A destination for wellness and transformation
Enjoy a tour and spiritual experience custom tailored to your groups interests. Your tour guide: William Martino is an author of 12 books, former monk and dubbed 'The Enlightenment Coach.' Endorsed by Universities, Hospitals and more...Click here for more.
In November 2007, the U.S. News and World Report issued a special edition describing the most spiritual places in the world. Crestone, Colorado is in the top ten.
Crestone, Colo.—Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, miles from the nearest major highway, this onetime Colorado gold-mining town seems like a most unexpected locale to find a growing religious center. Crestone today boasts a dense concentration of high Tibetan lamas than normally would be found even in Tibet. Christian Carmelites, Islamic Sufis, Jews, Hindus, Zen Buddhists, Taoists, Shintoists, and American Indians have all moved to Crestone
The story behind the formation of this eclectic community is profoundly interesting. Beginning in the late 1970s, a wealthy visionary named Hanne Strong, who with her husband, Maurice, owns 200,000 acres around Crestone, has donated land with the intention of creating a sanctuary for the world's religions. For the entire article click here.
Perched at the edge of the San Luis Valley, the onetime mining town of Crestone might seem like an unlikely cutting-edge capital of solar. But true believers in solar power, off-the-grid living, and alternative building methods have gravitated here for decades. “There is total open-ended support for solar here,” says Paul Shippee, a solar-architectural designer and proprietor of the Crestone Solar School.
Why Crestone? Start with 330 sunny days a year. Then factor in the acceptance of alternative viewpoints. Federal tax credits and state-level rebates for solar installations also help in a place that, even with all that Colorado sunshine, rivals Minneapolis in the number of days when heat is needed in homes. “We incorporate active or passive solar power in almost every home we build,” says Paul Koppana, a local contractor who specializes in straw-bale houses. “We’ve built houses that, in the dead of winter, run about 50 bucks a month in utilities.”
Where’s the best place to go in Colorado in the summer? That depends on what you're looking for. Fifty years ago, when the winter recreation industry was in its infancy, this state's mountain towns were a scruffy assemblage of cranks and A-frame cabins. Now ski havens such as Telluride, Aspen and Vail are world-famous, and over the past decade summer recreation in the pointylands has boomed as well, leading to more options and activities than ever before. For full article click here.
The Crestone Artisans Gallery, founded in 2004, is a cooperative gallery first created by 15 local artists with the vision of selling, displaying and supporting artists in this unique rural mountain community. All aspects of the gallery from sales, finance, publicity, display presentation to the beautiful flower garden viewing area have been managed by its members.
Hosting several festive receptions throughout the year, the Gallery provides live music by local musicians, wine and appetizers and an opportunity to meet the artists.
Now featuring over 25 artists, there's an array of works from oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings, stone sculptures, photography, ceramics, jewelry, leatherwork, recycled wind art and fine woodworking. Here is the place to find that unique piece of art or gift to take home with you.
Grammy Award Winner Paul Winter on Crestone
Winner of a Grammy® Award as Best New Age Album of 2007, Living Music's latest release, the Paul Winter Consort's new album: CRESTONE: A Celebration of the World of Crestone, celebrates the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Great Sand Dunes, and San Luis Valley of Southern Colorado.
Listen to this album as you plan your trip. Click
Landing at Hooper Pool
The resort includes a large swimming pool, a smaller relaxation pool, decks, picnic areas and a greenhouse lounge. It’s fed by an artesian well that reaches 4,400 feet deep. The well was originally drilled in the early 1930’s in search of oil. The water is 118°F at the source. The swimming pool is maintained between 98-100°F. There is a diving board too.
For those that enjoy it a little bit hotter, there is a 25 person therapy pool kept around 106°F. It’s great for soothing muscles and joints. The resort offers swimming classes and aerobics classes. Swim lessons are scheduled each June and July. Aerobics classes take place in the pool and make a great, low-impact fitness workout.
The Mile Deep Grille located at the pool is sure to keep your stomach full. The menu is quite extensive, especially for a pool-side cafe. Fresh produce like tomatoes, cucumbers and basil are grow onsite in a greenhouse. There is a Family Travel Trailer to rent, which is fully furnished with a kitchen, bathroom, living room and sleeps four. There is a picnic table and fire pit. There are also three cabins for rent. Both RV campgrounds and tent sites are available. There are ten tent sites that include tables, grass, fire-pits and parking. Campers get half-priced admission to pools.
