Our Return to Flagstaff

The Lowell Observatory is a privately funded science institute whose mission is astronomical research, dating back to before the 20th century. Founded in the 1880's, this scientific campus is a great historical adventure into the study and discoveries in our and other solar systems. As a matter of fact, this is where Pluto was discovered back in 1930.

Guided tours are offered daily and take about an hour. The docent starts with a leisurely stroll through a courtyard area that is surrounded by a couple of office buildings, several observatory "domes" and a library/museum. Our first formal stop along the foot path was the mausoleum containing the bodily remains of founder Percival Lowell (1855-1916) which by no surprise, is in the shape of an observatory dome. His wife had in constructed to honor and remember her husband's love of astronomy and their live on Mars Hill where the Lowell Observatory campus is located.

Adjacent to the mausoleum is the Clark Dome containing a refractive telescope. Here we learned a lot about how telescopes function and how the observatory itself is constructed to facilitate the viewing of celestial bodies. To see the dome open and rotate so that the telescope can view the sky 360 degrees around was pretty amazing.

From there we walked to the opposite side of the courtyard where the 13-inch Abbott Lawrence Lowell Telescope used to discover Pluto is housed. It was a significantly smaller building, with its lower base constructed of stone. This telescope was used to film images that were compared to identify objects in the sky.

Our last tour stop was the library museum found inside the Rotunda Museum. Here there were several old antique telescopes, some of the scientific research journals and logs, and walls of books and other study materials. This was a very interesting place to explore as it also housed the images of the photos used to identify that Pluto existed back in 1930.

In the main visitors' center is an interactive exhibit area for the young and old; an auditorium that runs a continuous loop video telling more of the Lowell Observatory story; and a gift shop. This is also where you pay your admission fee as tours start and end here. Admission is a very reasonable $6 per person, and just $5 for seniors (65+ and college students) and $3 kids 5-17. (Kids under 5 are free.)

They have different day time and night time programs, requiring separate admission fees, even if done on the same day. For more information on tour times, programming and hours of operation, check out their web site as they do operate on a seasonal schedule: http://www.lowell.edu/outreach/index.php.

The Riordan Mansion was the "duplex" home of Tim & Michael Riordan, two Midwesterners who settled in Flagstaff in the 1890's to help brother Matt run the local lumber mill. In 1904 this mansion was completed and the two families moved in to this architectural marvel designed by the same person who did the El Tovar Lodge on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

It is referred to loosely as a duplex in that it has two separate living quarters, over 6,000 sq ft each, with a central "cabin" or family area that was shared by both families with an additional 1,000 sq ft space. In total, the Riordan Mansion is over 13,000 sq ft and 40 rooms!

Tim and his wife, along with their two children and several house servants lived in the eastern end of the mansion area . . . while Michael and his wife, five kids and sister-in-law lived in the western part of the home. Today tours are provided by AZ State Parks rangers, providing a remarkable insight into life in Flagstaff in the early 1900's before Arizona even achieved statehood.

The tour of the eastern "Tim Riordan Family Home" is completely furnished with items found in both sides of the mansion. The detail that has been maintained right down to the furnishings, wall coverings and kitchen features is very impressive. Unfortunately, photographs are not permitted on this side of the mansion, nor the central "cabin" area.

As we were led through the home, from the first floor to the second with the bedrooms, servants' quarters and bathrooms . . . back down to the kitchen, breakfast dining area, formal dining room and the living room I was simply in awe. From the beautiful and stately handcrafted walnut furniture to the original stain glass windows, this home was well designed to maximize natural lighting, space while being functional and inviting to guests.

This home was one of the first to have indoor plumbing, full electricity throughout and a six car garage! YES - six cars!! They also had telephone service and a very elaborate call system to contact their servants, bringing them to the area of the house requiring their attention or services.

The western "Michael Riordan Family Home" was less furnished and has been developed more into an area to tell more of the Riordan Family story and about life in Flagstaff during this time. Photos were permitted here, although they really do not portray the full story as seen in the fully furnished side of the mansion.

The Riordan Mansion was still lived in by the Riordan heirs until the 1980's. One of Tim Riordan's sons-in-law lived in the east wing home until his death in 1980; while one of Michael Riordan's daughters lived in the western side of the home until her death in 1985. Before their deaths, they made arrangements to donate the Riordan Mansion and most of the homes' furnishings to the State of Arizona to become a state park. The incredible generosity of this family is chronicled in this AZ State Parks article: http://azstateparks.com/Parks/RIMA/history.html .

This AZ State Park is truly a remarkable documentation of life and history in Flagstaff by a family who significantly contributed to the people and development of this great city. More information can be found at: http://azstateparks.com/Parks/RIMA/index.html to include this link to a historical documentation of how the Riordan Family built this community: http://azstateparks.com/Parks/RIMA/feature.html .

