Lost Dutchman State Park

We're back at the Dutchman for two weeks.  It always amazes us how we can feel so remote in the high deserts of Arizona with the Superstition Mountains towering overhead, and yet only an hour from the downtown of the fifth largest city in America, Phoenix.  We have a great campsite with views of the mountains, the cactus growing up the hills, and the always wonderful sunsets.

We rented a car for one of the two weeks, so we were able to check out more than the immediate surroundings.  So here is some of what we experienced.

Hiking: In the park, we hiked Siphon Draw; a rocky climb up 900 feet to a "crease" in the Superstitions where there is a smooth rock slide.  Just outside the park, we hiked the Peralta Trail up to the saddle where we had views of Weavers Needle.  We were feeling good as we climbed up over 1,200'  over lots of rocks.  At the saddle, we had our lunch stop before heading back down.

With our rental SUV we drove to Tortilla Flats where there is a very nice NF campground (future camping) and the Saloon and General Store where we enjoyed a great lunch, and then listened to a Western band.  We had hoped to continue on to Roosevelt Lake, but due to a summer wild fire and then severe flooding, the road was closed; so another day we drove via Globe to check out RL.

We were surprised when we arrived at Roosevelt Lake with the impressively large and scenic campground (another future camping place), to find the Tonto National Monument.  The Monument protects some cliff dwellings, which can be explored via a climbing asphalt path.  We climbed through Saguaros and wild flowers to have an opportunity to climb into the dwelling, which included the original wood beams from over 500 years ago.

Another day, we headed over to the Heard Museum of Native Indian art.  In addition to the art, there is a permanent exhibit of the story of how our American government took  Native American children away from their parents and their tribal reservations, and shipped them to schools, to remove the "savage" from them.  How sad and poignant.





Frank Lloyd Wright's Talisin, his western home and business center, was another of our day trips.  Built in the 1930s and continually being revised and added to, Wright's architectural style was clearly portrayed in this center.  When built, Talisin was on the northern edge of town, up on a hill, with great vistas.  Today it still has great vistas but Scottsdale is just outside its property.

Just before leaving Lost Dutchman, we joined the singing cowboy.  Farewell to a great two weeks.