#3: [12-Apr-15]

#2: [10-May-11]

04-Apr-2001 -- On April 4, 2001 we left Silver City, NM to begin our trip to the confluence point. We traveled west on US 180 and at mile post 68 we turned left on New Mexico Highway 78. After traveling an additional 9.5 miles we came to the ranching community of Mule Creek which consists of a post office and several ranch headquarters. At this point we turned left on US Forest Service Road 112, which is also designated as Brushy Mountain Road. This road is a well maintained gravel road which provides access to the FAA radar site atop Brushy Mountain. After traveling this road approximately 11.4 miles we found ourselves approximately 1.1 miles due east of the confluence site. Here we found a 4 wheel drive road on our right pointing the way to the Tilly Hall Wildlife Area. We were only able to continue up this road for an additional half mile until for all practical purposes the road ended. At this point our GPS unit indicated .52 miles at 313 degrees to the confluence. We covered the remaining distance on foot, descending into the valley of Sawmill Creek and then up the other side to the confluence site.

The site is located on Forest Service land in the Gila National Forest and is in the middle of a mixed growth of pine and juniper. We noticed red ribbons tied to several trees in the vicinity leading us to wonder if someone else had preceded us with the same purpose in mind. However closer inspection revealed that these ribbons had been there for quite some time. In addition we discovered a rock cairn about 20 yards from the actual point of confluence Judging from its appearance it has been there for many years. This also led us to speculate that possibly a number of years ago someone else had located and marked the confluence point without the benefit of twenty-first century positioning technology. Aside from the objects just mentioned there were no other signs of human presence or habitation. We stayed at the confluence site long enough to take the necessary pictures, and then left returning the same way we came.