!

An older fellow was mowing grass and looked right at me without much interest, so I started towards the steps when his wife came out with a cautious look on her face. I tried my best to explain what I was doing, but I don't think it sunk in. At least she figured I was harmless and told me to go knock myself out. I was in full motorcylce leather, so the brambles & poison ivy didn't deter me from my goal and after about 15 minutes of 'chasing the needle', I came upon a set of steps within 30 feet of the confluence. The steps lead nowhere, and there seemed to be no other evidence of a foundation at this point. Figuring this was the best place for a photo, I sat the GPS down on the steps and pulled the digital camera out to take a picture. AARRRRGGGGG!!!! The battery had died! I had charged it the night before, but apparently, its age and/or the heat and vibration of my bike's glovebox rendered it useless. What was I to do? I had driven 200 miles for nothing.

I went back up to the house and asked if there was a convenience store nearby and shortly found myself back in East Berlin purchasing a disposable camera. When I saw one type of disposible there and about 4 rolls of film, I knew better than to even ask if they had digital camera supplies. Anyway, I made it back to the spot and shot the whole roll. The camera had a fixed focus lens, so I wasn't expecting anything spectacular, but figured I couldn't go home empty handed.

I made it home without a problem and dropped the pictures off the next Monday.

8/8/00 - I got the photos today and the results were less than pleasing. The only GPS detail that showed up is in photo 2, the 'needle' mode - showing the spot 207 feet off the road. I'll post a few more and let you be the judge.