Short Strides and Odd Thoughts: Flagstaff Day 2

After an early night, in bed by 8pm (of course 11pm our time) I woke up around 5am to the sun gently filtering into my room. The one small skylight window faces due east and on this sleepy Sunday morning we seem to be under clear skies.

We had heard about a breakfast place in Flagstaff from a local as being the best, called The Place he said we should try. While the Google said it was open and had two locations, the boots on the ground indicated that not to be true. We took a shot at a place called Madrez, with breakfast burritos on the menu. We also missed it as it occupies a space that used to be an old gas station and basically was set up for take out. The menu, although small, had the vegetarian options I was looking for it also had the chorizo Jake was looking for. Couple that with some heated tent seating, we had a great breakfast.

I had wanted to go to Sunset Crater (a volcano) and Wupatki Indian dwelling site but the area was closed to the wild fires, but we got it on good authority that Walnut Canyon was a nice stop and had cliff dwellings as well, as long as we didn’t mind lots of stairs. To access most of the cliff dwellings you had to descend and climb almost 600 stairs. Looks like we’d be getting some vert training while sightseeing.

We followed that up with a noontime run on a trail called Fatman’s loop, and about half way in I got the feeling it was named after me. The trail ascended for 1.6 miles to an overlook of Flagstaff, climbing more than 600 feet in the process. Even climbing at 14 minutes miles I found myself desperate for air, with spots dancing in my eyes over the steepest sections. After squeezing through some tight boulders that the trial is named for, we got to view the Flagstaff skyline from the base of Mt. Elden. The return trip down the loop trail was even steeper, indicating we chose the right direction to run the loop.

After returning to the airBnB for some quick relaxing, rehydrating and a shower, we headed into downtown Flagstaff for some shop cruising and to eventually dinner. Tim Cox of Coe Brown was getting into town so we met up with him at Mother Road Brewing for some food truck vittles and conversation. Quite a coincidence that the four traveling companions from New Hampshire, who have been waiting to take this trip since covid happen to be in Flagstaff the same time Tim is out here as well. Fortunate our paths could cross.

After our dinner hookup we were back to the airBnB to wind down and get ready for our trip south to Sedona for some trail running and sight seeing.