Four classic Crestone area hikes
Willow Lake
The ultimate classic Crestone hike is Willow Lake. To find the trailhead, go east on Galena Ave. for 2 bumpy miles. The trail heads east out of the parking lot for a few hundred yards then bears right leaving the South Crestone Trail, and immediately crosses the creek. After a meadow it switchbacks up a ridge for a mile and 1000 feet elevation, then drops into Willow Park at the lower end of Willow drainage. There are some primitive camps at the east end of this park; please practice a Leave No Trace ethic, lnt.org. Within a mile and a half and 1500 feet, and after passing below a wonderful waterfall, you will gain a flat-ish bench with breathtaking views. Try to make it at least this far! The lower lake is another half mile farther on, and the upper lake is 1.5 miles beyond that.
South Crestone Creek Trail
For the same trailhead described above, and again heading east from the parking lot, you can continue on the South Crestone Creek Trail. This is another classic hike that provides nice views of the Valley, after about 1.5 miles and 1200 feet elevation gain. But the route to get that far is beautiful as well, taking you alongside the creek, through a deep evergreen forest, and a lush hillside meadow. At the 2 mile mark you crest a ridge, and leave the views behind, but regain the creekside travel for much of the remaining 2 miles and 1500 feet. Again there is a steep headwall that must be gained before the terrain flattens into a bench. In South Crestone Creek, the last half mile of trail up the headwall was washed out and temporarily(?) rebuilt but is “not suitable for horses”. Once the headwall is surmounted the lake appears at your feet for a well-deserved, but frigid, swim.
North Crestone Creek
Next on the hit list is the longest hike to a lake: North Crestone Creek. This hike is more gradual for the first 2.5 miles, gaining only 1200 feet by the time you reach the Three Forks trail junction. The remaining 3.3 miles rises 2000 more feet, with the bulk happening at Brock Falls and a final steep headwall. By the way, this is the site of the recent Paul Winter recording. From Three Forks other hiking options include a Venable and Comanche Peaks loop. There is camping in the Three Forks area.
Liberty Postal Road
The last entry on the list is a neo-classic: Liberty Postal Road. While only open to the public for a few years, people who travel this northern access to the Great Sand Dunes National Park love the vistas of the Sangres, Blanca and the Dunes. At the bottom of the first long hill, bear right at the fork after crossing the dry creekbed. After 3 miles and 300 feet elevation loss from the trailhead hikers are greeted with the lush but fragile riparian zone of Deadman Creek. Leave No Trace principles remind us to camp at least 200 feet from surface water and roads and trails, to walk and camp on durable surfaces, and to minimize campfire impacts. See lnt.org for details. This may be the only water for miles in either direction so prepare accordingly for your hike. Duncan and Liberty townsites are two and three miles farther on respectively and are interesting windows to our rich local mining history. If you kept on walking you would eventually have to climb up and over the dunes and some 20 miles further would get to the south side of the dunes. It’s a hike I strongly recommend if you have a few days this summer.
I have described these four hikes above and south of Crestone but there are so many more. Hiking details can be found in a Colorado Gazetteer, Trails Illustrated map, or USGS 7.5 minute maps. Around here you can literally pick any drainage and find a trail up it. So, don’t take my word for it, go for it! Hike smart, be happy, drink water, breathe, enjoy.
The Great Sand Dunes
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is in southern Colorado near Crestone, Co. It’s known for huge dunes like the towering Star Dune, and for the seasonal Medano Creek and beach created at the base of the dunes. The backcountry Medano Pass Primitive Road winds through a canyon toward the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Trails lead to forests, wetlands and alpine lakes like Medano Lake, which is home to trout and tundra wildlife.
Great Sand Dunes and Crestone designated as International Dark Sky Park
Photo Credit: Great Sand Dunes National Park
BY Liz Forster-May 10, 2019 From the tallest dunes in North America at the peak of a cloudless night, visitors to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve find themselves under the unabated brilliance of the moon, shooting stars and the Milky Way. Now, with the stamp of approval from the International Dark-Sky Association, the Great Sand Dunes can confidently tout that it’s one of the few places left in the world where light pollution does not obscure the night sky.“It’s no surprise that Great Sand Dunes has been building a reputation for good night sky viewing,” said Great Sand Dunes Superintendent Pamela Rice. “The dry air, high elevation, and lack of light pollution all make the park an ideal dark-sky destination. We are thrilled with receiving this recognition as an International Dark Sky Park.”Also sheltering the park from the “sky glow” cast by the Front Range are the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The range starts at Poncha Pass near Salida and runs south into New Mexico. The Great Sand Dunes sits on the western side of the range northeast of Alamosa. The park is now one of three federal locations in Colorado with the Dark Sky Park designation. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Dinosaur National Monument secured their titles in 2015 and April 2019, respectively. Including the Great Sand Dunes, there are now 51 Dark Sky Parks in the U.S. Colorado also is home to two of the world’s 22 Dark Sky Communities — Westcliffe/Silver Cliff and Norwood. The International Dark Sky Association reserves the designation for parks with “an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights” and a “nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment.”
