Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine | June 2019

NORTHERN ARIZONA'S

MAGAZINE

Let

Bees Be A keeper's story

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Café Daily Fare Forge and Form: Joshua Meyer What Spirits and Nature Wrought

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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

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TABLEofCONTENTS

June2019 COVER STORY

8

Let Bees Be Two northern Arizona experts describe

the complicated life of bees, their role in

food production and the ways humans may be harming their populations. What can

be done to stop the decline? The answers are quite simple.

DEPARTMENTS

NORTHERN ARIZONA'S

MATTERS OF TASTE 14 Artistic expression and lunch are served up at this colorful café sitting above Route 66.

MIND & BODY 24 A local physician assistant advocates new at-home therapies centered on the healing power of light.

BY THE BOTTLE 18 New and old favorites: A review of local patios and brews to enjoy in the warmer season.

OUTDOOR LIFE 26 In What Spirits and Nature Wrought, adventure guide Michael Engelhard takes us on an exploration of Arizona’s youngest volcano.

THE ARTS 19 Artist Joshua Meyer may be fairly new in town, but his intriguing motifs and a rough-around-the-edges aesthetic fit right into Flagstaff’s character

ALSO 6 EDITOR’S NOTES 7 ABOUT TOWN 35 PLAYING FAVORITES

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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

MAGAZINE

Let

Bees Be A keeper's story

$2.95

DISTINCTIVE SPACES 32 Outdoor cooking spaces continue to evolve, and with splendid seasonal weather, Flagstaff is the perfect place for them.

J u n e 2 0 19

Free with Arizona Daily Sun Home Delivery

PLUS

Café Daily Fare Forge and Form: Joshua Meyer What Spirits and Nature Wrought

ON THE COVER A Flagstaff honeybee hovers over the flower of a Rocky Mountain beeplant.

Photo by Sharon Lee Harris.

Improving health, healing people.

To schedule an appointment, call 928-773-2022 or visit NAHealth.com for more information.

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NORTHERN ARIZONA'S

MAGAZINE

PUBLISHER

Advertising Director

Art Director

COLLEEN BRADY

COLLEEN BRADY 928.556.2279

KEITH HICKEY

Editor

Graphic Artist

NANCY WIECHEC NWIECHEC@AZDAILYSUN.COM 928.913.8668

Sales Contributors ZACHARY MEIER

CALLIOPE LUEDEKER

LYDIA SMITH GABRIEL LOPEZ

Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine is published monthly at 1751 S. THOMPSON ST. | Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Northern Arizona’s Mountain Living Magazine is published by

ISSN: 1534-3804

Copyright Š2019 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations and other materials are invited, but will not be returned unless accompanied by a properly addressed envelope bearing sufficient postage. Publisher assumes no responsibility for lost materials or the return of unsolicited materials. Publisher assumes no responsibility for any materials, solicited or unsolicited, after six months from date of publication. Cover and entire contents of this publication are fully protected. Reproduction or use without prior written permission from the editor is strictly prohibited. Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine is not responsible for scheduled event changes. Any views, opinions or suggestions contained within Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine are not necessarily those of the management or owners.

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EDITOR'S NOTES

W

hen they descend on our picnic spread, we swat them away. On the trail, buzzing bees prompt us to move on swiftly. Because of their potential to sting, we tend to see bees as menacing. They are, however, essential to the entire ecosystem and to food production, ultimately providing us with more than honey.

In this month ’s cover story, Sean Golightly shares the story of local organic beekeeper Patrick Pynes and also checks in with Lynne Nemeth of the Arboretum at Flagstaff. They urge us to cultivate a better relationship with these hard-working pollinators by understanding their life and the unintentional harm we may be causing them.

Also in this issue, we take you inside the Flagstaff workshop and studio of Joshua Meyer, an artist working in several mediums, including the age-old craft of forging metal. Through his blacksmithing classes, he wants to provide an experience of creating something not only pleasing to look at but pleasing to use.

I’m so happy to present another issue of Mountain Living Magazine that reflects the readers, residents, artists, educators, business

A daily dose of joy In-Home Senior Care Services •Personal care •Companionship and housekeeping •Shopping/Errands •Medication reminders

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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

owners and leaders that make and shape the vibrant communities of northern Arizona. These stories portray a gathering of people that is diverse, energetic and innovative and one that has deep regard for its roots and where it may be headed.

As of June 1, I’m leaving my post as editor of this magazine and the other niche publications of the Arizona Daily Sun. I’ll be working with my family’s local business, Tesano Contracting, and returning to freelance journalism and photography. Working on this magazine has brought me closer to Flagstaff and the people here. I’ve learned a lot about what makes this city tick from those in the heart of it all, and I am very grateful for that. I’m also sure there’s still much to know, and I look forward to pursuing other opportunities to learn about this region and its people.

Thank you for your commitment to northern Arizona’s premier lifestyle and leisure magazine. I hope to see you around town.

Best wishes,

Nancy Wiechec

June

ABOUT TOWN Favorites of the month from the area’s abundant offerings in art and entertainment

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29-30

MADE IN THE SHADE

FOLK FESTIVAL

Pepsi Amphitheater at Fort Tuthill, 1-5 p.m.

Drinking beer for a good cause is a great way to celebrate June. The Made in the Shade beer tasting festival is one of the largest such events in Arizona and benefits Sun Sounds, a nonprofit providing audio access to print media for people with disabilities. The festival features over 100 breweries, craft distillers and food vendors.

Admission: $55-$90. For more information, visit azbeer.com.

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LUTE MUSIC

Kitt Recital Hall at NAU, 4 p.m.

Grammy-nominated lutenist Ronn McFarlane performs Renaissance and Baroque music, old Scottish and Irish tunes and his own Celtic- and Americana-inspired music.

Tickets: $15-$22.50, free for youths and NAU students with ID. Call (928) 523-5661.

12

THE OFFSPRING

Orpheum Theater, 8 p.m.

“Oh yeah yeah yeah!” The punk rock quartet makes a stop in Flag on an unplugged tour with Jonny “Two Bags” Wickersham of Social Distortion. In 1994 The Offspring’s critically acclaimed album Smash sold more than 11 million copies, with singles “Come Out and Play,” “Self Esteem” and “Gotta Get Away” propelling the band to mainstream success. General admission tickets: $49.50 plus fees.

23

WILDFLOWER WALK

The Arboretum at Flagstaff, 9:30 a.m.

