Kirk and Cathy are busy elsewhere, so today a short post from the banks of the Colorado River. Although it may not seem like ice-cream weather in much of the US, Ed (from Yuma) and the Yuma Visitors' Bureau want you to know it is always summer here (OK, almost always).
At about the same time Arizona inaugurated a governor who made his reputation and fortune selling gimmicky ice cream franchises (yes, you heard me, Cold Stone Creamery), I thought it appropriate to focus on a local, family-owned, independent ice cream shop in Yuma:
Like Baskin-Robbins, Solano's offers you a lot of flavor choices, but unlike Baskin-Robbins, the friendly folks at Solano's are creative, inventive, and maybe a little weird. Every time you come in there will be at least 18 different flavors of ice cream arranged in tubs with labels explaining your choices: 
Here's another photo of some tubs: 
While I don't have a complete list (maybe one doesn't exist), we have encountered flavors like balsamic strawberry, sweetcorn raspberry, cinnamon toast, maple walnut, vanilla bean, fruit loops, Yuma Fire Dept (with red hots), malted milk balls, coconut, toasted coconut, pineapple, orange dream sicle, Oreos and cream, sweet cream, rocky road, chocolate, red velvet cake, butter pecan, pistachio, strawberry rhubarb, blueberry habanero, and everybody’s favorite maple bacon (okay maybe not vegetarians’ favorite).
You can buy cups of ice cream with three different flavors – and more than three scoops it seems. If memory serves, on our first trip, Tina chose Yuma fire department , maple bacon, and sweetcorn raspberry: 
She liked them all.
More conventional, I picked maple bacon, cinnamon toast, and?: 
Maple Bacon is an idea that should spread. Just perfect flavor. The cinnamon toast had the right flavors of cinnamon and toast, but lacked the crunch I was hoping for.
Of course, you can get single scoop waffle cones (maple walnut?): 
Or single serving cups – here Solano’s sweet cream: 
And if you're really hungry they have a range of Sundaes: 
Here's a Sand Dune Sundae (I think): 
And a Pecan Grove:.
It took me three evenings to eat this sucker; it was so rich and sweet and filling. And good!
Solano”s is truly a family operation: 
I believe I've seen at least three generations working together to make the place of success. I don't have a current price list, but you like good ice-cream, you will find the prices fair and portions large. Some hot evenings in the summer, the service is a little slow, but it is friendly, so I have always enjoyed the weight – correction, the wait.
Solano's Homemade Ice Cream, 1452 South 4th Avenue, Yuma, AZ 85364, open noon to 10 PM every day except Wednesday
Now this is the type of ice cream place I’d rather visit than the soul-less Cold Stone. I much prefer smaller mom and pop places. I like that they have a mix of standard and not-so-standard flavors (that sweetcorn raspberry sounds intriguing).
Just wondering if the Sundae named “The Criminal” is a nod to the Yuma High School mascot?
That sweetcorn raspberry sounds intriguing.
Most of the odd flavors I’ve tried, cc and jan, have been tasty. The sweetcorn raspberry is good and is usually a choice there.
It is a local operation, so cc, the criminal sundae is for Yuma High (go Crims), the raider for Cibola, and the king for KOFA (named after the King of AZ mine).
WoW! That is a cool looking ice cream shop! I stopped going to Cold Stone when they stopped giving out the free birthday ice cream…
Ah, thank you for the info! Very cool to know! One of my co-workers is a “Crim”.
Soo, as a general rule I try to avoid large chains and prefer local operations. Of course, I’m sure somebody has probably already suggested that Solano’s sets up franchises.
Not a native Yuman, cc, I have had to learn these things. A good friend just stated teaching at Yuma High, so that’s the reason for “go Crims.”