Zapata Falls
Joyful Journey Hot Springs
Welcome to Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa, located in the northern gateway to the beautiful San Luis Valley. We invite you to join us at our peaceful spa for a relaxing retreat. Enlighten your senses with our rejuvenating waters, relaxing massage therapies and magnificent views of the Sangre De Cristo mountain range.Joyful Journey offers a variety of accommodations, ranging from our gorgeous hotel rooms with private bathrooms and aspen-wood furniture, to our native tipis, RV and camp sites, or our yurts – the round canvas buildings.
North Crestone Camp Grounds
Crestone Hiking and Mountaineering
Crestone Needle
Located in the Rockies of southern Colorado, Crestone Needle is in the heart of the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) range. It ranks 20th in the state and is one of Colorado's 54 fourteen-thousand foot mountains. The Needle was first climbed by Albert Ellingwood and Eleanor Davis on July 24, 1916 via the Crestone Peak/Needle Traverse. Many a Colorado climber considers Crestone Needle to have a special place in his/her heart. This is an aesthetic and pleasingly challenging mountain that makes a climber's heart sing. With the easiest route being Class 3, the mountain is considered one of the hardest 14ers to climb. The easiest route is the South Face, class 3, grade II, which is very popular, but can be challenging for the novice peakbagger. The Ellingwood Ledges/Arete route 5.7, grade III, is also popular due to the 1979 book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. Regardless of the route, this mountain demands respect. Otherwise, this is a spectacular mountain and highly recommended for those seeking a challenge and real climbing adventure! The Sangre de Cristo mountain range is a spectacular collection of peaks which stretches 250 miles from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Salida, Colorado. Please note the left side bar which features all the mountains in the Sangre de Cristos, both in Colorado and New Mexico.
Baca Wildlife Refuge
In the San Louis Valley there are geo thermal hot springs from one end to the other.
The 92,500 acre Baca Refuge is located in the northeastern part of the San Luis Valley. The Refuge has a diverse combination of shrublands, grasslands, wet meadows, playa wetlands, and riparian corridors. This Refuge was set aside not only as an additional haven for migratory birds and resident wildlife, but also for its importance in a broader conservation effort to protect the wildlife, habitat, and water of the northern San Luis Valley. The Refuge also contains the rich archeological telling of over 12,000 years of use by humans, including the extensive history of the famed Baca Grant Ranch.
The Valley, sitting at 7,800 feet, extends over 100 miles from north to south and 50 miles from east to west. Three mountain ranges surround the Valley – the Sangre de Christo to the east, the San Juan to the west, and the Saguache to the north. At sunset, the Sangre de Christo take on a blood red glow which inspired the Spanish explorers to name them “Blood of Christ.” The surrounding mountains feed the arid valley with precious surface water and replenish an expansive underground reservoir. The mountain snow melt and artesian wells provide needed water to the agricultural community and to the rivers, creeks, and wetlands that thread across the valley floor. This Refuge is one of over 560 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System – a network of lands set aside and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service specifically for wildlife.The Refuge System is a living heritage, conserving wildlife and habitat for people today and generations to come.
About the San Luis Valley Refuge Complex The San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuges – Alamosa, Baca, and Monte Vista – are areas set aside for migratory birds and resident wildlife. Monte Vista Refuge was established in 1952 as a place for waterfowl and other wildlife in the Valley. Alamosa Refuge was established in 1962 as another haven for migratory birds and other wildlife. In 1979, the Refuges were combined administratively into the Alamosa-Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge Complex. In 2003, an area to the north became Baca Refuge. While Baca Refuge is not currently open to the public, these refuges are now managed as part of the San Luis Valley Refuges Complex.
