After a quick trip to the Colorado Plateau, it was time to head back to Flagstaff for dinner and sleep. Flagstaff is home to Northern Arizona University and is in a part of Arizona with Ponderosa Pine forests at 7,000 feet elevation. The city, resting at the base of the 12,633 foot San Francisco Peaks, receives snow and is generally cold and windy - definitely not what people think of Arizona!
I moved to Flagstaff in 1997 to attend Northern Arizona University. It is a relatively small city with around 50,000 residents. Over the years, it has grown into an even better city, although I am rather upset that the Five Guys and Chipotle opened AFTER I left town. The main BNSF railroad runs through the middle of town and is a constant background noise. It also splits the downtown bars with the university, a great combination for college students.
Dinner was downtown at Diablo Burger. This small restaurant serves amazing hamburgers using local ingredients. The burger at right is locally raised beef with local bacon, local goat cheese, and Hatch chile mayo. Yes, it is served on an English muffin. It was amazing. Perfectly cooked beef with all the tasty extras, including a local stout. You can guess they are big on the local thing at this restaurant. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Flagstaff, although it is cash only. Interestingly, they only accept cash as a way to keep the profits locally instead of paying extra bank fees for processing. Cool place.
Time for some more beer. Flagstaff is home to six breweries which are part of the Flagstaff Ale Trail. That is nearly one brewery per 10,000 people! Fortunately they are all within walking distance of each other and many downtown hotels to avoid driving. This was my first visit to the new Lumberyard Brewing Company which was very impressive. They are an offshoot of the Beaver Street Brewery which was a favorite during my college years. It is a nice place looking like an upscale rustic lodge with an outdoor fire pit for those cold summer nights (and freezing winter nights). They were out of the Imperial Red, but their Scotch Ale was perfect to close out the night.
It was fun to see the old college town again and get some good food and beer to recharge the body and soul. After some needed sleep and warm clothes, it is on to the rest of my Arizona Adventure.
Here are some additional Flagstaff pictures:
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