ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

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‘Natural place of peace and unspoiled beauty’

A still place in turning world: Arizona desert retreatBy Mark Mittelstadt

The distinct, bell-shaped mountain rising above the Sonoran Desert

northwest of Tucson holds a special power, say those who’ve spent time here — a magnetism that draws you in, sets you apart, even if only momentarily, from a diffi cult world, and perhaps even heals.

Named Safford Peak by early settlers, this protrusion of rock, scrub and cactus has beckoned visitors for centuries. For nearly 60 years, some of that land has been maintained as a place to hike the desert landscape, meditate, pray or just take time out from life.

That mystique drew me and my wife, Mary, to Sanctuary Cove, a spiritual retreat on the western edge of Marana, a sprawling Tucson suburb. We stayed at the property’s guest cottage, a small, modern structure with amazing views across the Tucson Basin from the front and a large patio in back jutting into the mountain desert.

We reserved for the night of a full moon, expecting moonlight and shadows, perfect for nighttime photography, on the towering saguaros, prickly pear and rocks. Nature gave us a different show. Sheets of rain from a brief afternoon monsoon blurred views of the nearby 3,563-foot peak. Hours later the clouds turned into a powerful storm to the east. Lightning illuminated the Santa Catalina Mountains like a strobe and yellow and white fl ashes lit up tall thunderheads.

LifestyleWe watched in awe from our cottage

porch 17 miles away. We couldn’t hear thunder — just the staccato of crickets and a whispering breeze.

Sanctuary Cove’s website describes its mission as “providing a natural place of peace and unspoiled beauty” offering an opportunity to “’draw apart’ from the intensity of today’s hectic lifestyle.” An entrance sign reads simply “A still place in a turning world.”

That mission has roots in centuries past, when indigenous tribes were believed to have visited, used and traversed the area. Today the property is operated by All Creeds Brotherhood, a non-profi t founded by Elmer Staggs, a World War I veteran who came to Arizona in 1917 to recover from tuberculosis. He homesteaded a large desert parcel outside Tucson, later selling some of it, including 31 acres to the federal government for the adjacent Saguaro National Park. But he retained 80 acres for public use for hiking, meditation and religious services.

Over the years activities have included memorial services, photo shoots, wed-dings and other events. In addition to a small chapel, an amphitheater that seats several hundred people hosts an an-nual, non-denominational Easter sunrise service.

A labyrinth, built from desert rocks by former caretakers Chuck Koesters and Annie Bunker, encourages visitors to clear their minds and absorb the desert’s beauty as they walk the circular formation. Trails offer views of Tucson to the right and Marana below. Skilled hikers can tackle rock-faced “Sombrero Peak,” the name locals give Safford Peak.

Inspirational signs dot the trails. “It takes a long, long time to see the desert ... It asks us to redefi ne what is beautiful,” reads one attributed to conservationist Terry Tempest Williams. “Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling,” reads another, a revised quote from early 1900s author Margaret Lee Runbeck.

InspirationThe cottage sleeps three, with a modern

bathroom and full kitchen. Shelves are stocked with books, many eclectic and out-of-print themed on self-help, inspira-tion and spirituality. The front porch is perfect for reading, enjoying morning coffee or simply sitting. The 500-square-foot covered patio in back reaches into the scrub and cactus, a good place to medi-tate, practice yoga, barbecue or snooze in a hammock, all while enjoying panoramic views and wildlife.

“I’ve seen mountain lion, desert fox, deer, javelina, bobcat, rattlesnakes, tarantula, Gila monster, coyote, desert tortoise,” said caretaker Amy Langley. “I’ve heard some bobcat screams that will scare the pants off you.”

Sanctuary Cove is also home to many birds including turkey vultures, desert wrens, doves, Gambel’s quail, owls and hummingbirds. A rare elegant trogon was recently spotted, Langley said. As we pre-pared to call it a night, rustling in nearby brush was a gray pig-like animal — a javelina nicknamed Jorge by Langley. On an early morning hike, I encountered a brown-tailed hawk dining on unlucky prey. The hawk grabbed its breakfast and fl ew to a rocky ledge.