One of the first and largest solar electric fields
Rocky Mountain Gators
Blazing Mountain Retreat Center
A Place for Deep Retreat
Our vision for the Blazing Mountain Retreat Center is to create a sacred and protected space in which practitioners can explore the richness and bounty of their most fundamental self, their communities, and their own traditions. Nestled in the majestic Sangre de Cristo mountains of southern Colorado, the Blazing Mountain Retreat Center is the ideal location to host meditation retreats, yoga retreats, and other contemplative activities that promote and inspire wakefulness in the world. With comfortable lodging, nutritious meals, and an online registration system, Blazing Mountain is a full-service retreat center that provides a unique environment for a deep, undisturbed, and undistracted spiritual exploration.
The Chamma Ling Retreat Center
The Bon faith Soul Retrieval An Ancient Practice of the Tibetan Bön tradition The practitioners of Bon faith believe that their religion is eternal, based on the teachings of Tonpa gShenrab who lived long before the Buddha, ruled the lands west of Tibet. The soul is said to be composed of of the five elements of earth, water, fire, air and space as these elements pervade all of life and the essential components of our entire worldly existence. The Shamanic rites of soul retrieval (la lu) and life force retrieval (tse lu) are methods of calling on the essence of the the elements - elemental spirits- to balance and heal the individual.
It is believed that a traumatic event or other shock can cause an individual to loose connection with the elements and become dispirited. Through a series offered by Chamma Ling this shock and disconnection can be resolved.
Baca Wildlife Refuge
Yeshe Korlo
The lineage of Pema Lingpa dates back to the 9th century, to the time when Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche, first brought Vajrayana Buddhism from India to the lands of Tibet and Bhutan. Guru Rinpoche’s vast activities there were of mythic proportion, and were the basis for the wheel of secret mantra to be turned. Though able to subdue pervasive negative forces–both cultural and mystical–in order for the doctrine to take hold.
Haidakandi Universal Ashram
There are books in Hindi, written about the previous manifestation of Haidakhan Baba, which lasted from about 1800 to 1922. He appeared to villagers not far from Haidakhan out of a ball of light, and in 1922 before a handful of followers, he disappeared in to a ball of light. There are many recorded miracles: healing people, raising the dead, being in several places at the same time, feeding multitudes from a small portion of food. About the Divine Mother Festivals With the world full of so many conflicting energies right now, it feels particularly important to propitiate the Feminine Aspect of the Divine at this time to invoke Her compassionate love for all of Her children. During these nine days that we set aside at the Ashram (and people do all around the world) many of Mother's different aspects are honored. Each day we actually bathe, dress, adorn, offer food, money, light, and chants to a murti (or statue) of one of them. This is called puja. A puja can g in between your karmic debt and pay it for you.
In Yoga the greatest historical saint is Babaji and this Ashram is devoted both to Babaji and The Divine Mother of all religions.
Nada Hermitage
Nada Hermitage is a Catholic monastery for monks and nuns that serves the public in various ways. It is a Carmelite order. The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel or Carmelites (sometimes simply Carmel by synecdoche; Latin: Ordo Fratrum Beatissimæ Virginis Mariæ de Monte Carmelo) is a Roman Catholic religious order founded, probably in the 12th century, on Mount Carmel in the Crusader States, hence the name.
Crestone Mountain Zen Center
Crestone Mountain Zen center was created by Richard Baker Roshi who was the successor Shunru Suzuki; the author of the all time best selling book on Buddhism...Zen Mind, Beginners Mind. A quick read and wonderful book. Mr. Suzuki was the first to establish Zen centers in the U.S. in the early 60's.
Shumei
With roots coming from Japans indiginous religion, Shinto, Shumei has modernized many tradition with a core teaching around receiving Jorei. We will have a personally guided tour and experience at Shumeii as well as all of the major monasteries.
Jyorei is a simple yet profound healing art that by focusing spiritual light gradually penetrates and dissolves spiritual impurities or clouds that cause physical, emotional, and personal dilemmas. “Jyorei” means “purification of the spirit.” Meishusama developed this healing practice as a treatment for physical infirmities during the 1930’s. Jyorei’s healing technique, as practiced by Shumei members, took its final form in 1947 a few years before Meishusama’s passing.
The Great Stupa and retreat center
There is a crystal at the top of The Great Stupa of enlightenment. The picture below is of the sun catching it just right.
Karma Thegsum Tashi Gaomang was founded by His Holiness the xvI Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism. In this remote area of the Sangre De Christo mountains. H.H. foresaw a place where the Tibetan culture could survive. He envisioned a monastery, retreat center, Tibetan medical center and a village where several hundred lay people could reside. We are dedicated to making his visions a reality.
