RV Trips South : Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ

Days 29 – 35, Monday – Monday, February 12 – 19, Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ

We headed east and south for a week at Lost Dutchman State Park, at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. Our friends Kate and Bob Weigant joined us for a few days. After we arrived, Kate and I did a walk on the Crosscut Trail, about a 2 or 3-mile loop. We had appetizers and pre-prandial beverages with a view of the Apache Leap tuff butte above us. There are lots of trails around this park, and from the loop we are in, the bathroom is about a half mile away! Luckily, we have our own, comfy facilities! Speaking of comfy, we have been sleeping well with our foam mattress pad and heated (when we need it) mattress cover! Monday night there were helicopters on the side of the mountain, and lights way up on top. We learned the next morning that hikers had had problems up there high, had medical personnel spend the night up there with a couple of them, them airlifted them out in the morning. It is dangerous country up there, steep and rocky.

Kate, on Jacob's Crosscut Trail.

View of Superstition Mountain from our campsite.

View of the sunset from our campsite. Notice 3Z and kayaks in bottom right.

Tuesday morning, we went on a bird watching walk by a volunteer, Babs the Bird Lady. Not very many birds at first, but then we saw some, including a Sage Thrasher, which she said was unusual to see. There are lots of Curve-Billed Thrashers around the campground. Bob can’t hear that term without reminding us of his favorite bird, a Rosy-Breasted Bed Thrasher! Tuesday night we went to Organ Pipe Pizza in Mesa, which we always enjoy!

Curved Bill Thrasher on a Saguaro

Wednesday Jim and I did the Treasure Loop Trail, up the left side of the talus slope to a couple of pinnacles. Jim went a little farther than I did, so I got his picture up there! I always worry about my knees hurting after coming down the steeper areas, as it is a rough trail, but I used my walking sticks, and my knees have been good! It has rained a little, but mainly at night, and not enough to interfere with our activities. Cool temperatures are good for hiking up steep trails! A campfire with entertainment at the park Wednesday night was cancelled because of the rainy weather. Those of us from Oregon would have been happy to attend, as we brought our ponchos on this trip! It has been too windy for Jim to be able to fly his copters.

Can you see Jim above me?

I zoomed in on this. Now you can find him in the pic above.

On the way up the trail.

Desert vistas

In the rocks

Heading back to the campground

We picked up some groceries at a new Fry’s in Apache Junction, a huge store with many people and many employees. They opened October 17 – wonder how their volume of business will do when the snowbirds have flown north? Jim and I hiked up the Siphon Draw Trail, which eventually goes to the top of Flatiron, if you are a rock climber! Flatiron is where the hikers got stuck Monday night. A few years ago, we saw a rattlesnake on that trail, but it is too cold this year for them to be out!

Sipon Draw Trail, Flatiron right above me in the mist.
Notice rock above me we named Monkey Head.

Jim continued up the increasingly rough trail.

No flowers blooming yet, just lichen!

This is the trail back down. Rough!

This is Siphon Draw - Jim made it to this point. Now the trail turns into rock-climbing.

Friday we drove down to Boyce Thompson Arboretum, a great place, and walked around the main loop, including a rough upper trail along the mountains. Afterward we drove up to Superior, a copper mining town, and through the hills, seeing a big cliff called Apache Leap. We saw a Cooper’s Hawk in a tree there, birders with fancy cameras taking pictures.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

There were cactus and other desert plants from all over the world.

Volcanic rock formations, reminding us of those at Watson Lake.

Beautiful sky reflections in pond below viewing platform.

View of the old house as we hiked along Queen Creek.

We hiked back along the rough Upper Trail.

Saturday morning was a Geology Walk at Saguaro, a great walk with information dumbed down enough for us with little Geology experience. The Superstitions are an ancient volcanic system that was thrust up from below 15 million years ago. We learned to recognize dacite – gray with white flecks – volcanic rock.

Website for geology slides.

Pointing to older granite outcrops below Apache Leap tuff rocks of mountain.

Saturday, we went kayaking with Jan and Dwayne at Apache Lake, always a pretty spot! Afterward we drove up to a little tourist place called Tortilla Flat and had ice cream cones – the tourist thing to do. Sunday we kayaked again, this time going up the Salt River arm a mile or so. Would have to rent a boat to go the length of 10 miles in this lake. We have been getting together before dinner for appetizers and beverages, usually inside, because it has been too cold to gather outside!