In the last leg of our recent trip to Flagstaff,  I am ashamed to admit,  I displayed a momentary intensity that perhaps bordered on madness, as our GPS had us abandoned on a muddy, end of the road, this is where the snowplows fear to tread kind of place.

You know you have gone to far when your wife, who comes from a long line of Roman Catholics, is looking for some holy water, a cross, or perhaps even a silver dagger to slay your momentary burst of frustration.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not a violent guy, but…I sure was frustrated with my GPS.

When we found ourselves, out in the middle of nowhere, I just knew that we blew our chances to shoot the Arizona Mountain Mushers 2010 Mormon Lakes Sled Dog Races.

Undeterred by our certain tardiness, we turned around and found our path to the races just as the very last, and I mean the very last dog sled came across the finish line.

I snapped this photograph, and we literally turned around and left as the dog sled races were now over.

Therefore, I guess this story isn’t so much about sled dog races, as it was a lesson for us on perhaps better planning, and reminding ourselves that when traveling, we should always expect the unexpected.

If I have any satisfaction from this particular story, it was delivered in my determination to get at least one photograph from this sled dog race.

For that I am grateful.

Oh, I also had to promise my wife to chill out the next time unexpected circumstances cross the path of this A-Type, perfectionist personality.

The Inn at 410

Most surprisingly, it is a nine room bed & breakfast.  But don’t worry, the large luxurious rooms, and the careful layout of the property will afford you all the privacy you desire.  Even better, you can enjoy a cup of tea, and a homemade cookie in the parlor while you visit with travelers from all over the world.

This was our second visit to Gordon Watkin’s exquisite establishment, and as raving fans of his hospitality, we are certain to be back for many more visits.

Disclosure:  This lodging experience was provided by Gordan Watkin’s Inn at 410.

There seems to exist, somewhere deep in my DNA, a magnetic sort of pull to small town breakfast eateries.  To be fair, Flagstaff probably doesn’t qualify for what most people would call a small town, but this restaurant has the look and feel of many a small town diner across our land.

As we pulled off the main street onto Beaver street, we immediately sensed a sort of bohemian feel to the area.  You know, college age kids walking around with that artsy kinda look about them.  Even though it was winter, and 31 degrees outside, some young guy was strumming his guitar on a picnic bench across the street, while two other picnic tables full of onlookers sipped their steaming hot drinks.

As we walked through the blanket draped over the doorway to keep the draft out, we found ourselves gazing upon a delightful diner with artwork from local artists on the walls, a mild smell that lets you know that you are in a building likely over 100 years old mixed with wondrous breakfast smells from the kitchen, and the beaming smile of Jennifer (pictured with Carol) our waitress.

Even though it was just after 12:00 I was here with one central purpose:  breakfast!

After scanning the menu,  I chose the Trout and Eggs completed with a made-from-scratch buttermilk pancake, while Carol chose the Eggs Beaver Street, which was a salmon and creme cheese play on Eggs Benedict.

Now, before you start lecturing me about my non-heart-healthy food choices, please understand that this is precisely why I came here.  When I saw the Trout and Eggs feature listed on-line, I knew I was going to visit Connie Ghiglieri’s La Bellavia Restaurant.

The trout was delicious, and Carol’s Egg Beaver Street was out of this world.

If you, like me, enjoy small town breakfast eateries, then La Bellavia ranks with the best of them.  We highly recommend it.

Today we made our journey up the mountain to Flagstaff.  When we left Scottsdale, at 9:00 a.m., it was 60º, and when we made it to Flagstaff, two hours later, it was 31º.

As we made our climb we saw patches of snow at 5,000 feet, deep snow at 6,000 feet, and gobs of snow in Flagstaff at 7,000 feet.

The photograph above is from Arizona’s Snowbowl at 9,200 feet, and as you can see, we were blessed with some sunshine in order to share this phenomenal panorama with you.

When I stepped out of the car, I was majorly bummed because I forgot to put the SD card back in my Nikon D80.  Therefore, all of my photographs from this weekend are going to be from my little Sony point-and-shoot.  Sheez!  I was not happy with myself for such a rookie mistake.

We live in North Scottsdale with an altitude of roughly 2,100 ft, and enjoy winter weather that is typically sunny, and produces highs of 70º each day.  Flagstaff, on the other hand, sits at roughly 7,000 ft, and is currently blanketed with snow from a week of massive snow storms.

As Michigan natives we are very familiar with snow, but we have never experienced snow in Arizona.  When we noticed that Flagstaff was having its 24th Annual Winterfest, we thought this might be a fun little excursion to try out our travel planning systems.

Here is our planned itinerary:

• Friday
  • make the 5,000 foot drive up to Flagstaff.
  • have lunch at La Bellavia.
  • photo op (depending on the weather) around the Snowbowl Ski Resort.
  • a visit to the Museum of Northern Arizona.
  • check into the highly praised Inn at 410 Bed & Breakfast.
  • enjoy dinner at Flagstaff’s highly rated Cottage Place restaurant.
  • after dinner, take a stroll through Flagstaff’s First Friday Artwalk.
  • sleep in warm bed by a comfy fire.
• Saturday
  • eat a fine breakfast at Inn at 410 Bed & Breakfast.  Enjoy conversation with other guests and the owners.
  • attend the Arizona Mountain Mushers Sled Dog Races.
  • drive back down the mountain to Scottsdale.

While I have been busily working on this post, Carol has been running around the house looking for winter coats, boots, hats, gloves, etc.

We are looking forward to this little repose, and greatly look forward to bringing back a wealth of exciting stories and memories.

Stay tuned!

Note:  Creative Commons photograph from Al_HikesAZ on Flickr.