Lost Dutchman SP- Hiking with Sarah and Jason–Saturday

Sarah and Jason spent Friday night with us in the camper at Lost Dutchman State Park.

On Saturday morning, we joined a group for a Ranger led hike along several trails up to Prospector’s View.

Fred and I pause at the junction of Jacob’s Crosscut Trail.

Sarah and Jason at Prospector’s View.

What a view…….!

The Ranger was an older woman who could hike us all into the ground. She had been working at this park for 25 years, and gave us quite a bit of information about the plants and birds and local lore as we hiked.

We hiked back down the mountain, and settled back at the camper….glad to have a rest and a cool drink!!

Desert Flowers

Beautiful! A study in contrasts….soft blooms amid prickly spines.

on a Hedgehog Cactus….

Yellow blooms on dry Brittle Bush.

Red blossoms painting the dry desert landscape…..and these are edible! They taste like cucumber!

The Ocotillo- which only blooms after a rain….

Maybe, that is what makes the desert flowers so beautiful…..contrasts….and contradictions.

Lost Dutchman State Park, AZ

We spent our time in the Phoenix area camped out at Lost Dutchman State Park – about 30 minutes from Sarah’s apartment in Chandler. This park is at the base of the Superstition Mountains (so named for all the superstitions that the Indians had regarding these mountains). And the ‘Lost Dutchman’ refers to a German miner who claimed to have had a mysterious gold mine, whose location was never found. It was the mine, not the miner, who was lost – as the ‘Dutchman’ is buried in the Old Miners Cemetery in Phoenix!

Our campsite was very nice, with a view out over the desert cactus – which we especially enjoyed each morning when we would have our coffee.

This desert area was beautiful…..and a bit greener after a rain.

Each weekday morning, Fred and I would take a nice hike……

There were several good 3-4 mile hikes up into the mountain side, and back down.

In the evenings, we would head into Chandler to visit with Sarah and Jason. Then, back to our camper for the night.

Geocaching

Sunday - On our way back to Sarah and Jason’s apartment, they shared with us their new hobby, geocaching. There is a website which lists all the geocaches that are located in a given area. These “geocaches” are hidden stashes that individuals have hidden and recorded the location of them on this website with coordinates, or maybe just clues about where to find them. Then others will go and, taking these coordinates or clues, will try to find them. Sort-of like a treasure hunt. For more information you can check out the website: http://www.geocaching.com/

Jason is using an app on his cell phone to map out the location of a geocache in the area. Some caches are very difficult to find and may require walking off road several miles. This particular geocache was rated an ‘easy’ one and was close to the road.

We spotted the geocache, in this case, a camouflaged ammo box, hidden under a small tree. Some geocaches are this size, though some are very small, hidden in a sardine can or something similar.

Inside the ammo box is a plastic bag that contains a small notebook and a number of small ‘trinkets’ (plastic toys, cars, etc.).

After finding the geocache, you are to sign the notebook, and then later record the find on the website.

Then you take out one of the ‘trinkets’…….

And add one of your own. Sarah and Jason usually add a coin from some foreign currency which they have collected.

Some of the caches have been in the same location for several years, and have been found as many as a hundred times. It is fun to see who all has found a cache, and where they are from. It is interesting to think of all the ‘hidden’ items that are around your area, and all the people who are engaged in the activity of searching or hiding. Almost like an underworld……

Trail Riding

At Goldfield Ghost Town, we went for a trail ride. This was something that Sarah and Jason had done before, and had LOVED it, and I understand why. We had a wonderful time!

We each got matched to a horse to suit our experience and personalities. Mine kept needing prodding and encouraging just to keep up. I’m not sure what that said about me………

We went for an hour’s ride, led by the trail guide, an old rancher who was from the Denton, TX area.

Riding along was so peaceful…..

And the view from the saddle of a horse is different than when we are on foot. it may be that the horse is doing all the walking, so I don’t have to watch my feet so carefully. : )

The scenery was beautiful….very wild west. One could almost picture being in a western.”I should have been a cowboy…..”

Or “….a cowgirl”!

Walking alongside……in faith and in spirit

My Aunt Lorene died yesterday…….a really remarkable woman of faith Not the flighty “God will provide, so I don’t have to do anything” sort, rather, she was the down to earth, get your hands dirty in the garden, and get out and give God a hand kind of person.

Lorene died surrounded by family and held up in the love of family and friends and a whole community of people that her life had touched.

As Fred and I are here in Arizona, and have kept in touch by the wonders of computers and cell phones, our hearts and minds kept turning to those lovingly sitting at Lorene’s bedside in Springfield, MO…… especially Uncle George, who had to say what must be the hardest of goodbyes……and to my Mom, who is grieving the loss of a sister-in-law, but also grieves for her little brother. And for my cousins David and Tim, who lost a mother, who so often is the ‘heart’ of a family.

Each morning this week, Fred and I have gotten out to hike in the State Park where we are staying. And each morning, as we walked along, we marveled at God’s creation, and the beauty that is present even in the desert. (Yes, I AM beginning to appreciate the desert!)

We took the time to consciously feel a sense of spirituality and connectedness  through  the grandeur of God in nature…….

And felt that, with each step, we were walking alongside…………

Goldfield Mine Ghost Town

On Sunday, March 20th, Fred and I and Sarah and Jason toured the Goldfield Ghost Town. This was an old mining town that was recreated just as it looked in the late 1800’s.

It had all the prerequisite buildings…….

The Mercantile……

 

A Bordello….

The Church….

which still has services on Sunday mornings.

And, of course, the jail.

There was a bit of dancing in the streets……

And even a gunfight!

Quite an exciting morning…….and we were not even through!