Day 31 - 34 Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ
Day 31
We got up in the morning and had grain free English muffins for breakfast with peanut butter and jelly. Gina took dogs for long walk through the park and attempted to meet me at the ranger station. I to the bikes down to determine if we could extend our stay. The ranger on site was one of those “by the rules” people. She saw that our trailer and truck were too big for the site I had reserved so she made us switch to another overflow site – another parking lot. The good part about this one was that it was completely paved and we were in the back corner with a nice open space next to us. She had told me that this site was pretty nice and we would like it. There was no electric and water so we had to use the generator again for coffee. We decided to switch coffee making from the electric perculator to a French press that used boiled water. The weather was still not great so we decided to go into the closest tow, Apache Junction. We went into a Laundry mat to do our laundry and ended up hiring the girl who worked there to do our laundry while we went to lunch at The Handlebar Pub And Grille. The place was packed; everything on the menu is grilled and nothing is fried. I had a couple of cold beers and gina had a cider. We met some people at the bar from Illinois who were big Cubs fans. They come here every year for spring training to watch the Cubs in their big Class A. They were not staying at Lost Dutchman but some privately owned RV site close to where we were. The food was excellent and we had a good time, although it was quite cold sitting outside. We left and picked up the laundry, We bought some new dog beds and a french press at Frys and returned to the park in time to still make a 2 ½ mile hike up to superstition mountain green boulder. We took both dogs on the hike; Teddy did really good; On the way back he tried to take a short cut through the desert but didn’t get too far before we reigned him in. Back at the RV we fired up the generator to charge the computer and cooked chicken wings and asparagus on the grill. The weather was cold but nice. Another beautiful sunset. Gina was in bed by 8:30 and I updated the blogs. We slept good that night but it was cold. It actually snowed up in the mountains that night.
Day 32
This was the 2nd day at Lost Dutchman. We woke up to Rain Rain Rain but the forecast showed promise. We could see the snow up in the mountains from our site and snapped a pic. Fired up the Generator for coffee and breakfast - forgot about the new French press. I had to go down to the Ranger station to change our site for the day. We were able to secure site 56, an electric site and site 81 for the next day, another electric site. Good news is electric, bad news is we have to keep moving. We also decided to skip Buckskin Mountain and Joshua Tree campgrounds. We would stay longer here and then head directly to Anzo Borrigo Desert. We added one day on the front end to Anzo but we would also have to move sites. We also booked a nonrefundable Airbnb in Cottonwood AZ, just a few miles from Sedona. The Sedona properties were way too expensive. This pretty much committed us to leaving the trailer out west and head home in just the truck. More planning will be needed in trying to figure out where! We talked to Lily and Jesse, managed to do some OT work then packed up and moved to our new electric site. This site had a big puddle of water from the rain right where the door opened and we stepped out. I dug an irrigation ditch down to the road and the puddle cleared up that afternoon. Too bad we have to move again tomorrow. By the time we finally got set and ready to move about it was already early afternoon. We took the other hike that ultimately would take you to Flatiron. We took both dogs as an insurance policy so we wouldn’t be tempted to climb Flatiron. According to some people we talked to, it is a 1,000+ foot vertical elevation change over a mile over rocks. There is no path so you will inevitably be climbing up over boulders on your hands and knees. No way could Teddy make it so we were safe! We hiked to the Basin, close to where the Flatiron portion of the hike started. It was about 2on portion of the hike started. It was about 2 miles. The last section started showing signs of what was to come. We turned around, let the dogs loose and had a nice stroll downhill back to the trailer. We wanted to go into to Scottsdale but decided it was too late after learning the drive was about 45 minutes. We had no groceries left so we went out to dinner in Apache Junction at Los Carnitas for Mexican. Should have picked something else. The place was packed with what looked to be RVers just like us. We all must have gotten suckered in by the Yelp ratings! Back to the RV with indigestion and rotten nights sleep. Worse for Gina than me.
Day 33
The 3rd day at Lost Dutchman started like all others, eggs w spinach and coffee – this time with the French press, although we had electric. We packed up and moved again – 4th day in a row of hooking up and moving. The weather was cold but sunny. Our site was right next to the bike trail that circled the entire park. We jumped on the bikes and made the loop, about 4-5 miles in all, with no dogs – Teddy needed the rest. The trail was clean, well marked and ended up being a nice ride through a beautifully landscaped desert. Of all the parks so far, the landscaping here was the nicest. They had a wide variety of cactus and desert plants all in great shape and not unruly. We made an appointment to have the dogs bathed at Petsmart at 6 pm before taking the dogs on another walk around the park. We then hung around until it was time for their appointment. On our way in to town we stopped at Big 5 sporting goods for socks and rubber boots for Jack – everytime he was out in the rain his shoes would get soaked. We dropped the dogs off for their baths and felt really comfortable with the girls at petsmart. They were big time dog lovers. They suggested a restaurant around the corner and we tooke their advices. It was an Italian Restaurant called something like New Yorks finest! Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The worst was bringing out the wrong food – the waiter said “sorry, I must have punched the wrong item in”. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough and back to pick up the dogs. They were sure glad to see us! The girls said they behaved and were no problem. Not even Teddy! We went to Frys grocery store again and they had a terrible selection so we didn’t buy much. We were back home and in bed around 10:00. It was very cold that night so the heater went on.
Day 34
Day 4 at Lost Dutchmen and another move – 5th one in a row. This time to site #3 that was a non electric site but it turned out to be our favorite. It was tucked in some tree groves and was very private and quiet. You could not see another RV and nobody could see us. The day was beautiful so we decided to hang out there with the dogs in the sun. Jack made grilled chicken thighs on toasted gluten free bread for lunch; they were delicious. We decided to take the 45 minute drive into Scottsdale tonight for Gina. I was insistent that we at least go there once. Gina made reservations at Sumo Maya, a Japanese/Asian Restaurant in Scottsdale. We left around 5:30, the drive was long but worth it. The dinner was wonderful, Gina was taking pictures of every entrée and sending them to our nephew Dylan. I think they were having a food picture contest or something like that. After dinner we took the same long ride back and made it to the RV by 8:30. Gina wanted me to pack everything away because rain was predicted for the morning. I did a few things but not everything because I was tired. Not a good move. In the middle of the night the rain started and was relentless. I paid for that decision in the morning when I woke up and had to get the trailer ready in the pouring cold rain.
