10-Feb-2002 -- We headed out of Guadalajara mid-day Sunday. Antonio, his wife Alma and daughter Fatima had come within a couple kilometers of this confluence the weekend before. We returned to approximately the same place they had been but a little closer. It was still 1.2 kms away through what looked like fairly thick cover. We immediately found cow and horse paths which helped at first.
Still about 800 meters away, we started diving through brush and trees with hooks and barbs grabbing our clothes. The sky was also getting dark. After climbing over a dozen stone walls, much zig zagging and avoiding a deadly Mexican attacking cow, we made it to the confluence as a downpour started.
We were finishing up the pictures when not more than 200 meters away we heard a car go by. Sure enough there was a road only 200 meters through a clear field in the opposite direction from the confluence!!! This road was nowhere on any map we had. We now had to decide to struggle back through the jungle or see where the road went or maybe hope for a ride.
We decided to take the road which turned out to be a better decision for a couple reasons. First, much better footing and easier walking, and second, we were treated to a beautiful set of rainbows. The road led us straight back to the town of Yerbabuena, only adding an extra kilometer to our trip.
As we were leaving the town, we were confronted by a group of caballeros who wanted to know what we were doing romping off through their land and why we left in one direction and came back in another. Considering Yerbabuena is slang for marijuana (Yerba=weed & buena=good) we apologized, tried to explain and made a hasty retreat from the town of Yerbabuena.
If you decide to visit this confluence, let the "authorities" know before hand.