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 There were various historical documents that were for sale.

Lost Dutchman State Park: Know Before You Go

Our camping trip was coming to a close...we were scheduled to stay at the Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, Arizona for two nights before heading northward to stay with friends and family on our way home.

We pulled into our site only to find the most dreaded sound possible: A VERY OLD GENERATOR. Sigh. T graciously asked the "neighbors" to abide by camp rules (limited generator hours), and they did. But now we had a decision to make. Stay here two nights as planned knowing that we were upwind from a very old and smelly generator in the rain or stick it out for a night and then head out. We opted for the best of all worlds: Stay a night, get in the hiking we wanted each day and then head out.

Trekking and Geocaching

We made the best of the generator situation by having dinner out during the evening generator window from 5-7pm. Whoop! No dishes tonight! Burgers are scrumptious at Dirtwater Springs in Apache Junction.

Wild Boar or Javalina?

TIP: If you want to avoid the generator situation, give the park a call to find out the best camping area. There are many, many campsites and they will most likely have some great advice.