Explore the colorful varieties of native northern Arizona wildflowers alongside experts from the arboretum. Tour is included with paid admission to the arboretum. www.thearb.org

Pioneer Museum and Coconino Center for the Arts, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Two days, five stages and more than 100 acts, as well as workshops, jams and more, the Flagstaff Folk Festival promises all the folk music your heart can handle. The Roots & Boots Allstar Band features in a special Saturday night concert. Festival tickets: $5 per person each day, or $15 per family, per day. Purchase separate tickets for Saturday night. www.flag folkfest.org

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FORD CLASSIC SHOW

Babbitt Ford, Flagstaff, 8 Copper Hill Photography a.m.-2 p.m.

Join classic auto enthusiasts at the annual Babbitt Ford Classic Car Show featuring vintage models of Thunderbirds, Mustangs, Model As and more. The free family event includes a contest, complimentary eats, and live music from Slim Jim & The Car Thieves. To include your vehicle, go to www.babbittford.com for registration and information.

Ongoing

CAMERA AND CANYON

Pioneer Museum, open daily 10 a.m.5 p.m.

The Arizona Historical Society presents A Camera and a Canyon: The Photography of the Kolb Brothers. The exhibit showcases personal artifacts and prints associated with intrepid Grand Canyon photographers Emery and Ellsworth Kolb, who established their business at the canyon in the early 1900s. The exhibit is on view through August. Admission: $3-$6.

June19 namlm.com

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Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

Bees LET

BE

A KEEPER’S STORY

By Sean Golightly | Photography by Sharon Lee Harris

June19 namlm.com

9

n a small east Texas town many years ago, a boy stood outside the show window of his greatgrandfather’s jewelry and clock repair shop.

Transf ixed, the child beamed at something glittering from behind the glass. Neither jewel nor timepiece, the object of his attention was as gold as the finest ring, as carefully ordered as clockwork, crafted with a grasp of delicacy beyond human hands, yet humble among a display dominated by rare and expensive metal.

It was a simple glass jar of honey with an unmistakable, tessellating piece of honeycomb suspended within.

That boy was Patrick Pynes. “It was a feeling of incredible beauty,” Pynes recalls. “Surreal beauty … beyond a diamond … it just mesmerized me.”

The trickster god must’ve been visiting Texas that day, for the young Pynes soon learned a lesson about beauty, fragility and responsibility.

“I went into the store, and they handed me 10 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

this jar of honey,” Pynes remembers. “It was so beautiful, I thought it was actually kind of flying, or without gravity … so I dropped it on the floor, and it just shattered.”

Fortunately for the youngster, there was honey aplenty, and he was given another jar, which he held with a firmer grip. Pynes attributes that day as the moment he “fell in love with bees.” Now, he keeps organic gardens and bees, serves as president of the Northern Arizona Organic Beekeepers Association and teaches about nature and environmental humanities at Northern Arizona University.

In the U.S. there are over 4,000 species of native bees. However, when people think of bees, mostly they’re thinking of the non-native European honeybee, Apis mellifera, which came to North America alongside colonizers and their crops.

“The honeybee is the basis of Western civilization,” according to Pynes. That’s not as overstated as it sounds.

Flowering plants, including many food crops, depend on pollinators like bees to facili-

The beekeeper teaches a summer workshop for Hopi youths.

Above: Patrick P ynes checks on an apiar y he keeps in Sedona.

tate reproduction. Every species of pollinator tive and adds that routine human expansion also has particular tastes and only pollinates spe- contributes to habitat destruction. cific plants. Consequently, many plant foods “Seventy percent of native bees live in the that originated in Europe—apples, lemons, al- ground,” she says. “If you’re talking about pomonds, beets, broccoli and countless others— tential habitat loss, any development that goes would be nearly impossible to grow without on is really going to affect them.”

European honeybees. The same goes for native As for pesticides and herbicides, they plants and native bees. What we eat depends “compound in the environment,” Nemeth exon bees. plains. “They don’t spray once and go away. …

And bees are in trouble. Declining bee They build up and create toxic environments.” populations have been well documented for Unfortunately, despite the historical illeyears now. Take for example a 2017 report galization of pesticides like DDT in the U.S., from the Center for Biological Diversity that large scale industrial agriculture still relies concludes “nearly one in four (347 native bee heavily on pesticides and herbicides, and as long species) is imperiled and at increasing risk of ex- as that practice remains profitable in the free tinction.” That same report estimates that bees market, well, money talks louder than honey. provide more than $3 billion in fruit-pollination Pynes notes that big agriculture isn’t services each year just in the United States. solely responsible. Commercial pesticides like If you’re wondering how they may be cal- Roundup do just as much damage. “It’s not just culating the cost of “pollination services,” look industrial agriculture that is poisoning things,” to places like China’s Hanyuan County, where he says. “It’s backyard gardeners who don’t seem decimated bee populations have forced farm- to realize that what they’re spraying on that ers to pollinate crops by hand, a solution that dandelion is going to end up harming the bees.” demands hundreds of thousands of hours in However, there are alternatives to pestihuman labor. cides and herbicides.

So why the deAt the arboretum, cline? When it comes where Nemeth and to bee colony death, her team care for more also known as colony garden than most collapse disorder, there’s laypeople can boast, no clear culprit. Instead, they’ve adopted more there’s a lineup of usual ecological methods. suspects, from paraWhen it comes sites to climate change. to insect pests, “we Pynes has witnessed use good bugs to fight colony collapse firstbad bugs,” Nemeth exhand and has his own plains. “We have baby suspicions about why mantises growing in it’s occurring. the greenhouse right This winter “all the now … they come in bees on the Colorado Plateau died. … I’ve never the mail, and we let them go.” had that experience before,” Pynes laments. He For pesky weeds, “We dig them out. That’s admits that the region had a harsh winter, but what I’d recommend,” Nemeth says. sees that as a secondary threat. “I think that the Aside from shunning the use of pesticides environment is being degraded to such a de- and herbicides, there are other practices the avgree that in places where the bees are extremely erage gardener can adopt to support bees and stressed–such as in harsh, cold, wet winter–they pollinators. just can’t deal with that stress.”

“If you have a property, don’t mow it,” NeIn terms of environmental degradation, meth suggests. “Wildflowers will come up. We Pynes believes that blame can be pinned on don’t mow our property, and it’s incredible what “chemical residue in the earth’s atmosphere, in has come back.” the plants, the soil and water … a lot of it comConscious cultivation of pollinator-friending from our industrial food system.” Specifical- ly plants is another good move. “We’ve also ly, “I’m talking about herbicides and pesticides.” planted native plants that bloom at different Lynne Nemeth, executive director of the times of the year,” Nemeth adds. “From the Arboretum at Flagstaff, shares Pynes’ perspec- very beginning of the pollinator season to the

‘What’s going to save us is being in relationship with bees and allowing the bees to save themselves. They have the power to do that.’

