Embarrassed

My intent yesterday was to post a blog entry about Tortilla Flat, AZ complete with pictures. After pulling up said pictures, I knew we had to drive back out there for "do-overs". The difference in the pictures above should show you why.

Tortilla Flat today is a short row of buildings with a Western motif that caters to the tourist crowd. They serve a menu of hamburgers and killer chili in the main building and a smaller souvenir shop has prickly pear cactus ice cream available for the adventurous soul. The town developed as a staging area for construction workers building the Roosevelt Dam in 1904, although the population has never risen above 100 people. It has burned down twice and been rebuilt so most of the buildings are not original.

Inside the main store/restaurant area you'll find the walls are "papered" with signed dollar bills, with currency from about 67 different countries. The explanation is that a local businessman wanted to put his business card out for display and the owner told him that it would cost him a buck, so the businessman tacked up his card with a dollar bill and a tradition was born. The bar stools are a series of saddles on one side and horses' rear ends carved from stumps on the other. There are the ubiquitous souvenirs, of course, but you can have a nice lunch and a scenic drive by heading out Highway 88 from Apache Junction. You can even make a day trip loop, but that's a post for another day.