N. Arizona Adventure (Part 10 of 12) – Flagstaff

As the story goes...... on July 4, 1876, a scouting party from Boston put a flag up on a ponderosa pine and that is how this city got its name.

Flagstaff (6910 elevation) sits just south of the San Francisco Peaks that rise up over 5700 feet above the city. In the past Flagstaff relied on lumber, ranching and the railroad industries. Today, the city remains a major distribution hub for companies like Nestle Purina PetCare and Walgreens. Flagstaff has a very strong tourism sector, due to its proximity to Grand Canyon National Park, Oak Creek Canyon, and historic Route 66. It's also home to the Lowell Observatory and Northern Arizona University (Go Lumberjacks).

When in town I always stop at Macy's. No, not the department store but the funky coffeehouse.

On this day we ended up in downtown Flag after visiting Montezuma Castle, Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. We wandered around the historic streets while the snowflakes were flying (LOVED IT!)

After wandering around downtown (and warming up in a pub) we headed back to our hotel and watched the storm grow.

If I couldn't live in Albuquerque, I would probably move to Flagstaff even though it gets an average of 23 inches of rain and 9 feet of snow per year. I love everything about Flag from it's mountains to it's interesting residents.

Parked outside of Macy's one morning.

Next: Part 11 - Standin' on a Corner in Winslow Arizona.