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very end, there are plants to support the native pollinators.”

Pynes is similarly minded and has compiled a catalog of what he calls the Sweet Sixteen bee-friendly plants to garden. The list includes apple trees, wild sunflowers, penstemons, even the common yellow dandelion.

Unexpectedly, what neither Nemeth nor Pynes recommends is the attempt to keep bees yourself.

“With all due respect,” Pynes says, “if people want to help save bees, it’s actually better to be a gardener and practice the husbandry of bees by taking care of plants rather than becoming a beekeeper.”

Beekeeping is “a lot different than keeping chickens,” Pynes adds. “It’s a lot more complicated than it seems.”

This is particularly true in northern Arizona, where hard environment favors hardy bee species, namely Africanized bees. “Most of the bees I work with are so-called Africanized bees,” Pynes says. “They’re the only ones that are really able to survive in this high desert environment.”

Once demonized as “killer bees” by popular media, Africanized bees are actually a hybrid species born by interbreeding East African lowland bees and European honeybees. And while they still pollinate and produce honey, “they do have the ability to kill you,” according to Pynes. However, he feels his experience of beekeeping is enriched by the threat of death.

“If you’re not wearing a veil, they’ll either sting you to death or suffocate you,” he explains calmly. “But that’s a great thing, isn’t it?

They’re like a grizzly bear, like a mountain lion, like a whale. … I think it enhances my respect for them to know that they have an inherent wildness in them that we’ve never been fully able to extinguish.”

For Pynes, vulnerability and risk merit the sweetest reward of beekeeping: acceptance.

“There are times when we work with bees where it’s just a high,” he shares. “Where the bees have decided to accept you, sort of patted you on the back and said, ‘You understand us; don’t you? We’re going to be in harmony today.’”

Pynes first experienced such a gesture in the gardens of Winslow’s La Posada Hotel, where he serves as head gardener and keeps a colony.

“I went to visit the hive,” he says. “As soon as I got close to the hive, I could tell by the gestalt, the way the bees were moving and the 12 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

A Flagstaf f honeybee collects from a Datura bloom.

Above: Honey from Flagstaf f bees is strained before bot tling.

Flagstaff’s

Sweet Sixteen Patrick Pynes’ select list of the best flowering plants for honeybees, Monarch butterflies and other pollinators 1. Fruit trees (apple, crabapple, cherry, pear, peach, quince) sound, that something was different.” in Pynes’ mind, reasoning and science do not He soon discovered the hive was out of its offer us a solution to the decline of bee populausual place. “I felt something or someone look- tions. Instead, he advocates “the sort of creative ing at me … I looked up, and there was the relationship that science would call subjective.” swarm, hanging in the tree. They don’t have “We’ve got enough research, we’ve got eyes like we do, but there was another intel- enough experimentation,” he says. “What’s ligence looking at me.” going to save us is being in relationship with Then, “they start to move, they take off,” he bees and allowing the bees to save themselves. remembers. “That’s the only time I’ve actually They have the power to do that.” seen a swarm take off until the last bee was gone In other words, let nature save herself. from that tree branch. … Science will say it’s Don’t mow, let wildflowers grow. Don’t decide bullshit, but I believe they waited for me. They which bugs live and which bugs die, be in relawanted me to see them before they left. They tionship with all, be vulnerable to all. Let them were saying goodbye. They had been there for figure it out for themselves, even if they figure a long time.” us out of the equation.

The experience changed the way Pynes felt This position challenges the traditional about the collected consciousness of bees. “That concept of the gardener as keeper of nature. was the first time that I really felt as if I was But in an era of climate change, environmental interacting.” degradation and declining pollinator populaUnlike the firm grip needed on Pynes’ jar tions, perhaps it’s time we have the courage and of honey, he sees the future of bees requires humility to admit that humans are not fit to be something lighter, humbler from humans. In Earth’s keeper; that the best thing we can do is the same way that the heavy hand of pesticides to limit the weedy encroachments of our civilidoes more to harm our gardens than keep them, zation and let the birds and bees be.

2. Rocky Mountain beeplant 3. Annual wild sunflowers 4. Chamisa 5. Zinnia 6. Borage 7. Arugula 8. Lavender and rosemary 9. Penstemons 10. Red maple tree 11. Phacelia (scorpionweed) 12. Globemallow 13. Gaillardia 14. Fernbush 15. Milkweeds 16. Dandelion

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MATTERSOFTASTE

Café Daily Fare

An Artistic Expression of Food

By Gail G. Collins | Photography by Nancy Wiechec

Nancy McCulla

W

Brazilian Fish Stew 14 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

hen it comes to achieving a goal, the earnest will hustle in every way possible to make it happen. That’s how Nancy McCulla evolved from raffling off dinners to pay college tuition to owning her catering business, Simply Delicious, and then running Café Daily Fare. At 13 years old, she worked in a kitchen in Illinois and under the tutelage of a master German baker. The competence and confidence gained propelled McCulla to continue cooking after earning a bachelor of arts in ceramics at Northern Arizona University. Following stints in local kitchens and prepping pastry for Grand Canyon Railway, the next step seemed inevitable.

“Café Daily Fare has an eclectic menu,” said McCulla. “We’re a chef-driven Mom and Pop—very aware of life in Flag, the venues and what people like to eat.” Her catering business is nearly 20 years strong, while the lunch spot, tucked up on the ridge above Route 66, celebrates a decade in business.

McCulla gathers international inspiration for cooking. Her Brazilian Fish Stew is an example of trial, tried and true. Though

Hot Italian

she had never visited Brazil, flavors leapt from the pages of recipe books, tempting her. The resulting stew of cod chunks, tomato, coconut milk, lime and smoked paprika ladles up alongside cilantro and cumin rice.

It’s lively and savory in turns. “I play, make, tweak and look for new traditions,” she said.

“Cuisine crosses lines globally.”

The point of conviction came when Brazilian travelers ordered the fish stew and proclaimed it an authentic success. “I don’t Americanize food—that’s not fun,” McCulla confessed.

The Chef ’s Favorites on the menu are guest picks as well. McCulla wanted to serve duck, so created approachable (and irresistible) duck tacos. The blackberry-marinated fowl with habanero aioli, Fossil Creek goat cheese, arugula, jicama and toasted pepitas combine for a decadent handhold. The fish tacos are fabulous, too, so go ahead and order half and half. House salad and bread or black bean salad accompany the favorites.

