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.

Arizona Snowbowl

Flagstaff KOA

Flagstaff, AZ

August 13, 2025 

N Snowbowl Rd...such a beautiful scenic drive 

Arizona Snowbowl is an alpine ski resort, located in the San Francisco Peaks, sits at 9,500 feet above sea level.  It started its operations almost 90 years ago in 1938.  It was in 1938 that the US Forrest Service granted a permit for construction of a road and a ski lodge on the western slopes of the peaks. Today, Arizona Snobowl operates under a 777-acre special use permit that is renewed every 40 years. As the years passed, Snowbowl grew.  A new lodge,  expanded parking, a paved road, four new lifts, and 50 more acres of trails have been added.  

The patio and restaurant at Agassiz Lodge.  There is also a bar, a souvenir shop, a children's play area, and where you
catch the lift.

The paved road to Agassiz Lodge is only 9 miles, but it's a beauty! Wildlife, trees from pines to aspens, slow curves and ups and downs kept me camera ready. 

Arizona Gondola (where you have a gondola all to yourself) takes you on a 30 minute trip to 11,500 feet just shy of Agassiz Peak which is the second highest peak at 12,356 feet.

Arizona Snowbowl is located on the western slope of Mount Humphreys (the tallest point in our state). 

There is a short hike at the drop-off point.  Steps then a switchback and a climb lead to a "far as the ye can see" viewing area.  It isn't a hard hike and I was so grateful not to be bothered with altitude issues.  

The is an average of 260 inches of snowfall here a year.

The views were incredible! 

I was a wee bit disappointed the rest of the trail was closed, but having scrambled to the peak of Mt Crested Butte in July 2016, I was also relieved not to have the pressure to do so.  

I was curious and looked up the federally protected plant on the sign. Francisco Peaks ragwort is a dwarf alpine plant in the sunflower family that is found only on the talus slopes in the alpine zone on the SF Peaks.  It was listed on the threatened species list in 1983.  

We bought our tickets on line weeks before we arrived.  The earlier you get them, the cheaper they are and seniors and veterans and active military get extra discounts.  You can ride the gondola as many times as you want to on the date of your ticket. 

If you don't like gondolas, the scenic drive is a nice way to experience the San Francisco Mountains.  The lodge has a nice patio for sitting and a nice place for lunch.  The restaurant serves burgers and sandwiches with fries, and soup, salad, and wraps.  We had a burger and a chicken wrap and shared fries.  There is something special about having lunch at 9500 feet.  We people watched, perused the souvenir shop, and sipped hot chocolate...not because it was cold, just a bit chilly and windy, but because it's the thing to do at a ski lodge!   Before we knew it, it was time to head home to Lucy.

You can bring your own picnic too.  There are lots of places to sit !

The drive down the mountain is just as nice as the drive up the mountain.  We saw a herd of elk, two fawns, and a family of deer as we slowly made the twists and turns.

 

It was a really nice morning...some sun, lots of clouds, a few drops of rain, breezy and a little chilly.  I'll close with a few photos and until next time...

HAPPY TRAILS!