Lost Dutchman State Park: Hiking & Horses

Here we were...the last day of the year. Rain was to come in and we had decided to bag our last night of camping. So we got the tent taken down and headed out for our last hike of the year.

Yesterday we had blue skies. Today it was chilly. Especially after I had to abandon my warm camp coat...

Capturing our photo for a virtual geocache!

We had just passed some horses on the trail. Of course that meant that I had to carefully walk around the fresh horse manure...but the trail was steep and rocky. Anyhow, I lost my footing and took a spill. Fortunately, my hand did not get cut on the rocks, thanks to the very warm, moist and soft manure that my hand was resting in... 💩

Loved how you can see the various pottery styles by region.

Headed for the Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix, which was a perfect stop for a rainy afternoon. Had a hard time finding a place to stay that would allow dogs; ended up in Goodyear, Arizona where we had an early New Year's Eve and in-room pizza delivery—Rosati's Chicago style!

Tip: Finding a pet-friendly hotel in the Phoenix area was a chore. We didn't want to pay a $50 fee...ended up at the Hampton Inn in Goodyear. Nice and quiet; had a laundry room (only $1/load). The only thing that was a little odd about this hotel was that there was an "Antiquities Museum" which was a room devoted solely to the Bible. There were various historical documents that were for sale.