The sandwich list is well-traveled. The hot Italian plumbs McCulla’s deli roots. It loads capicola (Corsican pork), Genoa saJune19 namlm.com

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Brazilian Fish Stew with House Salad

lami, pickled red onion and tomato with Pecorino Romano for a sharp edge on ciabatta. A generous, well-dressed salad of greens, apple, avocado, jicama and pine nuts on the side builds a big lunch. Beans, greens, spices and other products are as organic and local as possible.

The Simply Delicious club layers turkey, capicola, applewood smoked bacon, Swiss, Provolone, tomato and romaine with slathers of mayo and Dijon on sourdough. The hearty stack satisfies. The balsamic-glazed Portobello is upgraded with grilled eggplant, plus smoked onion, poblanos, roasted red pepper, 16 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

pesto mayo and romaine on brioche. Boost the protein with a cup of soup, especially when the creamy quinoa—veg-filled tomato broth with garbanzo beans and pumpkin seeds—is on offer. Half sizes of sandwiches and salads are an option, and the extensive array of add-ons, ranging from cumin crusted chicken to balsamic glazed grilled steak, makes a meal of greens.

There are 60-plus years of experience cooking at Café Daily Fare, and it shows.

What some may not know is the eatery has a secret menu on occasion. Seasons stimulate the staff, especially as far as soups and stews,

so ask. You might be rewarded with a fun and flavorful soup flight.

Community drives Flagstaff, and McCulla pitches in enthusiastically with other restaurateurs for events such as Arizona Breweries & Veterans, Arizona Cancer Society, United Way and more. Interestingly, McCulla’s caring cuisine has sparked generosity and legacy from guests in return. One sent jelly made from her Wisconsin garden.

Others with no children have passed on treasured family recipes to the chef.

What began for McCulla as an avenue for funds grew into a passionate business nourishing her artistic expression through food. She reads her sauce book regularly, even taking it on vacation to browse yet again. Still, cooking is about pleasing her guests.

“Our town has a great mix of people: college students, cowboys and ranchers, locals and tourists,” McCulla said. “I love a newcomer in our café. I’m happy to serve them wonderful food.”

Café Daily Fare is located at 408 W. Historic Route 66 and is open Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Creamy Quinoa and Portobello Sandwich

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the First Moon Landing on July 20th with special Lunar Legacy events. discoverflagstaff.com

FREE

Flagstaff’s Lunar Landmarks Trail Map & Passport Available for FREE at the Flagstaff Visitor Center | One E. Route 66 June19 namlm.com

17

BYtheBOTTLE

Cheers to Cold Beer on Sunny Patios

By Adam Harrington

J

une brings long days and the promise of soaking up some high altitude sun. Is there a better way to celebrate the warmth than with a cold beer on a sunny patio? Thankfully, Flagstaff is flush with patios and beer gardens where a refreshing pint can be sipped or quaffed while starting on that summer tan.

Flagstaff Brewing Company boasts one of the better-situated patios, and with food and beer service, you can spend a good part of an afternoon enjoying Flag Brew’s Kolsch or Bitterroot ESB with a plate of Belgian fries. July will mark Flagstaff Brewing’s 25th year, and to celebrate, the brew pub plans some special releases.

The Double Bubba Imperial IPA is set to release in July. But more exciting is a collaboration beer made by the company’s past and present brewers. They have not yet announced what the “annibeersary” brew will be, however, expect something unique from so many creative talents.

Just across the tracks, Lu mber ya rd Brew ing Company boasts a sunny patio that also has a fire pit to keep the chill off in cooler nighttime temps.

With some fantastic pub fare and solid beer, the patio at Lumberyard is a worthy place to spend time.

Try the Knotty Pine Pale Mother Road Brewing, Mikes Pike location Ale, an award-winning American pale ale with a gentle malt body balanced by a beautiful citrus and pine hop profile.

At 5.4% ABV, Knotty Pine can be an easy-drinking session beer. Or go for Lumberyard’s Orange Wheat Beer. A doughy wheat backbone and a distinct yeast character is the perfect vessel to bring out citrusy character. A traditionally hazy style, this beer will make you feel like you are spending the afternoon in a Bavarian Biergarten.

Beaver Street Brewery has a hidden gem of a garden with lush trees and a hop vine creeping up a wooden fence. Serving traditional pub fare, wood-fired pizza and house crafted, award-winning beers, this is a lovely place to spend a warm afternoon.

In other news, Historic Brewing Company recently renovated 18 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

its east-side taproom and beer garden and will be expanding its south San Francisco Street Barrel + Bottle House this month. The expansion, which takes over the space vacated by Proper Meats + Provisions, will add eight taps featuring Historic mainstays plus a full cocktail bar. Historic Brewing continues its collaboration with Grand Canyon Conservancy with the release of Metamorphic Maibock. The beer showcases a light straw color, a moderate bitterness with very clean malt characters, and a unique mandarin orange flavor derived from the hops.

If something even lighter is your style, try Oceanfront Property, an Arizona lager with a light citrus aroma, a crisp finish and 4.8% ABV. Mother Road Brewing Company has added Sunday Drive to its canned lineup. The American hoppy lager is light, crisp and evenly hopped. It starts off with bright citrus aromatics followed by a light malt body. Both Mother Road locations invite enjoyment in outdoor spaces.

The Mikes Pike patio is a cheery spot to catch up with friends.

After celebrating their fifth year in business, the creative folks at Dark Sky Brewing have decided to push the limits of beer even further. When asked what’s coming for Dark Sky, coowner Ryan Sandlin said, “[We’re] hoping to roll out beer slushies. No, I’m not kidding.” Also, dab in the center of the Dark Sky taproom, Pizzicletta now has a wood-fired oven turning out fresh pizzas and bar bites.

If Bavarian or German beer is your thing then Wanderlust Brewing Company should be a regular stop during your spring to summer beer hunt. Their take on a traditional Gose, Bahnhof Gose, is a semi-tart, highly carbonated beer that includes small additions of salt that makes this beer quite unique.

As warmer weather looms, a light beer on a patio sounds enticing.

Perhaps we will run across one another outdoors with a pint (or slushy) in hand.

theARTS

T

&

E G R O M F FOR y iec h aph t og r a nc y W o h

by N nd P le a c i t Ar

ec

he hammer comes down in swift, blurry movements, repeatedly pounding searing hot red metal.

The artist imparts form with assiduous force. Carefully lifted from the anvil, the metal glows orange, then fades slowly to black. Joshua Meyer is altering an old spike, transforming it, in his east Flagstaff workshop and studio.