Balancing high-minded ideals of refl ec-tion and spirituality with contemporary culture can be a challenge. As Langley prepared to close the gates the night of our stay, a mother and grown daughter insisted on walking a couple hundred yards to the chapel, smartphone in hand, in pursuit of virtual Pokemon. “That was a fi rst for me,” Langley laughed.

But most visitors come for other rea-sons. “At the end of the day when the light is fading, when the sun’s going down, the last light, it’s just beautiful,” Langley said. “I’ve had people come out here ... they haven’t been here for years and ‘Oh, we just wanted to come back because I had some really powerful times in my life here.’ So there’s something about that mountain that people are very drawn to.”

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If You Go...Sanctuary Cove: 8001 N. Scenic

Drive, Tucson; http://www.sanctuary-cove.org or 520-744-2375. Free ad-mission. Open daily sunrise to sunset year-round. Rental cottage rates vary by season. Easy to moderate hiking. Watch for thorns, rattlesnakes, heat. (AP)

This July 20, 2016 photo shows trails leading hikers into the Tucson Mountains and Sonoran Desert at Sanctuary Cove in Marana, Arizona. (AP)

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The special memorial Award estab-lished in the name of Late Pala K.M. Mathew, “Kalasurya” and “Kalamayukha” will given to those who secure top in the individual items complying the require-ments set for the award separately for boys

and girls sections. Varous IOC committees are working for the successful conducting of the Programme.

Participants can use any of the follow-ing contacts for registration.

Fax No: 24331461; Email: iocfest2016@gmail.com.

Filled entry forms will be collected at Sakina Bookshop, Abbassiya.

For group items, the group leader only need to send the entry form.

Last date for entry: Sept 30, 2016.For any further details, please contact

Tel Nos 69950131, 99827113, 97133930, 97139119.

Oct 14

‘Puraskara Sandhya’: K.T. Mu-hammed Padanavedi-Kuwait, the non-religious social gathering of some of the art, literature and drama lovers in Kuwait; who are highly infl uenced by the dramas of K.T. Muhammed, veteran play and screen writer of Malayalam drama. Our ultimate aim is to explore the infl uences

provided by the dramas on its golden era to the old society. Also we are trying to encourage the Kuwait society’s eminent personalities who are part of Kuwait’s art, drama, media, music, social and cultural fi elds.

We are conducting an honorary func-tion in which we honor eminent personali-ties from art, drama, media, music, social and cultural fi elds for their contributions to Kuwait’s society. Also we are planning musical entertainment with ever hit songs.

The function will be scheduled on Fri-

day, 14th October 2016 at United Indian School Auditorium, Abbasiya from 6.00 pm onwards.

Oct 21

IIK Diwali Mela 2016: After the grand success of our fi rst ever IIK Diwali Mela, IIK is once again proud to announce for the 5th time — the IIK Diwali Mela 2016.

As part of our continuous endeavor to bring the Indian community together to

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Destinations

Guide to best places for leaf-peeping

‘Leaf’ beaten path for stunning foliage, killer selfi esThe Northeast’s fall foliage dazzles

locals and draws millions of tour-ists, but many fl ock to the same tired vantage points.

Those willing to venture off the beaten path will be rewarded with stunning and comparatively uncrowd-ed autumn vistas — and some killer selfi es.

Here’s your guide to the best corners of New England and upstate New York for leaf-peeping:

ConnecticutThe Heublein Tower in Simsbury,

Connecticut sits at the top of Talcott Mountain State Park.

The 165-foot tower was built in 1914 by Gilbert Heublein as a summer home and offers spectacular views that on a clear day extend north to the Berkshires in Massachusetts and south to Long Island Sound.

