Lost Dutchman

---

We decided that we were definitely not going to try to drag Fred over 40 miles of twisting, narrow, washboard gravel east on the Apache Trail to get to our next destination. So, we had to do an end-around to get where we were going.

We headed back south on 188 to Claypool, then west on AZ 60, heading towards Phoenix. That road turned out to be interesting in its own right. Very mountainous, with some steep climbs and decents, lots of turns, and even a short tunnel. In due course though, we found ourselves back at Lost Dutchman SP, right on the doorstep of the Superstition Mountains.

We were taking a chance here, as this is a very popular campground, and we had no reservations. It was Sunday, so we were able to secure two nights, but at different sites, so we would have to move. No biggie though, we were happy to find a place. While there, we took advantage of their great showers, hot water, and heated bathrooms — imagine!

One reason LDSP is so busy is that it is very close to Phoenix. That city and it’s suburbs are growing fast, and now Lost Dutchman is being swallowed up, it’s practically in the city now. The weather was rainy, so this gave us an opportunity to take care of a couple things. Cathy wanted to see Viggo Mortenson in “Green Book”, and I wanted to get a new battery charger/converter for Fred.

We scored on both counts, as we found a nearby theater showing the film, and I ordered what I needed from Amazon and had it shipped to an “Amazon Locker” that was just 20 minutes away from our site. The movie was good, and once again Amazon came through with a free delivery to the locker just one day after I ordered it — amazing.

There were no site available for a third night, so we went east a bit to see if there was any availability at the Forest Service “Tortilla” Campground at Tortilla Flats. The road up there was just as steep and twisty as we remembered from last year, but it was freshly paved with smooth asphalt — what an improvement. We did see a couple of likely open spots there, and with the improved road we had no hesitation about hauling Fred over, so we decided that would be our next move.

While there, we thought we would have a beer and a snack at the Tortilla Flats outpost. We ordered their “Nachos Grande”, and they delivered a mountain food on a huge platter. Our “snack” was so filling that neither of us even wanted dinner, hours later.

In our next installment, we’ll cover our trip over the winding road to Tortilla, and our planned boat trip on Canyon Lake.

---