15-Aug-2003 -- This confluence is located in the middle of a field in the center of a valley surrounded by mountains. I didn't know that before my search--chalk it up to luck. Just a few kilometers in any direction, and I would have had a challenging task.

On the bus to Tegucigalpa heading for another confluence, I knew I'd pass near this one. The Pan-American highway is very close. I watched the terrain out the window to get an idea of what I would face if and when I made this attempt. The bus rolled out of the mountains and into a valley with crops and cattle filling the flat land on either side of the road. I marked a waypoint a little more than a kilometer from the confluence so that I would know where to have the driver drop me off next time I came through this way.

Three days later, after finding N15° W088° I left south from Tegucigalpa. At the right moment, about two kilometers from the confluence, the bus stopped at an intersection and I stepped out. Here there was a college that seemed to specialize in agricultural studies as well as a couple small stores and I saw a sign for a bank. Lots of people milled about the road, waiting for a bus or just hanging out. Lots of students dressed in uniform talked in groups. I checked my topo map and looked at my GPS. I figured out that I needed only to follow the road to the west to get to the confluence.

I walked the road; the buildings of campus sat on both sides. A few cars passed me. A light rain began, and although I was prepared with umbrella and rain jacket, I opted to endure the rain, like the locals I saw. The pavement ended, the road curved to the left, and the rain came down harder. I took out the umbrella as I stepped over muddy puddles in the road. A car pulled over to see if I needed a ride.

The confluence was to the east, my left. I found a muddy two-track leading into one of the few nearby fields that didn't have cattle. The gate sat open, so I walked in--only 200 meters to the confluence. Still raining, I found shelter under a tree at the edge of the field, set down my things and waited. The rain refused to let up, so I carried my umbrella as well as my camera and GPS through 100 meters of very wet, knee-high grass until I reached the point.

As I mentioned before, the confluence is located almost dead-center of an unused field. With clearer skies, the gorgeous mountains surrounding this valley are visible in all directions. Right now, however, most of the view was obscured in thick, low-hanging clouds.

There is a fence under construction on the perimeter of this field. I suspect that when completed, this will become a pasture for cattle, like most of the other land around here.

I walked back under clear skies to the bus stop, and waited for a southbound bus to take me to the Honduras-Nicaragua border.