I had read a bit more about the Flagstaff area after our last visit and came across entries for Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument which caught my attention. I had never heard of these places before and was quite interested. Also, the two National Monuments are basically linked together on the same stretch of road so we could do both on the same trip. The visitors center at Sunset Crater was still closed at the time of our visit, so we headed up Highway 89 and turned off on Forest Road 545. We then headed to the Wupatki National Monument Visitors Center to pay our entrance fee.
As you exit the rear of the visitor's center you come across the paved trail for the Wupatki Pueblo. Wupatki means "long cut house" in Hopi. And the view is quite impressive.
You'll also see what is described as a round "ball court" and what is said to be a "community room or amphitheater".
We headed on down the trail. The main structure is said to have consisted of 104 rooms!
All of this built by Ancestral Puebloans. This place also ties into nearby Sunset Crater. It is said that the population of the area grew after the eruption of Sunset Crater as the ash improved the quality of the soil.
We read that this spot was used for gatherings.
While this one was a ball court.
Right next to the Ball Court is a blowhole.
There are supposedly several of them in the area.
Of course coming from Hawaii, I'm quite familiar with Blowholes, so I found this fascinating. More interesting info here.
The longer you stay, the more you start noticing things.
We spent a bit over an hour here. It was an interesting place to visit.
We then got back on FR-545 and meandered our way over the 19 miles or so, stopping at a few places along the way. The terrain suddenly changed as the road was lined with trees.
We stopped at the Cinder Hills overlook. And here you can see Sunset Crater.
Sunset crater is the youngest of the volcanoes that form the San Francisco Volcanic Field having erupted between 1064 – 1085.
We drove over to the Lava Flow Trail area. Some of it is paved and we enjoyed the unpaved portion more.
I liked getting up close to see an actual spatter cone!
And being a kid from Hawaii, I was surprised to see an A’a Trail. In case you don't know, A’a is a Hawaiian word for a specific kind of lava!
I think that having been to Volcanoes National Park at least a half dozen times gave me a really deep appreciation for this place. I know the Hopi had legends about Sunset Crater and will probably get a book one day…..I hope Madame Pele doesn't get jealous!
From here we headed back into Flagstaff and had a light lunch at Whole Foods then headed back to the hotel. After parking we decided to take a stroll and do some lèche-vitrine (window shopping).
We also took a stroll by the very distinctive gothic looking Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel.
Then heading back to rest up before dinner.
For dinner I had selected a place that seemed to have interesting appetizers. As I've mentioned before, we've often found that the most enjoyable dishes in the starters section of the menu. It seems that chefs will often provide more tasty interesting dishes as appetizers as thy don't have to stick to the "big protein" formula of mains. The menu at Atria, a block from our accommodations opened in the winter of 2021 and the menu seemed to be a good fit for our appetite.
Atria claims to serve "Modern American" and farm to table cuisine. Our Server, I wish I could remember his name, was outstanding, efficient, friendly, and a lot of fun.
The place was fairly quiet when we arrived but quickly filled up by the time we left. The Missus thought the wine selection at Brix was better, but still found a couple of glasses She liked.
I had a cocktail called "Beyond the Pines – Notes of Flagstaff in a Glass" which I enjoyed.
Things started off with the Smoked Trout Salad.
This was such an interesting amalgamation of tastes, the anise of the fennel, bitter from the arugula, the salty-briney olives, the cucumbers. We also enjoyed the pistachio "hummus". The Missus didn't enjoy the smoked trout too much, nor did She like the oranges in the salad. I was fine with this.
The Bone Marrow was quite the show stopper. The dish arrived on its own portable grill.
Man, that buttery, smoky bone marrow on tasty toasted bread! The slices of mushroom might have been overkill, but it worked fine here. This was so good. And then our Server arrived with a shot of Bourbon. When I asked what that was for, he smiled and said, "for your luge of course!" Now how did he know? So, I did the luge, it was delici-yoso! And when I noticed the shot wasn't on the bill, I was told "it's on me"!
Now Flagstaff in nowhere near the ocean and we would never think of ordering mussels here, but the Missus was interested in the Steamed Mussels.
The mussels were cooked perfectly, plump, moist, and tender. We didn't much care for the "banh mi" toast, which had a strangely flavored pate on it. "Mopping duty" would have been perfectly fine with the toasts that accompanied the bone marrow.
We enjoyed the gamey flavor of the lamb in the Malloreddus.
The gnocchetti was perfectly cooked, slightly fluffy, with a mild chew. The green peas were quite sweet and the watercress added a pleasant peppery-bitterness. The Castelmagno cheese was a nice touch, really good in small doses on this dish.
Since there was a beef tartare on the menu; well, I had to order it. I was shocked to see that it came with quite a large portion of rather ordinary crinkle-cut fries.
I initially thought the beef was cut a bit too large, but it was very tender. The "garlic cloud" added some decent savoriness, but would have loved a bit more briney-citrusy tones to cut thru the richness. Still, this was a pretty good version.
While some of the dishes were a bit over-the-top we enjoyed this meal, the service was wonderful. We had a fun time here and would gladly return.
Atria
103 N Leroux St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
The next morning we got up bright and early. It was a four hour drive to our next destination so we weren't in a rush. After grabbing breakfast at the hotel we made one last stop in Flagstaff at a little coffee shop somewhat disguised as a bike shop named Single Speed Coffee Roasters.
This place roasts their own beans and coffee nerds will have fun here.
While waiting for the Missus's Pour Over, I went up the stairs and had a look at the cozy seating area.
We got our coffee to go as we wanted to "hit the road".
The Missus thought Her pour over was ok, but I really liked the cold brew.
Nice place, friendly staff.
Single Speed Coffee Roasters
1000 E Butler Ave.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Next stop, Cortez Colorado!
Really friendly folks, a nice selection. I got the Missus a French Press and I got an Americano before we hit the road.
The bread was fluffy, slightly moist, a bit on the sweet side but that's to be expected. The filling wasn't too sweet, nice savory tones. Overall, a bit heavy in the bread versus the filling, but this wasn't bad at all.
Those yellow dots were an egg yolk emulsion…I would have preferred a drippy egg yolk as the emulsion really didn't add much to the dish, the horseradish was also strangely mild in flavor. The celery leaves did add a nice boost of palate restoring flavor. Perhaps if they chopped it a bit smaller you could get more than three bites.
I'd gladly return here.
