#2: [03-Apr-24]

04-Feb-2001 -- This is our second confluence and we are really pumped. Bob Babington and I meet in the Northeast part of El Paso for a quick breakfast and to finalize the plan to locate 32N 105W.

We leave El Paso and arrive at our first waypoint, ranch road 1437, about 87 miles East on Highway 180/62. The plan is to go North on RR 1437 about 11 miles, then East on Williams Road 6 miles, then turn North to the New Mexico/Texas border, and East several miles to the confluence. Sounds good, the dirt roads were excellent, but about 3 miles South of the border we encounter a locked gate. After checking the MapSource Roads and Recreation maps we backtrack to Williams Road and go farther East, hoping we can enter the Guadalupe National Park and avoid privately owned land. But we encounter another locked gate at the park boundary.

We backtrack West on Williams Road until we discover a promising road going North towards the border. Our luck holds and we get to the border and travel east to our original planned route. We drive to a point about three-tenths of a mile North of 32N 105W.

Bob Babington and I hike across sloping desert terrain to the confluence. The general area is in a low area of the Dell Valley (elevation 3,650+ ft.) where run off water collects to form "Salt Lakes" and when all the water evaporates they form "Salt Flats". The confluence is East side of a gentle sloping ridge with "Salt Flats" to the East and West. The flora is sparse with Love Grass and small wind blown bushes. The area is completely void of rocks and boulders. There are bovine bones scattered about, so we construct a cairn to mark 32N 105W. We left a treasure for future confluence seekers, provided animals do not carry the bone cairn away.

Picture No. 1 is looking East over 32N 105W towards the Guadalupe Mountains.
Picture No. 2 is looking South over 32N 105W (Guadalupe Peak is to the left) towards a barbed wire fence that runs East to West for about 60 miles.
Picture No. 3 is looking over the confluence and Bob Babington to the North.
Picture No. 4 is Guadalupe Peak (marked by arrow), the highest point in Texas at 8,749 ft. The peak to the right is Capitan Peak, about 400 ft lower than Guadalupe Peak. This picture is taken near 32N 105W over a monument marking the New Mexico/Texas border. Guadalupe Peak is 11.1 miles Southeast of 32N 105W.
Picture No. 6 is the monument marker on the New Mexico/Texas near 32N 105W.

It's been a fun day and we top it off with delicious burritos at Sqeaky's in Dell City and then drive back to El Paso.