In the recent weeks, we have been driving on Galveston and noticing a random sign over The Dough Nut shop. The sign only seemed to appear after The Dough Nut had closed, so we simply had to know more. Walking by, the delectable smell of pizza filled the air and our curiosity grew even more. The pop up sign read "Fratelli" and we knew we had a new underground pizza place to try. 

Fratelli Pies features artisan Neapolitan black market pies made with simple ingredients and in-house cured & smoked meats. The simplicity of these pies only enhances the flavors and makes the pizza a delight to the taste buds. Ordering these pizzas was very simple. We simply found their webpage or Facebook page, clicked the order button, selected what we wanted, paid online, and it was ready exactly when we wanted for pickup. I hear they will deliver too!

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Iron Mountain Wildflower Hike is Always Special

According to the US Department of Agriculture and the US Forest Service, nearly every wildflower found in the Western Cascades - over 300 species - can be found along the Iron Mountain Trail. There are five main factors which create the specific habitats for wildflowers: soil depth and type, moisture, amount of sunlight, daytime temperature ranges and elevation. These factors combine beautifully to create one of the most spectacular wildflower habitats in Oregon at Iron Mountain. Late June/early July is the best time to view the Iron Mountain wildflowers - and when you add in the extended 6.9 mile loop hike from Tombstone Summit through the Cone Peak Trail, up Iron Mountain, the 1900 feet of elevation gain provides many opportunities to see the multiple species of flowers.

Compared with our hike from 2020, the weather was about perfect with very few clouds and no smoke from wildfires. Once we climbed from our parking lot at Tombstone Pass through the old growth forest up to Cone Peak, we could see acres of wildflowers, although not as full as last year. The ground was drier than in 2020 and we believe our drought conditions and smaller winter snowpack impacted the early flowers. In addition, there were several downed trees which haven't yet been removed which created some hiking challenges, although nothing like what we have experienced in other hikes over the past year! 

Upon reaching the summit (the former fire lookout), the views were spectacular with Cascade Mountains from Diamond Peak to Mt. Adams in Washington clearly visible, a distance of roughly 500 miles. Several families with younger children joined us at the summit and we were impressed that all those children were able to make the trek up, although it appeared that in some cases parents helped along the way.  Our hike down the mountain and through a different old growth forest back to our car parked at Tombstone Summit went fairly quick and the drive back to Bend uneventful.  All in all, it was a fulfilling day.