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the Degree Confluence Project
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United States : New Mexico

13.3 miles (21.4 km) SW of Datil, Catron, NM, USA
Approx. altitude: 2125 m (6971 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap topo aerial ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 34°S 72°E

Accuracy: 4 m (13 ft)
Quality: good

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: View East #3: View South #4: View West #5: The confluence point lies in a flat, poorly vegetated pasture #6: All zeros! #7: A herd of deer, gathered near the confluence point as I approached #8: This one curious deer came close to me, before running off to rejoin the herd #9: The nearby "Very Large Array" (VLA) radio telescope

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  34°N 108°W (visit #4)  

#1: View North

(visited by Ross Finlayson)

02-Oct-2015 -- After visiting 34N 107W, I continued eastward, passing through the small town of Magdalena, then paid a quick visit to the “Very Large Array” (VLA) radio telescope, before continuing through the even smaller town of Datil, and heading southward on highway 12. This degree confluence point lies in a field, 0.6 miles from the highway. I was able to get there just before sunset.

Like the previous visitor - William Eskel Jr. in 2009 - I parked beside the highway, and hiked from there. After crossing over the barbed-wire fence, I walked quickly, in a straight line, across the poorly-vegetated pasture towards the point. I didn’t see any cattle grazing anywhere; however I could see a large flock of white-tailed deer in the distance, near the point. As I approached, most of them scattered; however one curious deer ran towards me, before eventually returning to rejoin the rest of the herd. The deer are definitely not being farmed here, however, because the barbed-wire fence (alongside the highway) would be much too short to contain them. The deer appear to be wild.

During my hike, I saw a silver SUV pull up behind my vehicle (parked alongside highway 12), then drive slowly back and forth along the highway, before returning to park near my vehicle. As I returned from my hike, the driver - an elderly woman - asked me: “What were you doing?”. “Visiting the point where the latitude and longitude lines cross”, I replied. “What did you find there?”, asked the woman. “There’s nothing special there”, I responded, “but there’s a site on the Internet where people post photos of these points”. “Who do you work for?”, the woman then asked. “Nobody”, I responded. “I’m just doing this as a hobby.” I’m not sure that she really understood what I was explaining, but she didn’t bother me any further as I got into my vehicle and left. (I suspect that this may be the same woman who questioned William Eskel Jr. during his visit in 2009.) But future visitors to this point should beware: You may get scrutinized by paranoid neighbors as you visit this point.


 All pictures
#1: View North
#2: View East
#3: View South
#4: View West
#5: The confluence point lies in a flat, poorly vegetated pasture
#6: All zeros!
#7: A herd of deer, gathered near the confluence point as I approached
#8: This one curious deer came close to me, before running off to rejoin the herd
#9: The nearby "Very Large Array" (VLA) radio telescope
ALL: All pictures on one page