Something About Mary

From Kachina Springs, Flagstaff, AZ

There are some wonderful benefits to the new Ebird IPHONE app known as Birdlog.  It's great! Let's say you want to go to an unknown place and bird. All you have to do is turn on your phone from your location and pretend to submit a report.  Highlighted red, blue or yellow tags will pop up showing you places where birders go seek new life and new civilizations.  And that's how we found Mary lake, Kachina Springs, and the Mormon Lake in Flagstaff.

I have lived in Arizona for a good portion of my life and had never known about these places. It was a fun car ride and along the way we made stops.....many of them! Our best views came from a family of Osprey fishing on Lower Mary Lake.  The weather was just perfect and made for some great birding!   

There were so many waterbirds that I had to really be careful.  I'm glad I did because I was able to get my Common Goldeneye.  The pic below shows many "ducks" to the common eye, but if you blow that pic up, you'd see it's a massive mix of Buffleheads, Mergansers, Ducks, Coots, and oh so much more.

So let's do it for fun!  Let's blow this pic up and take a look at some of these fantastic water birds! Here's a Common Goldeneye(below) that I found in Wisconsin. Once I have a good shot of the lifebird, I relax and observe the birds as they are.  At Kachina Springs, I was able to breathe in the fresh mountain air and count birds.

Buffleheads made for a great show.

Western Bluebirds surrounded the water areas.

Ruddy ducks....

Ring-necked ducks......

Canvasbacks....

Northern Shovelers....

Redheads.....

Common Mergansers....

Lesser Scaups....

and Green-teals ducks are all swimming together.  The trick is taking a closer look and never assuming that they're all one species.  Something Kathie taught me. Not Mary.

I do love ducks, but I love Osprey more.  It's hard to count ducks and other waterbirds when these gorgeous birds of prey are out in full hunting mode.

The views were enjoyable.  The walks were fantastic.  And the birds were just icing on the cake.  I think driving through the woods with my car window down was my favorite part.  It was like being back home in Wisconsin again.  Perfection for some is fishing.  Perfection for me is this.  All of it.  The birds, the plants, the new discoveries and of course......the experiences.  If you're up in the Flagstaff area, check out Kachina Springs, Mormon Lake and the Upper and Lower Mary Lake recreational areas.  All I have to say about it is, "Frank and beans!"  More to come....

Road Trips To The Mountains

If our weather hasn't been too holiday like for you here in the desert, you need to simply head to the mountains which are just a stones throw away!  In Tucson, you can head to Madera Canyon, Summerhaven, the White Mountains, or lots of other places.  We've had some great rain this season and I hope it continues.  At times, when needing a little fresh air, we'll road trip up into the mountains and freeze ourselves for a cup of hot cocoa and forget that Tucson is below us:)  It's one of the reasons why Tucson is such a great place to live.  There's so much outside stuff to do around us.  So for a little holiday spirit, head up to our local mountains or canyons for some wintery weather fun:)

Breakfast In Flagstaff

A haven from the sometimes oppressive heat of the desert, Flagstaff is a sky island of cooler temps, trees, and a snowy mountain top.  It was nice heading back here after 10 years of not having visited. Flagstaff is a slow and sometimes sleepy town, but if you organize your trip, you'll find it has a lot to offer.

We went to visit during the fall season and here are some shots we snapped at the Arboretum At Flagstaff.  While there, we ate at some wonderful places and met some fascinating people.  Flagstaff was our homebase for the several trips we took over the 4 day weekend to the Grand Canyon and Walnut Canyon.

There is a lot to do and a lot to see while visiting.  My recommendation, if you go now, is to pack warmer clothes and be ready for the odd snow storm that passes through this mountainous area.  Vehicles can get stuck with the freezing temps and make it difficult to get in or out of the city.  But today's focus is on food!!! And more specifically....breakfast:)

There is a lot of charm around this town and it appears that much has not changed.  NAU or Northern Arizona University plays a big role in the city's center. 

I want to tell you about some of the food we ate there as it was phenomenal!!!  I'm serious!  Chilaquiles are delicious and you won't find a better Mexican breakfast treat in the state except for Martannes.   My body will sometimes go into shock if I don't have this delicious Mexican meal.  Imagine.  Tortilla strips in a red or green sauce.  With eggs.  And maybe refried beans.  Or chicken. Fried together over an open stove in a frying pan. Perfection my friends....perfection.

I highly recommend this gem in Flagstaff and I promise that you won't be disappointed.  Ask for chilaquiles(cheel-ah-ki-lays). If you've never had them, you need to order a plate.  If you are a beginner, start with the red sauce and don't add any meat because it's a lot of food.....unless you have a large appetite.  If you like an adventure and don't mind a bit of spice, try the green sauce...my personal favorite.  I'll admit, it took me years to get to that place, but once you go green, you'll never go back to the red:)

Martannes is located downtown Flagstaff.  This place can get busy and weekdays seem to allow for a quieter crowd....but that isn't always guaranteed:)  There is one other mention that I'd like to share with you all.  Before we left for Walnut Canyon, we stopped at another breakfast place with fresh....let me repeat that word.....FRESH biscuits and gravy!!!  I've never had this traditional southern dish before, but I am so glad I tried their fresh biscuits!!!  They were HOMEMADE and yum yum yum!!  Where is this place?   Again, the "place" is located in Flagstaff at Mike and Ronda's The Place.  Go and order one of their delicious breakfasts.  I am a food person and love all things with a home touch.  I know there is a lot about Flagstaff that we didn't see, but we did get to experience some excellent dining options before our major road trips.  If you visit Arizona, I recommend a trip to this interesting change of scenery and temps!  More tomorrow....