Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - Brandy's

Our second Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives experience was at Brandy's Restaurant and Bakery, a small diner in Flagstaff. Unlike Mama E's, there was no mistaking that Guy had already been through. There was a TV on in the back continuously replaying the show segment featuring Brandy's. There was also a wall of fame so to speak featuring a signed poster of Guy, multiple framed pictures, and a spray painted likeness of Guy and the Food Network logo.

In typical Sunday fashion the diner was packed with the mid-morning rush. We managed to slip in and get a table right away and ordered just as quickly. Andy got Eggs Brandy, or poached eggs on a bagel with some sort of mysterious, delicious sauce and a buttermilk pancake. Sean got the Chorizo Scramble, which combined chorizo sausage, scrambled eggs, peppers, onions and spices along with a buttermilk pancake. I got my typical morning after drinking breakfast which consists of fried eggs over easy, wheat toast and green tea plus an uncharacteristic buttermilk pancake. The pancake was so fluffy and savory it practically melted in your mouth. After breakfast it was difficult to hold back from purchasing one of the hundreds of baked treats ranging from muffins and scones to brownies and cakes.

I didn't get as much of a close-knit, small family feel here as I did at Mama E's. Instead of being in a free standing building it was in a shopping center, and there were multiple servers, cooks, and people all around as opposed to the three people inside of Mama E's. Despite this, the food was still sensational and we left happy and satisfied. My only regret is that we didn't get to sample the lunch menu.

From Flagstaff to Fossil Creek

We arrived at Janae’s house in Flagstaff around 7 PM on May 16th. I don’t think any of us knew what to expect. Andy had last seen Janae two years ago at their cousin’s wedding at which time he determined that she was cool and they had some similar interests; prior to that it had been about 10 years since he’d seen her.

As soon as we walked in it was immediately apparent that we were in friendly and familiar territory. A Pink Floyd poster hung on the wall adjacent to mounted snowboards and guitars. In one corner stood a drum kit, in the other, a mountain bike. Failed attempts at growing squash and eggplant sat on the windowsill. These observations all came second to the loud and excited greetings of Cheeba, Rio and Pica.

After initial greetings, a pow wow, and a get to know you chat we headed to downtown Flagstaff for dinner and drinks. During dinner we had political, societal and philosophical conversations about socialism, healthcare, the public school system, vegetarianism, and why Flagstaff is the best place to live. The streets were lined with quaint shops, restaurants, and bars set against a backdrop of looming mountain tops. I feel the town is best described as an eclectic mix of college students, hippies, outdoor enthusiasts, or a combination of all of the above.

I couldn’t classify either of the bars we went to if I tried. There were young people, old people, students, bikers, dread heads, blacks, whites, you name it. I loved every second of it. I wish every bar was so diverse and interesting instead of generic or segregated. One bar had a ping pong table and I regret to say that Andy beat me 23 to 21 after I talked a mess about how I was going to redeem myself for the last three times he beat me back home. At one point, after we had consumed about four beers, it was brought to our attention that we might want to take it easy because being over 7000 feet above sea level tends to have an intensifying effect.

We got back to the house around one and passed out quite comfortably in the living room until the next morning at eight when we begrudgingly rose to clean out and reorganize the car for the third or fourth time. Janae and her friends insisted that we go to Fossil Creek avowing that the tumultuous drive, crystal clear water, cliff jumping, scenic views, and lack of tourists made it worth the extra two hours of driving. On the way we went through Sedona by way of highway 89 which was an extraordinarily beautiful mountain drive. The last leg of the journey took place along a rocky dirt road that caused me quite a bit of anxiety; there were no railings and two cars could barely pass one another. My only saving grace was that I was driving otherwise I would have been absolutely terrified.

Although we didn’t get to hike up to the source of the creek, we did take a refreshing swim and jump off of some small cliffs. At parts the current was noticeably strong and I found myself losing my footing and bumping into rocks. I couldn’t help but shudder as I watched little kids playing in the midst of the rushing water apparently unattended. We had to save our energy for the next day’s Grand Canyon hike, so after about an hour we continued on to Tusayan where we would hydrate and rest in preparation for the coming strenuous adventure.

Nature's Artwork - The Painted Desert

The morning after our desert adventure we started out towards Flagstaff hoping to spend the night at Andy's cousin Janae's house. On the way we decided to stop at Petrified Forest National Park. Since we wanted to make it to Flagstaff by a decent hour we limited ourselves to the Painted Desert portion and skipped the actual Petrified Forest. Despite this attempt at saving time, we were still there for over four hours.

The Painted Desert is without a doubt the most magnificent place I have ever seen. The sheer vastness itself is not only humbling, but peaceful, calming, inspiring, and utterly incomparable. The coloring of the landscape was so intensely beautiful. Some portions were a progression of dusty brick red, coral, and rust shades while others were steel and powder blue. Some of the most beautiful formations incorporated combinations of the red and blue shades resulting in an incredibly striking contrast. While many of the colors blended seamlessly together, others were organized as distinctive stripes of color giving the impression of a meticulously detailed painting. Intermixed with the colorful peaks and valleys were rolling hills covered in lush green undergrowth and protruding rock formations. The occasional puffy white cloud cast a remarkable shadow over portions of the immense landscape giving the appearance of intermittent dark gray blankets stretching over peaks and across valleys.

In addition to the grand vistas there were also remnants of civilizations past. The Pueblo Puerco compound was originally a central courtyard surrounded by individual rooms for housing and storage. Rocks nearby the remains of the compound displayed petroglyphs, or pictures and symbols etched into the earth. The Painted Desert Inn was originally built in the 1800s. Composed of mud, clay and wooden rafters, this traditional style building maintains its original charm and classic appearance despite restorations.

After several stops at various lookout points it seemed that an apparently hungry and unfrightened crow was actually following us. The bird literally allowed Andy and I to sit three feet away without so much as a flinch. As we made our way to a particular lookout point Sean noticed what appeared to be a deer at first glance a few hundred yards away. We pulled off the road and by some miracle my finicky telephoto lens decided to work for about three minutes while I took some tremendous shots. As far as we can tell it was a species of Prong Horn, a distant relative of the deer.

As we left the park we still hadn't spoken with Janae. All we could do was hope that in the next two hours before we got there Andy would be able to get in touch with her. At that point I wasn't concerned about trivial things like having a place to sleep for the night, I was still in awe of the breathtaking scenery known as the Painted Desert.