The Karmapa is a fascinating spiritual leader in Tibet often considered a deeper meditation lineage then what is usually presented to the general public. The stupa hs been filled with 100,000 tsa-tsas (miniature stupas) made by volunteers. Within each is a roll of prayers and mantras all blessed by visiting lamas. The relics in the stupa include those of: The Buddha-Sixteen Karmapas-Kalu Rinpoche-Padmasambhava-Longchenpa-Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche-Tilopa-Rechungpa-Marpa-Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye-Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche-Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche-Milarepa-Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche III---Also inside the stupa are earth, water, and stone from the eight great pilgrimage sites in India; wood from the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, water from a cave of Milarepa, and other sacred objects.
The smaller Stupa of Enlightenment.
Filled with sacred relics, including the bones, hair and clothing of enlightened masters, the stupa is encircled by brightly colored prayer flags inscribed with auspicious symbols and invocations. Said to bring long life, prosperity, and happiness, the flags flutter in the wind to spread their beneficent vibrations across the countryside. A short walk on the wooded grounds leads to an enclosed, chapel-like shrine dedicated to Dorje Yudronma, a wisdom deity who manifests as a protectress.
I Am Harmony
Vajra Vidya
PRIMORDIAL PURITY and SPONTANEOUS PRESENCE
Vajra Vidya means “Indestructible Heart Wisdom” or “Diamond Knowledge”, the ever flowing clear awake stillness of the natural state; and also affectionately refers to 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje , the previous spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He personally visited Crestone and declared a prophecy of Crestone as a place to preserve the Dharma, practice sincerely and where many would attain realization as great Siddhas or beings of compassionate spiritual power. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche; Tulku Urgyen; Thrangu Rinpoche; Tsoknyi Rinpoche; Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche and many other masters from various traditions have come here, conducted ceremony and echoed this declaration. Thrangu Rinpoche chose the site and established Vajra Vidya Retreat Center to support this intention. With the wish to free all beings from the stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death may your time at VVRC allow your mind to rest uncontrived in the Heart of True Nature.
Shri Aurabindo learning house
Seyril Schochen (1915-2006) founded the Sri Aurobindo Learning Center, familiarly known as Savitri House, in Crestone in 1986 as an educational foundation.
Her vision was that it be based on the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in association with Auroville, the City of Human Unity in South India. We seek to continue her work by offering a welcoming retreat facility to those interested in the study and realization of the spiritual vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and to promote exchanges with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. During his stay in Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo developed a method of spiritual practice he called Integral Yoga. The central theme of his vision was the evolution of human life into a life divine. He believed in a spiritual realisation that not only liberated man but transformed his nature, enabling a divine life on earth. In 1926, with the help of his spiritual collaborator, Mirra Alfassa (referred to as "The Mother"), he founded the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. He left His body on 5 December 1950 in Pondicherry.
Mangala Shri Bhuti
The Sangdo Palri Temple of Wisdom and Compassion is being constructed as a spiritual focal point for world peace and awakening. The Temple is the first of its kind in the United States. The Sangdo Palri Temple is located at Longchen Jigme Samten Ling, Mangala Shri Bhuti’s retreat center in Crestone, Colorado, where the rugged natural beauty and deep silence make an ideal setting for the mind to come into contact with its inherent longing for insight and peace. Many great teachers, such as HH 16th Gyalwa Karmapa and Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, have said that Crestone is an ideal location for spiritual practice. In this setting, the Sangdo Palri Temple will be a beacon of hope, a reminder of beings’ inclination toward the spiritual path, a modern pilgrimage spot, and a stronghold of aspirations and prayers.
The Sangdo Palri Temple is a traditional representation of the Copper Colored Mountain, or pure realm of Guru Rinpoche, who brought Vajrayana Buddhism to Tibet, along with his consort, Yeshe Tsogyal.
The Stone Huts
The Snake Nest Wall site and the Crestone Stone Huts are in the northern San Luis Valley, Colorado, and provide a unique opportunity to date high-altitude archeological sites of unknown age and origin using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). We sampled sediment underlying foundation stones of these structures to establish a chronological framework for each site's construction. OSL dating of the quartz grains directly under the Snake Nest Wall suggest that the stones and, therefore, the structure was most recently emplaced between 1855 and 1890 A.D. Dating of the sediment beneath the Crestone Stone Huts suggests the construction time of these huts is between 1860 and 1890 A.D. Analysis of the equivalent dose (DE) dispersion of the OSL samples at Snake Nest Wall and the Crestone Huts shows that the majority of sediments were fully bleached prior to deposition and the low scatter suggests that short-term or shallow alluvial processes were the dominant transport for sediments. In both cases, the OSL ages show that the construction was during very recent historical times, although it is likely that the Snake Nest Wall was rebuilt in the late 19th century. Further study is warranted at the Snake Nest Wall since it shows signs of greater antiquity and a continued presence of human use. The Crestone Huts are shown to be a product of railroad building during the boomtown days of Lucky and Crestone.