Please note, tours are provided on the hour and last about an hour, starting at 9:00am and with the last scheduled at 4:00pm. Reservations are highly recommended due to the small, intimate nature of the tours. There is a $6.00/adult fee for the guided tour throughout the mansion.

Just outside of Flagstaff are two US Park Service National Monuments . . . Sunset Crater and Wupatki which is a nice way to spend a leisurely half-day. Sunset Crater is a currently dormant volcano, that hasn't seen action in nearly 1,000 years. There are several lava flows that you can take a look at, each with their own distinct appearance. Mostly, the lava is craggy and very rough.

As you drive through the area and head on towards Wupatki, you go to an elevation of over 7,000 feet. Coming back on the backside, you enter a midlevel area filled with junipers and a lot of sagebrush type ground cover. On this day, with the high winds (gusts up to 60 mph), the tumbleweeds and dust bowls were visible throughout our drive.

We did get out and hike at the Citadel Pueblo Ruins which provided a nice walk, even if it was into the wind. Once at the top, the view was beautiful but I swear I was afraid I was going to have my big butt blown off the top of the site. Along the way, the trail goes by the Nalakihu Ruins, which still has the room-like structure standing.

The centerpiece of this US Nat'l Park Service monument is the namesake Wupatki which is located right at the visitors' center. A half-mile roundtrip walk will take you down to one of the nicest examples of the living quarters of these people, with over 100 rooms that housed nearly 100 people by the year 1182 AD. This was also a center of agriculture and farming . . . tough to imagine given the high desert landscape seen today.

Park admission is $5.00/person and is good for both Wupatki and Sunset Crater National Monument . . . and for seven days. If you are in Flagstaff and looking for a nice transition day or one that isn't too strenuous, this is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon.

For our first morning in town, we ventured downtown to Brandy's Restaurant for breakfast. While they advertise specials for dinner, they are probably best known for their breakfasts and require no advertising! They are located in a strip shopping center that also has a Safeway and Walgreens.

When you walk in, you immediately see the case filled with fresh bakery including brownies, scones, cookies, bagels and croissants. The dining area is sorta small and intimate, probably six or seven booths along the wall and eight or ten tables for two/four guests.

Once seated a young man immediately stopped by for our beverage orders . . . coffee for David and hot tea for me. I'm told the coffee was outstanding and I thoroughly enjoyed my cranberry & apple herbal tea.

Ordering breakfast was an adventure only because I couldn't decide and David really wanted something with a Southwestern flair and there were MANY options. I eventually settled in for eggs benedict ($7.99) with home style potatoes and David order the "fiesta eggs with chorizo" ($10.79) served with a tortilla flat bread and the same potatoes.

Breakfast was out pretty quickly, probably less than ten minutes . . . and piping hot. Eggs must be smaller in Arizona than Wisconsin. Not to complain, however, but David's three egg meal seemed small to me and my two eggs on the muffin didn't quite cover the slab of Canadian bacon. Maybe it was just a larger than average english muffin? David's fiesta eggs were loaded with green chili, onions and tomatoes as well as the chorizo sausage and served with a side of medium salsa.

Breakfast including hot beverages and tip was approximately $29.00; a little more than we're used to paying for breakfast out. We thought it was OK at that price and would still recommend Brandy's for breakfast. While we're in Flagstaff we may still stop in one night for dinner. They feature a Tuesday night half priced bottled wine and with your breakfast receipt you can get a 10% off discount on dinner.

One of the most interesting things here was the fact that Food Channel was here this past winter to film an upcoming episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives . . . scheduled for Monday, April 13, 2009. There were some news clips, photos and a large cinema-style poster on the wall, along with what appeared to be the logo from the show stenciled on the bright yellow wall.

We took Thursday as a day for relaxation, with nothing planned . . . including dinner! We enjoyed sleeping in late, enjoying the view from our deck as snow squalls came over the mountains, and ending the day with Chinese carry-out for dinner. China Garden was in the list of resort recommended restaurants and they deliver, so they fit the bill perfectly!

After finding an online version of their menu on the Northern Arizona University site www.campusfood.com, we were ready to place our order by phone. (College students and locals can set up an account to order online.) Given that we are a bit out of town, I was surprised to hear the delivery would be in a short 45 minutes. He arrived just about as expected, with things still warm in the bag.

The egg rolls were smaller than what we are accustomed to, but they were very good. Back in Milwaukee they would call them spring rolls because they were more of a vegetable roll with cabbage mixture. We also ordered the fried wontons (with meat) which were outstanding with large lumps of pork at the center.

For dinner, David selected the beef and mushrooms, with a varied assortment of veggies that included onion, snow peas, green onions, carrots and water chestnuts. The brown gravy sauce was very nice and the beef tender.

I had the orange beef which was somewhat disappointing. It was bland and not spicy as one would typically expect. Even their menu had the chili pepper indicating "spicy" but mine had no kick at all. Additionally, the beef chunks, while plentiful were rather tough and chewy.

