Wrapping Up Flag

Flagstaff  KOA

Flagstaff, AZ

August 17, 2025 

Indian Blanket...in the sunflower family

Historically, Flagstaff's (or Flag as the locals say) modern history began with settlers and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1880s.  This fueled the growth in the lumber, livestock, and railroad industries.  In 1884 the first post office was built beside the railroad depot as Flagstaff began to grow.  By 1886, it was the largest city on the railroad line between Albuquerque and the west coast.  

Flagstaff became incorporated in 1894. When Arizona was admitted to the Union in 1912, tourism boomed and Flag was given the name "The City of Seven Wonders"...Coconino National Forest, Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon, San Francisco Peaks, Sunset Crater, Walnut Canyon and Wupatki National Monument.   The Lowell Observatory was built in Flag in 1894 and it is among the oldest observatories in the US.  Flagstaff is the world's first International Dark Sky City for pioneering efforts to regulate light pollution and protect dark skies. The city implemented the world's first outdoor lighting ordinance in 1958 and continues today to foster strict lighting codes which allows its residents to see the Milky Way in the city.  This effort not only benefits astronomy, but also tourism, human health, and wildlife by preserving natural darkness of the night. 

Trains pass through Flag like clockwork.  The red lights flash and the guard goes down, but there are no train horns.  And sometimes there are two trains at once...one going east and the other going west. 

The original track route was relocated to a flatter area when the first depot caught fire in 1883.  The new depot was built of sandstone in 1889 and a passenger depot added in 1926 in the same area.    

In the background is the sandstone depot built after the wooden one was destroyed by fire.  The statue is titled "The Gandy Dancer".  The crews used rhythms and songs to keep a beat and stay in sync. Their tools were manufactured by the Gandy Tool Company.   

The passenger depot is now the Visitor Center and gift shop.    

A very beautiful and very detailed mural painted just under the ceiling is enhanced by a model of a 1920s train.  When you deposit a quarter in the machine, the train will circle the room.  This mural was painted by Mural Mice who also painted the mural on the side of the old Lumberyard Brewery building. 

Restored logging wheels dedicated to the pioneer forest workers of Northern Arizona and the heritage of our community.

We enjoyed our walks in the Historic Downtown District snd the Historic Railroad District.   As with most historic areas, you can find lots of history, unique shops, local breweries, public art, and restaurants, but Flag is in a charming mountain town setting.  It is clean, friendly, and colorful. 

Constructed in 1935-37 as the main Post Office for Flagstaff.  It's a two story Moderne/Deco style with copper panels.  Today it is a private office building. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. 

Hotel Monte Vista was built in 1927 to provide luxury accommodations for Flagstaff's growing tourism.  It has 73 rooms and suites on three floors. It was listed in the Register of Historic Places in 1970.  

The original gold elevator and stairs have been preserved since its construction almost 100 years ago.  Many famous people have stayed here and have walked the stairs or taken the elevator including John Wayne, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Anthony Hopkins, Esther Williams, and Barbara Stanwyck

Small balconies at Hotel Monte Vista or "Monte V" as the locals say. 

A public park with benches, tables for a picnic, and colorful flowers.

In addition to lunch at Lumberyard Brewery, we enjoyed two more meals in the Historic District.  First was an early dinner at Pizzicletta.  This owner of this quaint wood-fired pizza cafe was inspired when on a bicycle tour of Italy almost 20 years ago.  After "practicing" for 7 years in his backyard using an outdoor oven he built,  he opened his tiny restaurant with only 15 seats.  The name is a combo of pizza and "bicicletta" Italian for bicycle. 

The restaurant quickly outgrew the 15 seats and added two outdoor patios.  

The focus is on quality ingredients, and a connection to Italy's food and wine culture.  House-made mozzarella and burrata, a naturally leavened dough, sauces made from scratch, and fresh herbs and veggies is just a small portion of what makes the award winning cafe a delightful place for dinner.   

Pizzas are cooked at very high temps in a custom-built Italian wood-fired oven.

