Route 61 is a desolate road that branches off route 180 which runs between Deming and Silver City. You begin to see the rolling hills as 61 turns north through the barren NM landscape. The plains give way to hills. There are a few isolated towns with a few homes. The streams ford the road at grade level. There are a few farms with horses. As you get closer to Gila, there is a little more vegetation to be seen.