TIM VASQUEZ'S
Weird Confluences page
This is a listing of Confluence Project listings I've read that I thought were unusual or memorable in some way. Confluences are interesting to me because they represent randomness that emerges from strict order. It goes far beyond a silly quest for invisible man-made boundaries. The confluence latticework is an open defiance of the order our culture imposes on us, which frowns on tourists who abandon the travelled roads, the sanitized vistas, and the stops designed to conjure up dollars for empty memories. Confluences are in curious places that embrace you in their history, character, and ecology, surrounded by people who are locals in every sense of the word. You simply haven't experienced a region unless you've tried seeking out its confluences. Here's a few of them!


Weird visits
  • Lost booty -- a cell phone is located somewhere around this confluence in Alabama. The good news is if you get hurt, the phone will let you call 911. The bad news is you have to find it.
  • Bumps and bruises -- two city slickers get sick, injured, and stinky in harsh desert terrain. Guess where their next stop is? It's Thanksgiving, and they're due at Grandma's for dinner.
  • Be careful of the bull! -- a mean bull in Arkansas has a couple of confluence trackers on their tiptoes.
  • Mosquito confluence -- if clouds of Florida mosquitoes attenuate the GPS signal, visitors to this point can simply head to the point of maximum bug bites per second.
  • Encounter with ticks #1 -- Missouri claims it's the tick capital of the U.S. They're the "Show Me" state, so they must be right!
  • Encounter with ticks #2 -- they say Virginia is the tick capital of the U.S. Or Missouri. Maybe it's Arkansas? Well, someone's right... I'm just not sure who.
  • James Bond Confluence Hunt -- Peter Jones breaks out the martinis (shaken not stirred) and goes on the hunt in Oregon. Unfortunately I'm sure MI5 could care less.
  • Step out of the car, ya pot smokin' hacker freaks! -- when Texas authorities think someone's outsmartin' them with scientific mumbo-jumbo, they don't like it a bit. Sometimes it's better to have a simple version of a story for simple minds.
  • Kayak confluence -- A confluence hunter in Washington gets out the kayak and looks for a spot somewhere in Semiahmoo Bay. After this experience he comes back with a clear list of lessons learned.
  • Hit and run -- watch out for that Wisconsin resident near 45N 89W who doesn't bother stopping for accidents.
  • A bad day! -- the state troopers, thieves, and hit and runs... what else can go wrong? Ah, just another confluence hunt in Wisconsin. At least it was a successful visit!
  • Casing the neighborhood -- a confluence hunter stirs up suspicion in Ohio suburbs by driving by a few times too many. When this happens, perhaps it's wiser to look like a gangster than a curious confluence hunter!
  • Mosquito attack in the Yukon -- Hermann Grebner said he had a cloud of mosquitos following him after visiting this Yukon confluence. He had to "run like hell"!
  • Adventure in the north -- confluence hunters spend a long day tackling rugged but beautiful terrain in remote Alberta. Even more oddly they discover a golf ball and a message in a bottle. No success, but quite a story.
  • Boca burgers and bears -- this British Columbia confluence mini-novel clocks in at just short of 2500 words, replete with a bear scare and romance in a nearby town. Could this be Robert Kincaid, the man, himself? Nah, I checked and it's not him.
  • I'll Xerox your IDs and you can go survey -- three confluence hunters have to cough up identification, because the confluence is on the U.S. - Canada border next to a customs station.


    Weird residents and owners
  • Southwest desert encounter #1 -- Hualapai aren't receptive to the idea of outsiders poking around on their land, even with permission.
  • Southwest desert encounter #2 -- another incident, this time with Navajos, highlighting the fact that tribal residents are not enthused by unexpected visitors.
  • No Internet child porn bastards allowed! -- a paranoid land owner in Ardo, California freaks out on the phone after a confluence hunter calls and asks for a visit.
  • The befuddled homeowner -- a visit to Elk Grove, Illinois finds a confluence on a suburban lot owned by a confused and less than enthusiastic homeowner.
  • Shorty sez "No Trespassing"! -- It's the famous Shorty confluence near Sterling, Michigan. Signs every 40 feet remind outsiders that Shorty wants his privacy!
  • Watch out for Old Charlie! -- The locals say he shoots anyone snooping around his South Carolina property. Think he's related to Shorty in Michigan?
  • Friendly homeowner -- Right near Milwaukee Tony owns a suburban home on a confluence, and he's a swell guy!


