Crisp spring weather was perfect this week for a girls’ field trip to Lost Dutchman State Park and the Superstition Mountains.
At about 2,000 feet elevation, the hiking trails at the park are perfect for cool weather hiking, but the lack of shade means you won’t get me anywhere near there when the temps start climbing.
DFs Barb and Evon joined me for our expedition and we had a lovely day. But here’s the thing I really wanted to tell you.
There is so much mystery around this area. Tales of murder, ghosts, Bigfoot and UFOs.
My dear friends knew nothing of the peril I was subjecting them to before we left, but I did fill them in on why the area is called “Lost Dutchman,” and about the portals with missing persons. They didn’t seem unduly concerned and since we also didn’t catch site of snakes or Gila monsters, I guess they felt pretty safe.
Lost Dutchman Mine
The tale begins in the mid-1800s with the death of a German miner (who was mistakenly called Dutch) and his claims of hidden gold known to the Apaches and Spaniards over the years.
The lode is apparently hidden deep into the mountains (nowhere near the state park where we hiked) and the intrepid have been searching for it for years.
And many of those searchers have had very bad endings.
The subject of many documentaries, I have personally known about this place since way before I lived in Arizona. But it’s still fun to wander into scary territory.
This is a great episode from the Paranormal Files YouTube series.
Goldfield Ghost Town
Not boasting any paranormal activity I know of, is Goldfield Ghost Town just down the road from the state park entrance. It’s called a ghost town just by definition of an abandoned town. Nothing dramatic.
Goldfield is an old mining town come back to life as an old-west tourist trap. It was doing a brisk business way out in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed lunch and browsing the stores before heading back home.
Another successful outing making retirement more fun by the day.
What I’m Eating
During the recent mega shopping trip at Costco, I picked up a two-pack of Simply Fresh Tandoori Chicken Bowls. A cross between a hot meal and a fresh salad, it was really up my alley. And it was very tasty.
And then. My stomach started killing me. I do not blame the product, but rather it must contain ingredients I can no longer tolerate. I pitched the second bowl and didn’t even bother giving it another try.
Dang it.
What I’m Reading
On Kindle, a new author to me, Richard Osman, and The Thursday Murder Club. I felt like this book would be a breeze and light reading, but it turned into something a bit more substantial and delightful. And it’s the first in a series, so there’s more where that came from.
What appealed to me most is that the “club” is a group of retired professionals in a community that seems very much like the community I live in. Instead of leading frivolous do-nothing lives, they are using their experience and intelligence to solve a crime and to amuse themselves, I suppose.
On audio, I will be listening for a long time to come to Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer. This is a new book in the YA smash Twilight series told from Edward’s point of view.
I’m sort of a fan on Meyer’s so when I saw this offering I thought, “Why not?” So I’m way into it and the narrator, Jake Abel, is fantastic so I am going to finish it.
But. You knew this was coming. It’s sort of cringe worthy. Why would a 70 year old man (even though he resides in a 17 year old’s body) be interested in a 17 year old girl? Hmm? Anyone care to answer that?
I’ll let you know when I’m done, but yuck. Just yuck. And yet, here I am finishing it.
Wrap Up
This was just a stellar week enjoying time with friends, the great outdoors and time at home too. More on that later, but for now enjoy your weekend and God bless.
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