SPIRIT OF THE FROGS: A SAN LUIS VALLEY FOLKTALE
by Mary Van Pelt
Eons ago the San Luis Valley was a great lake and giant prehistoric frogs lived here. These huge frogs, nearly the size of a school bus, were strange other worldly creatures like something out of science fiction. Over time the land shifted and the lake dried up. The frogs died but the spirit of these giant frogs did not die. When someone comes to the San Luis Valley, moves away, and then returns it’s the frogs, the spirit of the frogs that calls them back. I didn’t understand how or why these frog spirits had the power to draw someone back so I went to the source of all great wisdom: FaceBook. I posted what I knew and asked for more information. I received interesting replies but the most helpful one came from Jeff Owsley. The spirit of the frog is said to enter the heart and soul of a person who has a significant and meaningful connection to the San Luis Valley. When the person who has a connection leaves the Valley it is the Spirit of Frog in a person’s heart and soul that wants to come home. Come home in the same way a frog wants to return to the water or pond where he was hatched.I became intrigued by frogs in stories: Magic frogs that turn into princes, a plague of frogs in the Bible, frogs malformed by contamination, and gentle healing frogs that bring the rain and make the dirt road bearable.A few years ago, on Christmas Day, I was at my sister Anne’s home in Maryville, Tennessee. I was born in Maryville although we moved before I turned two. Maryville was my mother’s home and my grandmother’s home. The house on Cates Street remains a place of heart and hearth where family returns again and again.There was a major-big East Tennessee downpour that Christmas morning; thunder, lightning and rain like streaks of silver falling from the sky. Frogs were singing in the ravine behind my sister’s house. I wondered if the frogs in Tennessee knew about the San Luis Valley legend, and if the East Tennessee frogs were calling me home.
UFO Hot Spot
Our strange planet features a variety of magical locales (such as the San Luis Valley) that have a history of unexplained events—such as bizarre aerial activity, strange phantasmal creatures and other phenomena—centered around specific locations. East, west, north or south, it doesn’t matter where you travel on this blue globe hanging in space, there will probably be a paranormal ‘hot spot’ region near you. Generally, these hotspots are little known outside of their particular region and most of these areas appear to have a high incidence of UFO sightings, unusual geophysical properties, rare weather phenomena, crypto-creature reports and they often feature myths and legends that describe hallowed grounds containing sacred sites. Many of these hotspot regions have been subjected to waves of anomalous activity, inexplicable phenomena that have been observed for generations and many of these locales are still held sacred by their original inhabitants.
There is something weird and wonderful going on in our reality, and in the early 21st century, quality documentation of unusual events has put the mainstream scientific community on notice: whether they like it or not, hotspot regions are worthy of 24/7 on-site scientific study. These regions are our most direct paths to exploring and researching what could truly be called “The Unknown”—those places on old seafarer maps where they wrote, “Here be Dragons!” Growing interest in these regions has begun to attract scientific exploration, but more world-class investigation and analysis are needed.
Literally just down the road in the town of Hooper are the biggest alligators in the West, along with a collection of rattlesnakes, pythons, snapping turtles, and, oh, about 350,000 Tilapia fish. Welcome to the Colorado Gators Reptile Park, one of the state’s craziest and most fun roadside attractions. It started in 1974 when Erwin and Lynne Young decided to use the valley’s geothermal waters (the water stays at a constant 87 degrees) to farm Tilapia, a tasty perch fish that needs warm waters. Fish in fish farms die pretty regularly, and to deal with all the dead fish, they imported 100 baby alligators in 1987.
Flash forward, and today, the farm makes more money showing off the exotic animals than from selling fish. Many people have donated alligator pets that became too large, and the park has become a sanctuary for reptiles, including Mr. Bo Mangles, an albino alligator, and Morris, a Hollywood gator that appeared in dozens of films including Happy Gilmore. There are crocodiles, three types of rattlesnakes, tortoises to pet, and you can hold a two-foot-long baby alligator (then have the gator bite and leave bite holes on your “certificate of bravery.”