Neapolitan pizza...a soft, thin-crusted pizza characterized by its high, puffy, leopard-spotted edges and a thin, moist, floppy center.

And pizza wasn't the only thing this owner learned while touring Italy on a bicycle. Gelato made from scratch on-site is a yummy end to an already wonderful meal.

We choose a gelato flight...chocolate sea salt, coffee, olive oil (quite the yummy surprise) and salted caramel

Our other downtown meal was brunch a Brandy's Cafe.  

The cafe is the "little sister" of a bigger Brandy's Restaurant and Bakery.  The cafe was opened in 1976.  The current owner was hired as a dish washer at Brandy's when in high school and eventually made his way up to general manager.  When the original owners put Brandy's up for sale, he and his wife took the leap and bought both restaurants. His deep-rooted connection with both locations and the original owners prompted him to preserve rather than to remodel.  The focus is on made from scratch breakfast and lunch, locally roasted coffee, and local art. Our focus was on omelets! 

 

A 3-egg omelet with cheddar cheese, bacon and tomato topped with hollandaise sauce served with hashbrowns and an English muffin. By far, the best omelet I have ever had! 

  That's a wrap on our second week of vacay.  I really like Flagstaff. What's not to love about the mountains and outdoors, a vibrant downtown, and great places to dine.  Flag celebrates all four seasons and maybe another visit in fall or spring might be next.  

We stayed at the Flagstaff KOA.  It is very convenient and close to anything and everything we wanted to do or needed. The folks who work there are friendly and helpful. The birds were chirping, The tall Ponderosa pines provide lots of shade. It was quiet. It was clean. And the views of the San Francisco Peaks was a nice way to start the day.  

  

My two sleepy heads...and my world!

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS!

P.S. In real time, we returned to the sticks and stucco on Aug. 24. We had a wonderful third week of vacation which we spent in Prescott.  Those photos will be next.

Bikes, Trains, and Autos...

Corona de Tucson

August 18, 2024

Barrel Cacti are a member of the genus Ferocactus  meaning "fierce or wild cactus".   These thick barrel-shaped body cactus with long hooked spines and prominent ribs are fiercely armed with heavy, strong spines.  Some species, like the ones we see here in the Sonoran Desert have curved spines like a fishhook which gives them the common name fishhook barrel cactus.  They can grow to be 6-10 feet tall with a life span of 50 to 100 years old.  Barrel cactus grow along washes, gravely slopes, and beneath canyon walls.  Thursday, Joe and I enjoyed an adventure at Saguaro NP East to find these blooming beauties.  

The flowers always grow at the top of the plant which I refer to as a crown.  Native Americans boiled young flowers in water to eat like cabbage and mashed the older boiled flowers for a drink.   

Native Americans used the fishhook spines as needles, awls, and for tattooing. They also used the cactus as a cooking pot by cutting off the top, scooping out the pulp and inserting hot stones.

Once the buds unfold, the cactus flower lasts from a few hours to several days.  But each plant has lots of buds so the bloom season can last for a couple of months.  

These blooms range in colors from yellow, orange and red and usually appear in September thru October.

These gorgeous flowers are not only visually appealing but also serve an important purpose....They attract pollinators like bees and birds that transfer pollen from one flower to another enabling the cactus to produce fruit.

Saturday mid-morning, Jamie, Andra and Ozzie came to visit.   

We had a great time catching up with lots of laughs, lunch (toasted bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches with cheese, macaroni salad and fruit) playing, and sitting on the patio watching the birds and an awesome storm complete with rain, thunder and lightening rolling by.  

Thank goodness the skies cleared as we had Saturday night plans for a double date.  Tucson Botanical Gardens had an event hosted by the gardens and Truly Nolen Pest Control.  There was a display of lowrider bikes which are highly customized bicycles with styling inspired by lowrider cars.   Lots of chrome, overspoked wheels, long curved banana seats and ape handlebars are common.

Complete with a spare tire, and blue dice tire valve stem caps...

