GetTheFunOut

Sitting in the exterior portion of the bar this morning in a bustling Morning Squeeze was reminiscent of being on a cruise.  The mild weather and breeze, the tropical colors of the decor, the permeating smell of bacon, and the clatter of dishes and silverware all felt like the breakfast buffet on the lido deck of a Caribbean cruise liner.  The food provided a similar feeling in that it was good to be hard to find specific complaints, but not so good as to be memorable in and of itself.  That's fine on a cruise because breakfast is nothing more than an opportunity to fuel up before a day of shore excursions, and honestly for a hip Scottsdale breakfast spot there may not be any need to have great food to attract a crowd.

I do love stopping here for pie after I've earned it doing a nice hike in Flagstaff or Sedona.  There's an appropriate amount of kitch and southwestern flair to make Rock Springs feel like a western town, rather than a stop with a pie store off the I-17...sort of like an independent Cracker Barrel, just with fewer items in the general store.

Contrary to what several other websites say, Kachina Trail is NOT a loop.  NOT A LOOP.  One can take Kachina Trail to to Weatherford Trail to another trail for a hike of like 14 miles and 4,000' elevation change...but Kachina Trail, in-and-of itself is NOT A LOOP.  It's a five mail segment of trail in the Kachina Wilderness. Now that we have the PSA out of the way, Kachina Trail is gorgeous, easy, and gorgeous.  It is about 5 miles point-to-point (that makes for a 10 mile round trip, for us math-challenged folks).  There's a nice meadow about 2.3 miles into the hike if you start at Snowbowl that makes a great turn-around point if you want a shorter trip.  It features gorgeous views of the flatlands around the mountain as well as panoramic views of northern Arizona and the boulders strewn across the clearing make for excellent vantage points.  Alternatively, because the trail ultimately ends at the Weatherford Trailhead you can drop a car at each parking lot and hike