Cripes...

Oh, I hear you. We moved to the Phoenix metro area about 45 years ago from Illinois. Even then there were people moving in and trying to grow Maple trees in the desert. D'oh!! We were also a population just under 1 million then and now it's pushing 5 million. And for me that's not a good thing.
Fortunately, AZ has plenty of lonely rural areas to retire to. Then again, it seems every Bro' with a checkbook seems to think it is their duty to buy a side by side and "tear shit up" over every inch of the state. Sigh...

 

I have found two of those plugs on different trails over the years. May be you just lost yours?

 

Nah, I think I might go for the Lexus GX if I could afford it.

"You can't af-ford it, 'cause you on the wel-fare and yo' dad's an al-co-hol-ic!" God, I love that Eddie Murphy routine!

 

I have a Lexus hitch plug for sale if yours gets stolen

 

One of my favorite bits of all time. "THE ICE CREAM MAN IS COMIN'!!!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Ft4kEk5CHrE

 

I had 2 hitch caps go missing before I realized that the drive-thru car wash I use was pulling them out of the hitch. The counter clockwise spinning "brush" that cleans the hatch and rear bumper would catch on the cover lip and, zoop!!!, slicker than deer guts on a door knob, there it goes...

I was sure thy were stolen, but they weren't.

Then my problem was, I only had myself to be mad at...

 

Rick G, my experience, exactly... but it took me twice to learn... "Processor in dimly aware..."

 

Crocs in Florida as well. Luckily Nile Crocs don't have any of their large cousins here.
I put a tire carrier where the hitch cover would go, so that's a non issue but
I had a shackle stolen at the Walmart in Palatka several years ago. I hope they dropped it on their foot. Fucking thieves. I've seen people that were far from poor steal shit for no good reason other than just being selfish assholes. I think the hitch cover thief fits in this category.
Think about it, I doubt a poor and homeless person is going to steal a hitch cover. Not a very hot item at the pawn shops.