Standing at his fiery forge, Meyer seems a bit old-school, maybe a Renaissance man— he’s mainly self-taught in some of the oldest forms of arts and crafts—but his Foo Fighters T-shirt and casual demeanor put him squarely in today’s world. His forte is turning discarded and found items into knives, utensils, hooks, sculptures, whimsical figures and more.

One spring day finds him reshaping a railroad spike into a double-edged blade with a Spartan design. The decorative heel of the knife resembles the face of a Corinthian helmet, a symbol of Greek warriors.

“My three main passions are sculpting, blacksmithing, which is also kind of sculpting in a way, and painting with black ink and water,” Meyer says. He insists he’s forever fascinated by the process of creating and finds joy in various mediums.

“Different people have told me, ‘If you’re going to be an artist focus on one thing and get really good at it.’ And I say, ‘There’s no way I’m going to ever do that.’”

Meyer has been in Flagstaff less than two years but is well on his way to finding a purpose and a place for his art here.

Born in Papua New Guinea to missionary parents, his life has been full of travel, learning about people and places around the globe. He discovered the beauty of northern Arizona on an impulse while traveling with his mom, who had asked to stop in Sedona. Eventually, his family ended up living in the red rocks and later moved up to Flagstaff.

His path to becoming more or less a fulltime artist, though, began many years ago. After working his own construction and landscaping businesses, Meyer spent several years as a project manager in website design.

“I was working alone in my home every day, and after five [or] six [or] seven years, I just was like, ‘Oh my God. I’m just going crazy.’”

He wanted to go back to creating with his hands, so he took some art classes.

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"

Making things is primal, and it taps into something that is just very pleasing to humans.

"

“All this creative energy just came pouring out,” he recalls. “I felt then that I had to do art. I started making myself do it, giving myself time on the weekends to create, paint and sculpt.”

He later learned to carve rock and picked up working with metal from his brother, who had taken up blacksmithing after retiring from the Army.

“With blacksmithing, I love working with things that used to be something else, like taking an old railroad spike, an old horseshoe, or a piece of rebar and giving it a new purpose, a new life,” Meyer says. “Maybe it’s had its time, and now it’s all rusty and tossed aside and forgotten … You pick it up and change the shape of it and change its purpose.”

His works sell to admirers, and others commission him to make decorative, functional items, especially various styles of knives. But Meyer said he’s discovered that selling art is not his ultimate personal or business goal. He also wants to share what he knows about creating with others.

“My audience is people who just get caught up in the grind of every day that they kind of lose their passion for life and lose their inspiration,” he says. “I’m a big believer in using my art as a platform, but also providing experiences for people, whether it’s through my blacksmithing

20 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

classes or whatever. I want to re-inspire people and to give them a way and a place to try something hands-on and down-to-earth.”

At his workshop, he holds individual as well as group classes in blacksmithing. He’s even done a bachelor party and employee team-building events centered around his forge and anvils.

“Making things is primal, and it taps into something that is just very pleasing to humans,” he says. The process of creating, “of unplugging and making with your hands, is super healthy, great for the human brain and spirit.

“To take something that’s as hard as a rock and heat it up and all of a sudden you can manipulate it, you can bend it, you can squish it, you can twist it, flatten it and then cool it back off again in this new shape. … That’s really the fun of it.”

Sitting on the concrete floor of his studio are three small human-like figures made of rock with iron limbs.

Meyer has named them his “Flagstonians.” These little ones are prototypes for much larger sculptures that the artist will fabricate for the city’s public art program. One prototype looks to be a hiker, one is relaxing in a tube like a river rat, the last one is stargazing.

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“I wanted to do something very local and raw and simple,” he explains. “I use local Flagstaff rocks, incorporate my steel into it, and make a character doing something Flagstaff people can relate to.”

Meyer says he wants his art to appear in public spaces where it might surprise people, make them smile or laugh or “do silly things.”

“I’ve always wanted to have my sculptures, big sculptures, outside getting beat by the weather, with moss growing on them, birds pooping on them, whatever. I’d rather they not be cooped up in a gallery.” The first life-size Flagstonian is to be placed somewhere along the Flagstaff Urban Trail System, likely near Thorpe Park.

Meyer’s gritty textures, intriguing motifs and a rough-around-the-edges aesthetic fits well into the Flagstaff character and environment. With a wink and a nod, we look forward to meeting his Flagstonians on the trail.

Joshua Meyer Art is located at 2711 E. Lakin Drive and online at www.joshuameyerart.com.

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23

MINDandBODY

Less Pain, More Healing Shining light on new at-home multilight therapy

By Starla S. Collins

M

ichelle Boyer is accustomed to dealing with pain, personally and professionally. Boyer has nearly two decades of experience as a physician assistant and spine care specialist. Like many people, she is physically fit and active, nutritionally sound and functionally aware, yet she suffers from chronic back pain.

Over the years, she has learned and implemented multiple non-surgical technologies and therapies to help herself and her patients alleviate and decrease persistent and constant pain.

Today, Boyer focuses on shedding “light” on the ever-growing field of Polychromatic Light Therapy, which use LED colored lights applied to the body to promote healing and decrease pain.

The use of low-level laser light therapy has been known for more than 40 years but is gaining more widespread acceptance as research provides answers as to how and why this deeply penetrating light benefits the body.

Polychromatic Light Therapy (PLT) is medically called photobiomodulation. It uses pulsating, low-level (LED), specific wavelengths of light that can penetrate into the body to promote healing and decrease pain. (PLT should not be confused with light therapy boxes that use full-spectrum lights to treat conditions such as Seasonal Affective Disorder and depression; or high-power or low-level laser light therapy, which uses amplified light on a targeted area.)

How PLT works Our cells require light, such as sunlight, for optimal function, and each cell has photo-acceptors to receive light. Medical science has shown that direct, intentional application of light triggers the cells to kick into high gear. Polychromatic Light Therapy uses a specific combination of pulsating blue, red and near-infrared lights.

These low-level waves (colors) of light are able to penetrate into the body. For example, PLT blue light penetrates about 2 to 3 millimeters; PLT red light penetrates about 8 to 10 millimeters; and PLT near-infrared light can penetrate from 20 to 100 millimeters, reaching deep into the body.

The waves of light are absorbed into the cells to assist in the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy the body needs for cell repair and regeneration. The light also triggers the cells to release nitric oxide, which causes blood vessels to dilate and increase circulation throughout the body. The increase in ATP production and circulation stimulates the body’s healing process and decreases pain in the area the lights are applied and other regions of the body.