Getting to the tower involves a relatively easy 1-mile hike up a foliage-fi lled trail that winds up the mountain with plenty of overlooks of the Farmington River Valley. There’s also a nearby pumpkin patch where visitors can enjoy hayrides and pump-kin picking.

—Pat Eaton-RobbMaine

Nestled in tiny Turner in the foot-hills of Maine, Ricker Hill Orchards combines two of New England’s most beloved autumn activities: picking your own apples and admiring the turning leaves. The orchard’s hillside “u-pick” area offers a stunning view of Maine’s western lakes and mountains region, with views of foliage stretching all the way to New Hampshire.

The ninth-generation orchard also offers fall staples such as cider and cider doughnuts along with its apples and views.

It’s about an hour’s drive north of Portland — a ride with its own superb views of the fall spectacle.

—Patrick WhittleMassachusetts

Most people associate Cape Cod with summer, sand and surf, but the peninsula offers some postcard-perfect backdrops for foliage.

Cross over the Sagamore Bridge and take the fi rst exit onto rural Route 6A, which winds and twists through the scenic and historic town of Sandwich. The Old King’s Highway, as it used to be known, hugs Cape Cod Bay and is lined with ancient stone walls, white picket fences, ponds and pastures.

Two worthwhile stops in Sandwich: Heritage Museums and Gardens, where you can meander paths bordered by stunning fl ora; and the Green Briar

Nature Center, next to the conservation area where Thornton Burgess dreamed up Peter Rabbit and other characters.

—William J. Kole

New HampshireDon’t want to limit your leaf-

peeping to a single state — or, for that matter — country? Head to Milan

State Park, where a fi re tower offers simultaneous views of the mountain ranges of New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Canada.

Brilliant leaves in the foreground contrast beautifully with fog that set-tles in the valleys and the mountains in the distance. The recently renovated park, about 125 miles north of the state capital of Concord, includes a hilltop campground with a half-dozen camp-sites and four furnished yurts available to rent through Oct. 24.

Oh, and it’s pronounced MY’-lin, not mih-LAHN’.

—Holly RamerNew York

In the southern Adirondacks, the stony Sacandaga River and a series of forest-rimmed lakes refl ect blaz-ing orange and yellow leaves along a 50-mile stretch of Route 30 from Northville to Indian Lake, where the Great Adirondack Moose Festival is slated for Sept. 24-25. There are long stretches of unbroken wilderness be-tween the hamlets of Wells, Speculator and Indian Lake, with hiking trails leading to secluded ponds, waterfalls and small mountains with big views.

—Mary EschRhode Island

For an urban leaf-peeping expe-rience, there are few places more picturesque than historic Benefi t Street in Providence, Rhode Island. Hundred-year-old elms and other mature trees provide a canopy of spectacular color over brick sidewalks.

The mile-long street runs past a col-lection of Colonial, Federal and Greek Revival-style homes, and several historic churches, including the First Baptist Church in America. Situated midway up the steep College Hill, it offers occasional glimpses of a more modern downtown, the Rhode Island Statehouse and rivers below. Above it is the main campus of Brown Univer-sity, another lovely spot for fall color.

—Michelle R. SmithVermont

The top of Owls Head Mountain, reached by a short hiking trail in the Groton State Forest off state Route 232, offers consistently world-class foliage displays.

With an elevation of 1,958 feet, the view from the rock face near the peak includes spectacular views of Lake Groton, Kettle Pond, Peacham Bog and an unbroken expanse of forest that in late September and early October glows red, orange and yellow.

While the more adventurous can make a 1.5-mile hike that’s rated as easy to moderate, it’s also possible to drive to a parking area near the top for a short walk that makes it an ideal outing with kids.

—Wilson Ring. (AP)

In this Sept 27, 2014 photo, fall colors are shown along Indian Lake beside Route 30 in the southern Adirondacks in New York. (AP)