Loving County High Point Trip Report

Date: November 26, 2002
Author: Bob Packard

At 3+ miles east of the Eddy-Lea county line on NM 128 I took Lea CR 1 (very good paved road all the way) 10.5 miles south. Then it was east 7.2 miles on El Paso Natural Gas Company pipeline road (a little rough, but easy enough that a passenger car could do it). Now I am at the intersection with Battle Ax Road mentioned by Scott Surgent. Instead of continuing east to follow Scott I took the Battle Ax Road (excellent dirt road) 3.7 miles southwest. Then I turned east and went 3.9 miles on another very good road past the gravel pit and pipeline shown on the Paduca Breaks East, NM Quad to a locked metal gate at the state line. A passenger car can get here, only 1.25 miles from the Loving Co, TX hp. With my high clearance vehicle I drove the tracks east paralleling the state line for l mile using the 4WD the last couple hundred very sandy yards. Now I'm only 0.25 mile away from the hp and I've driven only 16 miles of unpaved road. Then I did what Scott (and Bob Martin) did. Hit several high spots in the area south of the state line.

Found Andy Martin's lath once again lying flat. I straightened it up and pressed it hard into the sand. Nearby I found a Kerns Guava juice can (aluminum) and in a sandy depression a few yards away I found a crumpled up page from Andy's book. I shoved the page into the can and the can on top of the lath.