Tag Archives: Black Bear Diner

The Road to Diamond, Day 130: To Las Vegas and Back

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Posted by on in collaborating, Entertainment, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

April 7, 2025- It is always humbling to stop at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap, in Seligman. No one is watching, when one tries the doors with knobs on each side. No spoilers, though; each person gets to learn which knob works, on one’s own. Any place where the servers emulate the grandfather on “Courage, The Cowardly Dog” and pretend to squirt mustard out of a ketchup bottle, can’t be half bad. The food is worth the stop, at any rate.

Snow Cap was a nice break for my visitors and me, on the way back from Las Vegas. They had flown there, from Manila, by way of Incheon, about a week ago. After a week of visiting the Las Vegas Strip and Mount Charleston, Bobot and Thelma are spending a week with me, touring a few places around Arizona. I made the drive up to the Sleepless City, from Kingman, early this morning and found them ready to roll.

We stopped, briefly, at Hoover Dam, for a look from the O’Callaghan-Tillman Bridge, which unites Arizona and Nevada, honouring two men who are held in high regard, by their fellow citizens. Mike O’Callaghan was a highly popular Governor of Nevada, in the 1970s. Pat Tillman was a talented football player with the Arizona Cardinals, who enlisted in the U. S. Army, following the attacks on the United States, of September 11, 2001. He gave his life, in the Afghanistan conflict, in 2004.

The Snow Cap stop came about an hour after we enjoyed a humongous and delicious lunch at Kingman’s Black Bear Diner. Let it be known that the Taco Salad at Black Bear will feed three people, with about 1/4 left to be boxed and eaten later. I don’t know about my friends, as they are staying at a Bed & Breakfast, across town, but I had no need of dinner tonight.

Here are some photos of the day’s festivities.

Bobot and Thelma flank their hosts, in Las Vegas.
Bobot on the Bridge, above Hoover Dam
Thelma not making a call, Snow Cap, Seligman
Ready for a ride in the White Jeep, Snow Cap, Seligman

This should be a fun week!

A Mountain Route Towards Second Home

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

July 27, 2023, Carson City- One of my favourite chain eateries, of which there are few, is Black Bear Diner, which started in the city of Mount Shasta, CA, in 1995, and has now expanded throughout the western half of the U.S.

It was at Grants Pass’s Black Bear that my day got revved up. The counter crew, like crews in most restaurants, are a well-working team. A lovely, perky young lady at the register told me it was her first day-and I noticed that the rest of the crew was solicitous and helpful towards her. She is likely to have a good run there. The food was excellent, as always.

Mount Shasta itself was prominent during the first part of my drive towards Carson City. A first time visitor to the area stopped at the western vista point, off I-5, just after I got there and asked what mountain that was. She proceeded to take several snaps of the peak, from different vantage points. I was happy taking one, from there.

About an hour later, heading towards Reno, on the Lassen Highway, I stopped at another “Vista Point”, to find that Mount Shasta was pretty much hidden from view by the tall pines. Lifting a bit of litter from the stop, because Mount Shasta is just majestic and doesn’t need our trash in view, even from thirty miles away.

Mount Shasta peeks through the pines, taken from the south.

There was no time to make a stop at Lassen peak that would have done it any justice, so I turned left towards Susanville and Reno. The damage done to the forests on Mount Lassen’s northern and western flanks, and in the mountains near Susanville, is heart-wrenching to see. Thankfully, fire has spared this area so far this year, but it’s unfortunately very early yet. In the intermediate future, one of my sojourns will entail a three-day stay in one of the cabins at Lassen Volcanic National Park.

In my heart, with Prescott my primary Home Base, there are several others-Carson City chief among them, that very much feel like home. That’s as it should be. I settled into the small America’s Best Value here, and spent about two hours visiting with Michele, very much like a sister, at Betsy’s Big Kitchen, a rather nice in-casino establishment, serving sizable portions of fine comfort food.

My main reason for being here will happen tomorrow, as a Munchkin takes the stage.

A Long Way From Unlucky

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Striving, Travel

November 13, 2020, Cottonwood-

Friday the Thirteenth has always had a bad rap, in my book. I can count on one hand the number of even slight misfortunes that have struck on this particular day-regardless of what month it happens.

