Midland County High Point Trip Report
Date: November 27, 2002
Author: Bob Packard
From the underpass where RD 1788 crosses under TX 191 it is 2.7 miles along the service road to the
PRIVATE ROAD-NO TRESPASSING signed road which is a driveway to a ranch. There is a cattle guard
right at the sign. The road STARTS in Midland County. I drove north 1.8-1.9 miles to the high point on road.
On the way north, the road turned left more than the USGS map would indicate and this bothered me.
Nonetheless I walked west (LEFT of the road) but things did not fit. The area was way too broad to
represent what the map showed as the hp area for Midland. I checked DeLorme and discovered that the
county line was at 102° 17.225' W (checked later at the county line signs on the service road,
on TX 191 and on I-20). But my GPS read 102° 17.390' W. I was in Ector County! Just then the ranch owner
came along, not particularly happy with my presence. When I told her I was looking for the Midland CoHP she told me
I was in Ector County as I had just figured out.
I then walked east (RIGHT of road) until I got GPS (31° 57.813' N, 102° 17.000' W) crossing a north-south
fence line and walked around quite a bit.
On the drive out I watch the GPS go from 102° 17.390' W at the high point on the road to 102° 16.670' W
at the intersection with the service road. I then checked the 3 county line signs mentioned above.
This showed me that my GPS was not misleading me and confirmed the DeLorme placement of the county line.
I was so concerned about the contradiction with John Garner's report that I drove back up there AGAIN and double
checked everything. Hey, maybe I have a first ascent, or in this case, descent.