24 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

“The changes on the cellular level that are a result of the photobiomodulation therapy helps the body heal itself from the inside out,” explains Boyer, a certified light therapist and owner of Your Shining Life LLC in Flagstaff.

“More and more evidence is emerging that shows the benefits of these healing waves of light, without surgery or medication, and the therapy can be done at home. It is amazing what just 20 minutes two to four times per week can do for the body.”

PLT is known to • Increase blood circulation oxygenation • Reduce pain • Decrease inflammation and edema • Promote muscle relaxation and reduce tenderness • Accelerate natural healing processes • Rejuvenate body tissues • Enhances athletic performance and recovery Some medical conditions that can benefit from PLT • Joint pain in the neck, back, fingers, elbow, knee, wrist • Swelling and inflammation from illness or injury • Lymphedema • Brain injuries • Bone fractures • Bruises • Burns • Non-healing wounds • Peripheral neuropathy • Tight or sore muscles • Mood disorders • Skin conditions

Currently, Medicare and most insurance companies do not cover these FDA Class II medical devices. Fortunately, it is considered durable medical equipment, so the cost can often be applied to outof-pocket medical expenses and health saving plans such as FSA and HSA. The technology is sold via FDA-approved companies and is not available in stores. Boyer helps people choose the correct products and provides training and support on how to properly use the technology to gain the most benefits.

“My life has been completely changed since introducing the light therapy,” Boyer says. “I have been providing and sharing this technology as a vital component in pain management. People can start to experience pain relief via an FDA-approved, completely safe, natural, non-invasive therapy that has no side effects or risks. It is an incredible tool in the arsenal of pain and healing options.”

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OUTDOORLIFE

&

Katsinas

Cinder Cones What Spirits and Nature Wrought

By Michael Engelhard

A

s you drive south from the Cameron trading post toward Flagstaff and the southwestern rim of the Colorado Plateau, cinder and jagged basalt oust the Painted Desert’s sinuous shale. The blond grasslands transected by Highway 89 appear torched, hardened with lava veins, blackened with pustules and scabs.

While this area of the North American tectonic plate was sliding across a hotspot in the planet’s mantle, molten rock pushed through fissures and cracks, oozing from the surface, or, mixed with gases, lobbing fiery mayhem a mile high. With the crust steadily inching northeastward, volcanoes boiled up, geysered 26 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

and fizzled, and the San Francisco Volcanic Field stretched into a 50-mile belt of more than 600 vents. Hopi speakers refer to these knobby protrusions as the Testicle Hills.

Near the crest where the highway starts dropping into town, Sunset Crater marks this ground’s most recent violent birthing, which occurred during the late fall or winter of 1064–1065 C.E. For miles around, the event scorched prehistoric pit houses and filled them with cinders; lava undoubtedly mantles others, a scattered Pompeii. No human bones, however, were found at such habitations, so it appears that the local Sinagua had ample warning.

Major John Wesley Powell in 1892 named the thousand-foot-high cone for its cap of rustcolored, oxidized, scoria spatter—deposits that make it appear bathed in evening light.

When actual sunsets intensify the tinted glow, it seems as if the rim is about to ignite.

Archaeologists determined the eruption’s date by analyzing growth rings of wooden roof beams covered by volcanic debris. Terrified, the Sinagua temporarily abandoned cornfields they had worked for generations.

Ancestral Hopis, who witnessed the flare-up and attendant mushroom cloud from their distant mesas, consigned the spectacle to collective memory. Their myths recall a vengeful

Lef t: Sunset at the Crater by Tabby Blake, Wikimedia Commons.

Right: Kana'a Kachina doll, whose colors symbolize fire and lava. Photo by Danielle Voirin, cour tesy of Galerie Flak, Paris.

katsina—an elementary spirit envisioned as having a flame-colored, tube-snout head— that combusted a mountaintop after sorcerers wronged him. Out of control, the blaze quickly merged with the underground hearth of Maasawu, the Hopi lord of death, and also a creator. At first, foul-smelling vapors poured from fissures in the ground, overlaid by whistling and hissing. Then end times rained upon people. A petroglyph in Deadman Wash north of Flagstaff might depict the flare-up with swirly lines suggestive of roiling ash clouds.

What a sight that must have been! I try to imagine the earth splitting open like a ripe watermelon. Thunderclaps racked the sky,

while a red rift belched a wall of greasy black smoke. Roman candles tickled the bellies of clouds; lightning flashed inside. Waterfall roaring would have deafened the ears.

To get a better idea of the terrain and because Sunset Crater proper is off-limits to hikers, I wander black hills sprawling outside the monument’s boundaries. These cinder dunes are older volcanoes that were blanketed with ejected material the size of walnuts and peas.

Scaling these coarser cousins of sand dunes is Sisyphean work. For every two steps uphill, I slide back one. Sinking ankle-deep in grit and ash, I accumulate “trail mix” in my boots. The overlapping rhythms of my labored

breathing and crunching steps splinter silence into more manageable parts. After only 15 minutes of this, my thighs and lungs are on fire. Forced to stop often I catch my breath, gulp water. I seek tree shade rather than sunlight to rest in. Heat wavers across the slopes, hugging the ground closely, blurring contours in the manner of gas fumes; its weight presses hard on my shoulders. I pick up a snippet of lava ribbon, and it feels warm as if it had retained heat from the volcano’s intestines.

But the sights fully compensate for the suffering. Solitary pines and yellow-blooming cushions of bladderpod root in layers that lack even traces of topsoil. From afar, backlit June19 namlm.com

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bushes of Apache plume resemble tufts of silvery fur clinging to balding polar bear skin. A pair of ravens tumbles from the sky. Now they dissolve against the charcoal background. Now shadow twins chase them, darker than dark.

Descending the inclines is so much more fun. I simply shift my weight onto my heels and glissade down the steepness, raising a dust trail.

Foot traffic has been the least of the hills’ problems. In 1930, Sunset Crater was designated a national monument after a Hollywood movie company wanted to blow it to pieces to simulate a landslide for a Zane Grey adaptation, but most neighboring cones lack protection. Off-road vehicles mar some.

Earthmovers gut others for landscaping and building material and to salt icy roads.

The tectonic plate that bears all this keeps drifting, yet the once volatile field now lies dormant, monitored by geologists armed with seismographs.

Fittingly, harmony was restored after the wrath of Sunset Crater’s katsina had run its course. As in any good yarn, the bad guys met a bad end. All evildoers suffocated or burned to a crisp. Maasawu settled down again in his

28 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

underground realm. Life became as normal as it ever can be in a desert place.