Today was no exception-and I hope this was true for most everyone else. First thing this morning, I received notice of a generous gift from a loved one. At work, I arrived early, got plenty of help in preparing for the day and was able to accomplish all that was listed on the Substitute Plan. The children worked hard, and though they started to flake out, towards day’s end, I was pleased with the overall work day.

I came here, to the commercial hub of eastern Yavapai County, as part of a planned late evening at Synergy Cafe and a quick start to tomorrow’s jaunt to Homolovi Ruins State Park, north of Winslow. After two Zoom calls put me on the dinner hunt a bit late, I set off for Black Bear Diner, five minutes from the motel. Alas, there was no one at the host station-and not only was I being ignored by the staff, but two parties waiting to pay for their meals were also being treated as invisible. I left them with a “Good luck” vibe, and chalked it up to ONE minor irritation. Dinner came a bit late, but Cowboy Club, in Sedona, is fabulous.

Synergy was even more crowded than usual, so the late night did not transpire. I will go back there again, when I have a drum-and thus, something to offer the group. So, I am back at Verde Valley Inn and am quite comfortable for the rest of the night.

Friday the Thirteenth is also said to have feminine energy about it, which is just fine by me!

The Road to 65, Mile 183: Northwestward, Resumed, Day 4- Reno to Mount Shasta

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Posted by on in Hiking and Nature, Travel

May 30, 2015, Mount Shasta- I am at the base of northern California’s most sacred peak,

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in a town where Black Bear Diner came into existence, some twenty years ago.  The little eatery is still here, and in several other locations, across eight states.  So, I had dinner there this evening.

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More about that, in a bit.  The day started with my little “grand-niece’s” blanket tent being carefully honoured by everyone, including she.  After my usual breakfast of cereal and coffee, I bid my Reno family farewell and headed west.  The first stop was the Sierra Nevada town of Truckee, both for a bite of lunch, (leftover from last night’s dinner at Pho, in south Reno). and to check out the neat little spot.

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Sierra Inn is one of Truckee’s signature hotels.

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Truckee Hotel is the other.

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The main street was just starting to stir, on this bright Saturday morning.

On the north back street, there is a cute Arts Center:  Kindred Art and Folk Institute

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Having been to the performing arts center in Carson City, a few days ago, I am more inclined to notice these places, further along the road.

On the south side of town, across the tracks, runs the Truckee River.

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It is about as low here, as it was in Reno, on Thursday.

The grass and meadow flowers are doing okay, though.

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I drove on, across the Sierra Nevada, skirting Donner Pass- the site of infamy, in the mid-1860’s, and over to I-5, stopping briefly at Panera Bread, in Sacramento, for a power smoothie.  The Sacramento River, seen from the highway, appeared to be running a tad higher than the Truckee.

I made it to Mount Shasta, the city of a few thousand artists, ranchers and dreamers, around 5:30.  Finlandia Motel, on the west end of town, was my choice of rest stop for the night.  It has a small spa, which gave me a much-appreciated soak, after checking out the town by car and on foot.

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The office and lodgings have a fairy tale ambiance about them.

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I got to play with my zoom lens a bit, over the past few days.  The peaks to the west of Shasta (southern Cascades) loom larger.

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The town has a fine natural foods market, Berrydale.

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A barefoot young man, seemingly in a state of befuddlement, asked where he could get espresso.  Berrydale has a small deli counter, but it was 7:30, and even natural foods grocers have to go home at night.

Seven Suns, though, is the main spot in town for fine coffee and tea.

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                                   Has Beans is the preferred coffee source in this part of California.

Back to my dinner:  I sat at the counter, and was served by an attentive, mature lady.  Nearby, a local man was working a crossword puzzle.  I was able to give him one of the words, and a man in the booth behind us, gave another.  Our conversation ranged from the arcane (He:  “Different species of people can interbreed very easily”.  I: “That’s because we are all the same species”) to the edifying (He:  “I save all my paperwork.  When the government came after me, I won.”  I:  “That’s good to know.”)  I learn something new from everyone I meet, it seems.