Both dishes were served with steamed white rice . . . hard to mess that up so that was fine.

Dinner was delivered with plenty of condiments, including the sweet/sour sauce for the appetizers. David enjoyed the spicy mustard on his egg roll. Capped off with the obligatory fortune cookie, our meal was complete. (The delivery also included disposable plates and plastic eating utensils for those who may not have dishes or silverware.)

All in all, I would recommend China Garden. Our total meal price, including delivery charge, gratuity and taxes was $33 which we felt was very reasonable.

They are open 11a-9:30p and are conveniently located right off I40/I17 on Milton Road (Hwy 89 heading into town). I remember seeing their building when we were in town the other day and it looked like a nice place in a good area. Had we not been feeling so lazy, we would have had no problem in going down to dine there.

Not often that you go to a restaurant for dinner, looking forward to the menu they're known for, only to learn their building has been condemned "unsuitable for human occupancy" but that is how our dining experience started on this night.

We had a dining ad/coupon via e-mail for San Felipe's of Flagstaff and when we showed up, that was the sign on the front door . . . along with further explanation that there had been a kitchen fire thereby rendering the place closed. A young man watching me play tourist with the camera laughed that I was taking a strange photo. When I explained why, he said "Well you should come next door, our food's better!" So we did.

Maloney's is a small chain along the themes like Cheers. It really is a bar, a very nice bar, that also serves food. The inside was very spacious, with really nice furnishings and great chairs, stools and booths. The comfy cushions throughout all of their seating choices were very nice.

We were invited to sit where we wished, so we opted for a booth which as it turns out was the right place as it had a nice 1987 (Darkness on the Edge of Town) Bruce Springsteen photo. Once seated she stopped by for our beverage order . . . 20oz beers for both of us.

After cruising through the menu I chose the chicken filet tenders which came with a side of fries. David was more adventurous with the Fiji Chicken sandwich, which also came with fries. His sandwich was a unique concoction of a blackened chicken breast with melted muenster cheese, tomato, sweet onion, avocado, sprouts and a jalapeño-mayo sauce on fluffy bun. Sounds like an awful mix of stuff to me, but David loved it.

Overall, they had a pretty limited menu, largely burgers, sandwiches as well as salads and appetizers. They did have two dessert offerings; a "half baked cookie with ice cream" and a "chocolate lava cake." Prices were very good for all food offerings.

The service was attentive and the portions plentiful. We were very happy with this twist of fate, even though we both were looking forward to SW Mexican, but that will have to wait for another night while in Arizona.

They do have a web site that has their menu: http://www.maloneystavern.com/.

The Wyndham Flagstaff Resort is located just off I40 about 10 minutes from downtown Flagstaff. Its location makes it very convenient to do day trips to many US National Parks, including the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest . . . two of my all-time favorites. It is also very close (about an hour) for Sedona, making that a nice day trip as well.

The resort is located adjacent to a golf course in a rather residential area of town. Guests at the timeshare resort have access to use of many of the amenities of the country club including golf, swimming and their restaurant Jotini's on the Green. Because we own week 12 which is late March, it's typically a bit too cool for the pool (it opens in May) and golf. As for Jotini's, two sub-par experiences back in 2005 kept us away from there this year!

As for our timeshare, it is rare that I get to write about a unit that we actually own. We bought this back in 2004 via the resale market and paid literally pennies on the dollar for it. Unit 303 in the Tanglewood section, however, is our home now when we come to Arizona.

It is a tri-level townhouse type construction. When you enter you are on a small half-floor that contains the second bedroom with two twin beds and a full bathroom (w/shower over tub). Up a half-flight of stairs is the living area which includes a full kitchen, living room and dining room as well as a walk-out to a balcony overlooking the golf course and the San Francisco Peaks Mountains. The couch in the living room is a queen size sleeper sofa, making this unit comfortable to sleep six.

If you go down the half-flight of stairs, that takes you to the large master bedroom with a king size bed and huge master bath that includes a shower over a jetted Jacuzzi style tub.

Both bedrooms and the living room have nice televisions, with a full entertainment system also in the living area (DVD player, CD/music, etc). There is also a gas fireplace in the living room.

This is one of my favorite timeshare units to stay in, mostly because of all of the wide open space. The decorations and furnishing are nice and comfy; and the kitchen is large and open as well. Some timeshares have half or "mini" kitchens. Not this place; there are full sized appliances and plenty of counter space.

Admittedly I'm a bit biased, but I would not hesitate to recommend the Wyndham Resort at Flagstaff to anyone who is interested in seeing and exploring this area of Arizona. Be advised, however, it is not really "near" Phoenix, although that is the airport you'll fly into to get here. The drive up from Sky Harbor Airport (Phoenix) is about two hours. Other than in winter, the drive is very pleasant. We did it after dark in a sleet and ice storm back in 2005 and that was not very pleasant at all!