Back in the 1920s, Old Pueblo, was coined by the locals as a name for Tucson to bring tourists, snowbirds, health seekers, and retirees to the area.  It represents the location with its Spanish-Indian past and was first used publicly in a 1937 issue of Arizona Highways Magazine.  Also on exhibit were Old Pueblo lowrider cars.  The bikes were cool, but the cars were way more cooler !  These unique vehicles which are an expression of identity...social, cultural, and aesthetic...feature extended bodies and a "low to the road roll".  They have been a popular choice for cruising and a popular pastime in many American communities...Tucson is no exception !  Lowriding puts both the cars and their riders on display.  Beautiful colors...

The suspension can raise and lower rapidly causing the car to hop and jump.... sometimes completely off the ground !  We saw one entering the event last night doing just that!

...artisitc designs...

Low and Slow is the lowrider motto.  This phenomenon had its origins in the 1940s when Mexican American communities in California began customizing their vehicles... a contrast to the muscle cars built for speed that also began in the 40s.   

...and unique and one of a kind vehicles invite conversations and interest. 

Also on display were vintage VWs. I do have a soft spot for VW Beetles.  When I was 15 and got my learners permit to drive, my grandfather had a Beetle...a 1965. It was a baby blue color with chrome bumpers and a stick shift.  Back in those days our state had tax collectors and my grandfather was one of them. He had a route he traveled monthly to collect payments.  During the the summer when I was 15, I would go with him at least one day during the week and drive him to his stops.  We traversed the backroads of Troup, Meriweather, and Harris Counties.  I loved it !  Country stores and out of the way full-service gas stations were my favorite stops ...fresh hoop cheeses and crackers and homemade summer sausages, and salted peanuts dropped in bottles of coke were always on the lunch menu for the two of us.  Such wonderful memories.  

The last exhibit is actually a permanent exhibit at the gardens.  The Great Garden Express brings classic model trains to life while featuring landmarks from national parks/monuments and southwest missions nestled in high desert plantings and also structures that mimic the picturesque, rocky landscape of the Southwest and Arizona.  We walked under elevated tracks with engines pulling passenger cars...

and along the path we watched as engines pulled freight thru tunnels and around points of interest.

There are six G scale model trains winding their way thru the exhibit.

Taos Pueblo in Taos, NM dating back between 1000 and 1450 AD.

As we meandered thru the exhibit it was fun looking for structures like Tucson's own Mission San Xavier, the Canyon Diablo elevated bridge near Flagstaff, Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon Depot.  I wish we had been given a check list of the structures.  After doing a wee bit of research, I know I want to return to see them all.  

Grand Canmyon Depot was completed in 1910 and the last passenger train passed thru the station in 1968.

The Great Garden Express was custom designed and made for Tucson Botanical Gardens by Laura Busse Dolan and the team at Applied Imaginations...nationally-recognized for garden railways using only natural materials.  Everything they design and build is made with plant materials that these artists select to hand-sculpt each unique architectural element...pods, barks, cones, branches, leaves, and even fungus.  With the proper coatings, these models can "live" for decades.  The Great Garden Express is the only Busse railroad in Arizona and the first to debut west of the Mississippi.  

Simple designs...

very elaborate designs...

The crepe myrtles were blooming...a reminder of our Georgia home.

Huge evergreen bushes of Cape Leadwort were full of gorgeous blue blooms.

I had to look up to the sunflowers...

and we saw signs that maybe fall is just around the corner...

It was a fun date night with the kiddos topped off with dinner at Edna's Cafe located inside the gardens before heading home.   

 

Back at the oasis, we had wind, rain, and hail on Thursday.  That was exciting !  

Sometimes we just get a nice rain shower...we love rain in the desert !

I made a veggie quiche...it was yummy !

The skies never disappoint...

The birds are entertaining...

Busy little hummers...

Still molting...

The first hawk to stop by in awhile...

It's always important to take time to smell the flowers...

And that's a wrap on the week.  Until next time...

Coral Vine at TBG...

Sunset from the patio at Edna's Cafe when we had dinner...

HAPPY TRAILS !