Where most places have signs proclaiming how many months they have gone without an accident, at the Colorado Gators, their safety record sign is measured in hours. Maintaining dozens and dozens of gators in no easy task, and these gators are not pets. Ask the staff to show you bite marks. You’ll see the staff feeding them, petting them (the gators snap back), holding open their jaws for demonstrations - and at special events, wrestling them. This is one of the few places in the world where you can take alligator wrestling class.
WELCOME TO THE X-FILES
About 30 minutes up the road is Crestone, a small town of 150 people at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains that is very much like walking into an episode of the X-Files. Crestone has more ashrams, stupas, Catholic retreats and spiritual centers per capita than any place in the world. There are 30 of them here, scattered in the mountains with spectacular views. Many locals believe that Crestone holds an energy vortex and is perhaps a portal to other dimensions. At any rate, something strange is going on here, as witnessed by the steady stream of pilgrims and religious retreats held in the town
This is just the start. The San Luis Valley is also home to a fort once commanded by Kit Carson, spectacular hiking trails, waterfalls, the hometown of prizefighter Jack Demsey, and the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, the highest and longest steam train in North America.
According to movies, Indiana Jones grew up alongside this railroad, and you stay in the B&B that now occupies the house used as Indy’s boyhood home in the movies. Accommodations are most plentiful in Alamosa and Monte Vista, but there are beautiful ranch accommodations across the valley as well.
Call 1800-Morph-12 (667-7412) or email William@WilliamMartino.com
William Martino is an author of 12 books and former Zen monk martial arts and meditation master. He was initiated and trained by some of the worlds best teachers during a lifetime of real training and experience. His delivered results in lives transformed for the better is a tangible legacy. We have in our midst a person which profound authenticity and skillfulness in alleviating suffering and facilitating better lives.
A profound silence
Mystic Crestone
Sacred Ground in Colorado
By Finn Olaf-Jones
“TRUST an unknown future with a known God,” urges the sign in front of the Sangre de Cristo Christian Church on the outskirts of Crestone, Colorado, which is close to a four-hour drive south of Denver off Highway 17. The town might seem to be in the middle of nowhere, but if you’re seeking a taste of the divine, you’ve probably come to the right place.
At 8,000 feet on the edge of the desert plains of the San Luis Valley beneath the Sangre de Cristo Range, this town and its environs have about 1,500 residents and two dozen different religious centers, including a cluster of Buddhist monasteries, a Catholic monastery, a Taoist retreat, a Hindu ashram, a Shumei center and several American Indian sanctuaries. This forested hillside haven, nestled on an enormous aquifer below the 14,000-foot Crestone Peaks, has long been considered sacred.
“The Navajo and Hopi think of this as holy ground,” said John Milton, a naturalist who runs shamanic Indian workshops on the serene 210-acre Sacred Land Trust along North Crestone Creek. “Elders from the community still come here to worship.”
An abundance of arrowheads and spears found in the area indicate that Crestone has long been a gathering spot for Indians. “This area was probably considered holy thousands of years before Europeans ever set foot here,” Mr. Milton said.
It’s easy to see why. There’s an epic quality to these crags that rise out of the plains like ghost cathedrals of fantastic proportions. Deserts, forests and mountains figure so prominently in humanity’s quests for the divine that Crestone’s geographic hat trick seems ideal for universal worship.
But this is rugged and lonely high country that imposes a certain discipline on its visitors that doesn’t exist in the gentler landscapes and climes of other American spiritual centers.
“Places like Sedona and Santa Fe are full of healers and seekers who change what they seek every week,” said the local Zen abbot, Richard Baker Roshi, a fixture of the Beat scene in the 1960s and a major figure in introducing Zen Buddhism to the United States. “This has less distractions. Those who come here tend to be more directed in what they seek.”
And the number of those seekers has been growing by 15 to 20 percent a year for the last five years, local residents and real estate agents say. Some become permanent members of the community, others buy second homes (bungalows can still be had for under $100,000) and some are spiritual tourists.
Maybe the lure is in the twilight. At dusk, the setting sun gives the Sangre de Cristo Mountains — Spanish for “Blood of Christ” — an ethereally red hue. Standing at the 41-foot-high gold-tipped Tashi Gomang Stupa on a hillside overlooking the parched San Luis Valley transports you to Tibet, while looking up at the pine forests and snow-covered peaks from the Nada Hermitage, the Catholic monastery, brings to mind Northern Italy.
BUT Crestone itself, with its dozen ramshackle blocks of old miners’ buildings, leaves no doubt that you are indeed in the West — though the sight of Tibetan monks in flowing robes and aging hippies lugging Vedic tomes prompts the question: How far West?
