MEETING NEW ARIZONA TRAVELERS THAT ARE RIDERS

One of the greatest things that comes from doing the blog is meeting the people that follow it, they already know who I am but I don't know them yet and when you get to know them it is always so exciting. We have met some of the greatest people via this blog. Last year we hooked up with Alan Gillman and he has become a super friend. Ron and I have shared hundreds of miles of trails with Alan. This year we have already met some great people. Tim and Jan are no exception they rolled into Goldfield with there big over sized mules and saw my cat and found out shortly after that I was the person that wrote the blog that had motivated them to make the trip to Arizona. They stayed at Goldfield for less then a week but we showed them some pretty amazing trails and I think have hooked them into returning again real soon.

I think they will be friends for life :) We all had such a super time in just 5 short days.

To get to this first trail head at Usery if leaving like us from Goldfield you would turn right on 88 heading towards Apache Junction the first intersection by "The Hitchpost"is Lost Dutchman road turn right, Lost Dutchman then turns into Brown road. Just before the 202 you turn right on S Ellsworth road and head north. This turns into Usery Pass you will go by the Usery Pass Park on the right and the gun range on the left there will be a small parking lot on the right after that one there is another one that is big enough for horse trailers but comes up fast. We parked there and rode through to Goldfield.

Tim here is on a big 4 1/2 year old Molly mule she is well into the 16hh marker. The other mule of Tim's I now call "Cholla" he is a 1/2 TB john mule and is also 16hh. 

We decided to take them on a long ride that really showed the lay of the land. We started over at the Usery Highway trail head back to Goldfield. 

Tim wanted me to see what it was like to ride a nice big mule so we switched animals and he rode Hunter 1/2 the way over. Look at the ears on this girl and boy could she walk out. 

Tim and Ron coming down the trail behind me. 

I love this sand draw goes through a beautiful canyon. 

Picture of me on big Clara the molly mule. 

Tim back there on Hunter wishing he was still on a mule LOL 

Tim back on his molly mule Clara

Getting close to the other side you can see Superstition Mountains. 

We rode up the hill onto the top of the Goldfield/ Bulldog mountain range. 

Here is a good picture of Jan on Tim's Mule Smokey (Cholla will tell story later LOL)

Tim and Jan with Superstition Mountains in the back ground. 

Heading over the top of Bulldog. 

Great shot of me, Jan and Ron. 

Love the face in the rock. 

Heading down the trail towards Goldfield Ghost Town 

At the Mammoth Saloon. 

As Toby Keith would say "Love this bar".  :) 

Those are some big ears in that there picture LOL 

This was the route above we took the first time through. This route was via Bush highway we took the trail head from Usery Pass this time. 

The next day the sky's were pretty dark but that was not going to let that stop us. 

We loaded up 3 mules and 2 horses and friends Ken and Ann from Alberta followed us over to Saguaro Lake trailhead. 

This would be Ron's first ride on Alan's new Molly Mule "Miss Kitty". She had arrived in the night from Texas. Alan had bought her on just the word of a few good people that she was a wonderful good safe mule. Alan was not in AZ anymore as he had gone to Utah for a few days to spend it with his family. 

Off we went into the dark sky.  

From the trail head we traveled along the river towards the highway crossing

We took the trail along the river to our favourite lunch spot in the sand draw. 

So far so good with the new mule Miss Kitty

We headed up a trail over looking the lake and the sky's broke open. 

Got some great pictures of us soggy dogs over looking the lake. 

Look these "Asses" ......LOL

Minutes after this photo was taken Smokey who I know call Cholla jumped up and onto a Cholla tree. Teddy bear Cholla to boot. He had it every where. He ran off bucking throw poor Jan to the ground. It took 3 guys almost an hour to get most of the Cholla out before we got back on and headed down the hill to the trail head. 

Jan and Tim switched mules for the way down. 

Looking at the trail down. 

This trail looks over the lake and dam. 

Beautiful view even with dark sky's. 

Almost at the bottom. Jan is feeling the pain of her fall. 

Jan and Tim riding off into the sunset on their "Asses"

Ron was very impress with Miss Kitty's first day out. 

Here is the full trail we took around to the lake. 

The end of another cold but good ride. 

Today is a beautiful day. So we rode from Camp. Crossed the highway from Goldfield up passed Kings stables into the Lost Dutchman park. 

One of the local wranglers had told Jan and Tim there were no real trails on the Superstition mountain  side in the Lost Dutchman state park. 

I really like this side of the highway. 

We took the Jacob trail all the way to the 1st water turn off then up to the gravel pit.

The last ride with Tim and Jan we drove up the highway to the Bulldog trailhead. 

This is a very scenic trail.  

Ron checked out Miss Kitty's rock climbing ability. 

Of course I had to show them my horse Hunter would try and go anywhere a mule would too. 

Terri came with us again love this picture in the low light coming down the hillside. 

We always seem to find some kind of water on the trail. 

Riding back in the low light of the sunset is always just beautiful. 

We saw a red/silver fox run across our path. I did not get a picture of it Ron rode up hoping to flush it out so I could get one. 

Another super day and our last day with our new friends. They are now back in the snow wishing they never left here.

To get to this trail head you head left out of Goldfield and up towards Canyon Lake. It is past Lost Dutchman state park, past 1st water and just past the gravel pit parking lot all on the right but this trail head is on the Left just as you head up the hill.