#4: [13-Jul-21]

#2: [03-Aug-04]

#1: [10-Sep-01]

06-Aug-2010 --

This would be a side trip on my way to a long planned adventure at 38N-107W.

Family and friends would be following this adventure in real time on their computers from tracking messages sent from my Spot Satellite GPS Messenger automatically at 10 minute intervals. After the trip was over, a public page was created where anybody could see where I had been. Spot Adventure Page of my trip.

I had not devoted much planning time for this visit, especially compared to my goal of 38N-107W which usually leads to a lesson re-learned. My Garmin Nuvi was working to auto route me to this destination along the NM - CO border along a network of well maintained dirt roads. I should have added waypoints at key turnpoints along the way to prevent a 30 minute scenic excursion arcing north around Lone Tree Mountain before backtracking and finding the road that would take me much closer. From the narratives of the previous two visitors to this site, I was not the only one to sight-see along the way. But isn’t that the whole purpose of confluence visits? To get a better visit experience!

The two previous visitors to this confluence would also play key roles on my visit to 38N-107W: One had been the first documented visitor there and I would be hiking with the other!

Along the way I had passed numerous natural gas wells humming away and dozens of trucks of all sizes. Each of these vehicles had two triangular flags flying from a fiberglass whip pole – much like you would see on an ATV in a hilly area to increase visibility to others who might be rounding corners or hills. I was able to park about 200 meters south and hiked up a double track leading to an east-west road along the border where I crossed a small barbed wire fence and found the confluence itself in a soft sandy wash about 25 meters north of the New Mexico border. An intermittent sprinkle at times threatened to become a full downpour during my visit!

Picture 1 show a distinctive tree at the confluence. Picture 2 is the view to the north. Picture 3 is the view to the east. Picture 4 is the view south. Picture 5 is the view west. Picture 6 shows my GPS location. Picture 7 is from the border road looking west. Picture 8 is also from the border road looking east.

My trip back to US550 from where I parked took 24 minutes to cover 15.7 km along well maintained roads. A simple route back for future visitors would have a turn off US550 here, continuing west on Road 2300 here unless you want some scenic views above the confluence from Lone Tree Mountain. Turn west onto Indian Route 114 here, then turn south here, and finally, a turn northwest on this road will get you within easy hiking distance!

Another great confluence – now on to a long planned adventure to 38N-107W

In the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, exactly on the border between NM and OR.