While the first phase of volcanic activity had the greatest impact on the Sinagua, the molding of topography continued. Exploring parties from the nearby proto-Puebloan hamlets of Wupatki, sent to see if the valley was still fit to be farmed, could have witnessed massive lava tides—the Kana-a and Bonito flows—breaching the crater’s base in 1150 and 1220 C.E. Archaeologists retrieved 55 lava pieces with impressions of ancient corn from a small pueblo near Sunset Crater. The researchers, using Hopi and Safeway corn at Hawaiian volcanic features, showed that husked ears must have been placed adjacent to lava spatter cones or hornitos (“little ovens”) as offerings to placate the short-tempered deity or to gain token imprints of two animate, sacred forces: magma and corn. The fact that some Sinagua hauled almost 90 pounds of the cooled basalt to their home miles away and processed it there to reveal the casts proves their ritual significance. They even embedded one in that dwelling’s masonry. Kernel dimples showed that the corn had been barely ripe, freshly harvested, which allowed pinpointing the eruption to late

August or early September. The distribution pattern of cinders in a prevailing monsoonal wind direction corroborates that seasonal clue.

At the visitor center, I stroll past displays of Earth’s fiery spasms. Producing “squeezeups,” pasty lava pressed from cracks whose edges cut grooves into the cooling slabs.

Chunks of obsidian—dense, glassy lava rich in silica, rapidly cooled—were coveted trade goods for pre-Columbians, who flaked arrowheads and spear points from them. Frothy volcanic glass instead hardened into pumice balls. Next to them on the shelf sits a large gob that, while airborne, stayed viscous longer, assuming an aerodynamic shape. This “bomb” could easily be mistaken for the petrified thigh muscle of a Greek hero.

The Hawaiian language yielded terms for further variations on the magmatic theme. In aa or “clinker lava,” rubble fused during the meltdown. Pahoehoe or “rope lava,” conversely, contains more gas. It flows in sheets that can be wrinkled, slack elephant skin or smooth as a snake’s. Many of these forms strike me as almost organic and invite tactile exploration.

Where the paved road skirts the two square miles of Bonito Flow near the foot of the cone, I admire more features, in situ. A

circular foundation is all that remains of a side vent, or fumarole. The Sinagua “corn rocks” could have been made at a place such as this.

Stunted aspen fringe the rubble expanse, whose thickness ranges from six to 100 feet.

In blinding smoothness trunks stand white and collected against gunmetal gray and anthracite chaos. Bonito Flow is a textbook example of plant succession in the wake of natural disturbance. Splotches of mint green, neon yellow, and orange lichens encrust the jumble. By decomposing rock, they create a semblance of soil. A few ponderosas as well have gained footholds atop the flow. On this highway from hell, lava blades stand tilted, too close to place so much as a foot in between.

I try to walk there regardless and sound like a blind man shuffling through a ruined city.

A sinkhole has opened the ceiling of a tubular cavity. The roof ’s crust insulates cold air trapped in its innards. Inside, I find relief from the parched surface and the sun’s fervor. My eyes slowly adjust to the half-light, my skin to meat locker temperatures. Metal bars prevent further passage, ensuring visitors’ safety and, I suspect, the sanctity of this place. The Hopis consider this the lair of the North Wind. According to traditional belief, it is dangerous

Clock wise from lef t: Volcanic vent near the main crater.

Gnarly ponderosa pine in the Bonito Flow.

A lone ponderosa has gained a foothold in cinders. Photos by Michael Engelhard June19 namlm.com

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Above: Sunset Crater from the edge of the Bonito Flow.

Inset: Piece of red scoria, the material coloring the crater’s rim.

Photos by Michael Engelhard.

30 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

and forbidden to enter such abodes, but one As usual, I’m most deeply affected by the may do so by appeasing and calming the genius power of the sublime, by the incarnation of loci, by speaking its holy name. What times, meaning in root, stem and leaf. In a humble when even gods find the doors to their homes reversal of the law of minuscule causes and great padlocked against the trespassing ignorant. effects, a cataclysm reverberates over centuries I press my face to the cool grate. On its far and brings forth something as temporary yet side, lenses of year-round ice gleam with light timeless as a delicate pink blossom. I find comresidue from the entrance. One crevice holds fort in such enduring impermanence. a prayer stick painted ochre, its tip turquoise.

The Victorian botanist Richard Deakin, In the 1880s, Flagstaff households and saloons himself a citizen of an empire, expressed similar used ice from this and surrounding lava caves sentiments inventorying the flora inside Rome’s in their cellars. crumbling Colosseum. “Flowers,” he wrote, A second reason, perhaps my main one, for “form a link in the memory and teach us hopeful walking these igneous fields is a flower born of and soothing lessons amid the sadness of bygone destruction that thrives nowhere else: Penstemon ages.” And, “cold indeed must be the heart clutei, Sunset Crater beardtongue. The humming- that does not respond to their silent appeal; bird attractor’s pink chalices grace this moonscape for though without speech they tell us of the with splashes of color. Shaped by forest fires and regenerating power which animates the dust.” volcanic soil, blooming between June and July at Back on the highway that loops through 7,000 feet, it germinates only here, in its closely the volcanic field, I turn for a last look at the circumscribed niche. I don’t have to look hard to scenery. Gray clouds have rolled in from the find specimens. A cluster grows right next to the San Francisco Peaks. One plumes straight above visitor center. The waxy leaves are arranged in Sunset Crater like roiling soot. pairs, serrated, curled in the spring and edged burContemplating country scarred by divine gundy red. They fuse at the base, tenderly clasping temper or searing tectonic upheaval, it bethe knee-high flower stalks. Along the stalks’ comes easy to accept destruction as creation’s upper third, dozens of glorious mouths wag red indispensable twin. What nature raises with tongues, calling for pollinators to dip their bills. the right hand she rubs out with the left.

What attracts me to this flower? Certainly Between cataclysms, briefly, our two-legged not that it might disappear, crushed by off-roaders, kind is allowed to thrive. If in some unforeseeor by hybridizing with more common penstemon able future the San Francisco Volcanic Field species. Or its gaudiness, shadowed by stately awakens again, the fire below will greet the ponderosa pines. No, what holds me in thrall light from above in another display of teris the thumbprint of evolution that singled rible beauty. Until then, Arizona’s youngest this place out from the rest. Like Darwin’s volcano rivets our awe and attention on this Galápagos finches with their varied beaks, sun-blasted upland. this many-throated miracle confronts us with a fairly recent case of adaptation. DeThe entrance to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument viating from is 12 miles north of Flagstaff off U.S. Route 89. Turn right on the every member Sunset Crater-Wupatki Loop Road and continue 2 miles to the of the figwort visitor center. The scenic loop drive is 34 miles long, takes about an family, this one hour to complete and is open year round, day and night. All trails fitted itself to a in the monument are open from sunrise to sunset. For a list and radically changed, description of hikes, go to www.nps.gov/sucr. The visitor center is refashioned world— open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. a task we all will be facing soon.