    Weird places
  • Idol Sacrifice Confluence! -- to get to this confluence in Nigeria, you'll need to sacrifice an animal, or perhaps your partner!
  • House Confluence! -- it's in a Pennsylvania garage! Someone walks through this confluence every day.
  • Standing in the lake -- wade into a cold Alaskan lake, and it's right there! Try not to trip while holding your $500 color-LCD WAAS-enabled gadget.
  • Confluence on a cliff -- head to Arizona and bring a parachute! You'll need it to reach this confluence.
  • Military #1 -- confluence hunters at Concord Naval Weapons Station in California get the attention of the military police. Interesting how the word "art" can quickly get you out of a jam.
  • Military #2 -- in North Carolina, the U.S. Army shows that it's mastered the delicate art of bureaucracy, paperwork, and futility.
  • Military #3 -- These U.S. Navy weapons depot folks in South Carolina proved to be quite supportive and adventurous. It's encouraging to see folks in a Federal agency who enjoy a warm rapport with the general public.
  • Military #4 -- Friendly landowners, scones, and jam? Nope. How about Ministry of Defence police and military guard dogs?
  • Military #5 -- The Florida Army National Guard lends a hand to assist a hopeful confluence hunter.
  • Cthulhu confluence -- an abandoned house foundation, quiet woods, and weird fungus makes for a confluence straight out of H.P. Lovecraft's horror stories.
  • Now that's SERIOUS mud -- when you're in the Louisiana marshes, you can just about count on a confluence quagmire.
  • Apartment confluence -- in an apartment complex in Washington DC! And this might be the only confluence on a set of stairs.
  • Suburban confluence #1 -- it's America, so the odds are pretty high that a random point will be in a suburb, like this one in Massachusetts.
  • Suburban confluence #2 -- Minnesota
  • Suburban confluence #3 -- Oklahoma
  • Suburban confluence #4 -- Tennessee
  • Suburban confluence #5 -- Tennessee
  • Showgirls Cabaret -- an unlikely spot that might be more fun to visit at night. To see the meteor shower! Yeah, that's the ticket!
  • Golf course confluence #1 -- as far as I can tell, this is the only such instance in the U.S. It's near Philadelphia.
  • Golf course confluence #2 -- more proof that a golf course overlapping a confluence is a hallmark of Western civilization or a pretty darn big country. How about both? Australia!
  • Roadway confluence #1 -- New York. Can it get any easier?
  • Roadway confluence #2 -- Colorado
  • Roadway confluence #3 -- Oklahoma
  • Roadway confluence #4 -- California
  • Roadway confluence #5 -- Arizona
  • Silkwood confluence -- aborted attempt near a plant that processes uranium in Ohio. Watch out for strange cars trying to run you off the road.
  • Road AND Restricted Area -- right there at the Duke Power Bad Creek Pumped Storage Station in South Carolina. Even more amazing, you're welcome to go past the gate!
  • The pear tree -- In a South Carolina suburb a Bradford pear and a lawn ornament of a completely unidentifiable mammal marks the spot.
  • Factory confluence -- the closest confluence to the Dallas-Fort Worth area is smack on top of a Raytheon factory. Looks like a great place for Raytheon to field-test their GPS units!
  • On the rugged boundary -- very impressive and majestic spot on the Washington - Canada border. You can even see the clear-cut border line.
  • Public Works confluence -- this is the famous confluence near Walla Walla Washington that was placed permanently off limits by a local government agency. Like it or not, I don't see this point remaining empty if the rest of the U.S. map fills up.
  • Boundary of four Canadian provinces -- it's where NWT, Nunavut, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan meet, and it's amazing that someone got out to this incredibly remote spot. There's a marker there. It's not on the confluence, though, but what a neat page.

    DISCLAIMER: I don't condone or promote any irresponsible activity that might appear in any of the above pages. They are provided for educational or entertainment value only. My official position is that confluence hunting must be an exercise in respect and courtesy for the locals, the land, and the wildlife.

    Have a weird point to add to this list, anywhere in the world? Drop me an E-mail! I'm at tim@weathergraphics.com. I haven't added many international confluences mostly because I haven't had time to enjoy them all!
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