Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, Arizona
He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend. ~ Proverbs 22:11
I apologize. I got caught up in yesterday’s drama and forgot to include the orange cookie recipe. It’s at the end of this post. Promise!
The first order of business today was to drive to the campground bathroom, and following that to wash our hands really well, then use the hand sanitizer in the Jeep, then come home and wash them again. I know it seems like overkill or paranoia, but when it comes to public bathrooms, better safe than sorry.
Next order (after breakfast), pack up, get to the dump station, then on the road before we need to use public restrooms again. 😊
We’re sad to leave this place! Such beauty all around us! And friends! But our next stop is about 20 minutes from the gorgeous Red Rock area of Sedona, Arizona, so we’re pretty excited about that!
Guess they’ve had their fair share of rock slides here.
Glad they fixed that problem!
Stunning views!
Porta potty’s were set up in the parking lot along with handwashing stations.
Kinda scary!
It was sitting in the ‘check brakes’ area.
Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Cottonwood, Arizona
Are you wondering about the name of this place, just as we did? According to the State Park brochure they gave us when we arrived:
The ranch got its name when the Ireys family came to Arizona from Minnesota in the late 1940s looking to buy a ranch. At one property they discovered a dead horse lying by the road. When Mr. Ireys asked the kids which ranch they liked best, they said, “The one with the dead horse.” The family named it “Dead Horse Ranch,” and when Arizona State Parks acquired the park in 1973, the Ireys made retaining the name a condition of sale.
The State Park includes 423 acres and is located within the Coconino National Forest.
As I said, we’re near Sedona. Sedona was the first place we can remember ever encountering a round-about. We both remember it as being a bit confusing and scary at the time – probably about 12 years ago.
As we neared our destination, 144 miles and three hours after we left, we counted 11 round-abouts within 12 miles. They really like them in this area of Arizona!
After dinner, we did our usual cursory walk around our new lodgings. There’s a trail directly across from us that goes up to the top of a hill. Nice place to view tonight’s sunset!
VALENCIA DELIGHTS
¾ C. butter
1 C. sugar
1 egg
1 t. baking powder
1 t. vanilla
¾ t. salt
2 C. flour
2 T. orange peel (2 large oranges)
¼ – 1/3 C. sugar for coating
GLAZE:
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips
¼ C. butter
3 T. light Kayro syrup
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Beat butter for 30 seconds with an electric mixer. Add sugar. Beat until combined. Add egg, baking powder, vanilla & salt.
Beat in as much flour as you can. Stir in the remaining flour and orange peel.
Shape dough into 1” balls. Roll in sugar to coat. Place 2” apart on parchment paper OR ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten to ¼” thickness with the bottom of a glass.
Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.
Prepare the glaze. Dip each cookie halfway into the glaze. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Chill 15 minutes or until chocolate is set. To store, layer between sheets of wax paper in airtight container.
Makes approximately 4 dz. cookies
HINT: I don’t dip the whole cookie. I just hold onto a piece of it and dip most of the top. Saves chocolate from coating the bottom, so they’re easier to deal with.