 IF YOU GO

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DISTINCTIVESPACES

THE OUTDOOR

Kitchen

32 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

By the Staff

Outdoor

WHERE to START

cook ing spaces continue to evolve, much like their indoor counterparts.

At one time, a simple charcoal grill was the central figure of backyard cookery. Now in fashion are Dutch-ovens cooking over an open fire, smoking by various methods, pit barbeques, gas or pellet grills with a multitude of accessories, and brick ovens that can serve up wood-fired pizza, bread and more. Stovetop burners, bars, beverage coolers and sinks are incorporated so cooks can enjoy the outdoors and their company without having to run indoors to grab or check on food.

With increasing love for cooking and serving food outside, backyard living spaces are being supersized. And why not? According to studies, we are spending less and less time outdoors, even as research shows that time outdoors is good for us. We can expand such time with al fresco meal preparation, dining and entertaining.

Kaibab Landscaping in Flagstaff provides design and construction ser vices and has built several outdoor kitchens in northern Arizona. Owner Hugh Pressman

says more and more local homeowners are asking for such spaces, and with splendid seasonal weather, Flagstaff is the perfect environment for them.

“Even in the winter, people want to have their apres ski sitting around the firepit, grilling steaks and enjoying a cold beer,” he says.

If you’re looking to build your perfect outdoor kitchen, there is much to consider. Pressman advises homeowners to: Know your community building guidelines and regulations.

“There are design and review boards that specify certain things that you can and can’t do, even in a backyard,” he said.

Any construction plans, including for such things as firepits, fireplaces, bars and food preparation space, may need approval from the homeowner or neighborhood association.

Consider your budget.

An outdoor kitchen can have a hefty price tag, but it also can add much value to your house. Costs are dependent on scope, material selection and a slew of other factors.

An outdoor kitchen requires professional June19 namlm.com

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design and installation because of integrated electric, gas and water. “These are construction projects. They are not do-ityourself projects,” Pressman says. Grills, appliances, stone or brick features, flooring, furniture, counters, shading, fencing, power, lighting, decorative objects and entertainment, like a TV or audio system, add to the cost of the space. Various home improvement websites say constructing an outdoor kitchen can run from a few thousand dollars to $40,000 or more with top-ofthe-line products and materials.

Think thoroughly about how you will use the space.

Consider your average number of guests and what features you will actually utilize.

You may not want to include a pizza oven if you’ve never tried making pizza before. (And, you can make pizza on a grill.) Also, don’t buy more grill then you’ll need. Instead, save the space for things that will be welcomed by your guests, such as an integrated beverage cooler. Will you need storage for utensils and dinnerware? How about a built-in cutting surface or trash receptacle? Keep in mind that outdoor appliances and kitchen spaces will need maintenance and upkeep.

As with any remodeling or addition, creating an outdoor kitchen can increase the enjoyment of your home and its worth.

Just make sure to do your homework first to get the most value for your money.

Kaibab Landscaping project photos provided courtesy of the company.

34 Northern Arizona's Mountain Living Magazine

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PlayingFAVORITES

What Dads Want Gifts for those with everything

By Gabriel Granillo

L

et’s face it: Dad’s got enough tools. He’s well stocked on beer, and he’s already saved up enough money to buy himself the things he wants. So what’s a child to do for one’s father on Father’s Day? This year, give dad more than a gift. Give him an experience, particularly one you can share with him.

If your dad is anything like mine, he has an appreciation for the art of hitting a small white ball into a small black hole. Golf, of course.

And in Flagstaff, there’s only one public golf course to take Pops: Continental Country Club. Resting on the east side of town, this 18hole championship course designed by Bob E. Baldock offers pristine green all year long. A round of golf takes a while, and during that time Dad may find himself a little parched and hungry. Cool off after the game and take time to grab some grub and drinks at The Oakmont. Not in the mood for a full game? Try out Continental’s driving range, tennis courts, pickleball field, fitness center or swimming pool. For more information and to schedule a tee time, visit www.continentalflagstaff.com Get Dad’s motor running at the Prescott High School auto show.

A favorite annual northern Arizona event, the June 15 show stages the best in modern and classic cars. The show is at the Prescott Mile High Middle School football field, 300 S. Granite St., and is just $5 for spectator admission.

So Dad’s not quite into hunks of metal and chasing after balls he just drove away with a 9-iron. That’s OK. Maybe he’s more into the live arts. In that case, Flagstaff has plenty, and for Father’s Day, two local theater companies will be closing out productions of two very good plays. First, Theatrikos Theatre Company has taken on the brave task of adapting Mark Haddon’s eccentric and exciting novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, for the Doris Harper-White Community Playhouse stage. Show begins at 2 p.m. Tickets are $22-24 plus fees. Call (928) 774-1662. Over at the Museum of Northern Arizona, catch Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival’s production of The Bard’s Much Ado About Nothing. Tickets are $25 and the show begins at 6 p.m. www. flagshakes.org If you’re a human being, you like food. Dad’s especially seem to like food. Cooking it, talking about it, talking about cooking it. Why not take him to experience some of the cuisine in Flagstaff? Sometimes it’s tough to decide on one thing, though. That’s where Flagstaff Food Tours comes in. The tour takes guests to the Toasted Owl, Single Speed Coffee Café, Root Public House, Il Rosso and The Sweet Shoppe Candy Store, all the while giving a taste of Flagstaff history. The tour lasts about four hours and guests are encouraged to bring comfortable which takes you through town, residential neighborhoods and forests. shoes, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. Visit www.flagstafffoodtour.com Mount Elden and Arizona Snowbowl offer leisurely strolls. If anything, for reservations. the views are worth the trek. Head south a little bit for Sedona and Many dads appreciate a walk in the woods, and hiking is a great check out Devil’s Bridge, Cathedral Rock or Red Rock State Park. The way to burn off some of those food tour calories. There are plenty of easy Verde Valley also has some nice hikes and day trips. Try Montezuma enough hikes and strolls. Get lost on the Flagstaff Urban Trail System, Castle and Tuzigoot national monuments.

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