“Throw a brick around here, and you’ll hit a psychic,” said Mark Elliott, a British filmmaker and Buddhist who has lived in Crestone for two decades. “When I first came here, it was practically a ghost town. I thought I would drop off the face of the earth. But Crestone has risen in the world since I’ve moved here, and I’m more connected to the worlds that interest me as a result.”
Crestone’s emergence as an international religious crossroads started in the 1970s when Maurice Strong, a Canadian power company tycoon and an international diplomat, acquired a controlling interest in the 200,000-acre Baca Ranch next to the town. While Mr. Strong’s wife, Hanne, was visiting the place, a local mystic named Glenn Anderson appeared at her doorstep.
“He was an old chap who had a lot of students in the valley,” Mrs. Strong said. “He came right up and announced, ‘I predicted in the ’60s that a foreigner would come here and build an international religious center here. What took you so long?’ ”
The Danish-born Mrs. Strong was inspired enough to start the Manitou Foundation, which allocates land grants and money for religious orders that want to set up in the area. Tibetan and Bhutanese Buddhists have been the largest beneficiaries, with a half-dozen Buddhist centers in Crestone.
“This is probably one of the most important sites for Tibetans,” said Mrs. Strong, a Buddhist who lives part time in Crestone. “This is where Tibetan culture will survive.”
The hyperkinetic Mrs. Strong is far from done: At least two new Buddhist centers are being built, a hospice is planned, and she is spearheading opposition to proposed drilling for natural gas through the aquifer.
Most of Crestone’s major religious centers are sheltered in the juniper and pine forests on the lower slopes of the mountains south of town, along a murderously rutted dirt road called Camino Baca Grande, nicknamed the Holy Way. Signs and prayer flags point the way to temples and monasteries where visitors can explore a worldwide diversity of holy architecture and gardens. Many of the centers offer tours and overnight retreats for individuals and families.
One morning, having been invited by Baker Roshi to attend the 6 a.m. meditation at the Mountain Zen Center, I arose before dawn, wrestled the Holy Way to retain my kidneys, and was quietly let in the temple’s back door. I joined a group of a dozen monks and novices in a walking meditation — slow-motion steps synchronized with deep breathing punctuated by brisk walks along the temple’s outside gallery.
At first, it seemed awkward, but by the time the sun’s first rays had caught the surrounding peaks, I had fallen in line with both the communal intimacy and internalized concentration of the exercise. But a harder test waited: the 40-minute zazen meditation, sitting in lotus position facing the wall in the dim temple.
Any doubt about the discipline of being a Zen practitioner slowly, very slowly, evaporated as first one foot and then another fell asleep. I peeked at my watch 20 minutes into the meditation and the rustling of my sleeves seemed to reverberate in the silent hall. Must … not … move. As my thoughts and visions concentrated, the discomfort evaporated. By the time I re-emerged into a fully lit Rocky Mountain morning, I felt extraordinarily refreshed.
“Zen Buddhism is a gateway to the wilderness, so this place is very conducive to that,” Baker Roshi told me, walking me back to my car as monks scurried about, tending to their morning duties. He also shared his thoughts on Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, gardening and car transmissions. In Crestone, the sacred and profane seem effortlessly intertwined in daily conversation and activity.
Take firefighting. “The first thing I do when I see a fire is to greet it to let it know that I’m going to be present,” said Peter May, one of the area’s fire chiefs, who, as a practicing Buddhist, believes in the interconnected harmony of all elements. One of Mr. May’s jobs is to oversee the half-dozen outdoor cremations that occur in Crestone each year.
“If you can recognize the relationship between yourself and the elements,” he said, “you’d be surprised what can happen.” Mr. May then recounted the time when a Tibetan lama interceded in a local fire by meditating for rain clouds, which eventually came.
TALK like this, which might raise an eyebrow or two back in a more secular world, seems quite normal after spending a few days in the Crestone area. An innate sense of sanctity can overwhelm even the most urban of souls in these rarefied heights. Hiking Crestone’s pine-scented mountain paths, soaking under Van Gogh-ish night skies in the Joyful Journey Hot Springs, or going from temple to temple like a super-pilgrim transcending traditional cultural and geographic boundaries gradually immerse a visitor in Crestone’s otherworldliness.
But this isn’t Aspen or Sedona chic. Those seeking high-thread-count inns, extravagant New Age knickknacks, easy listening metaphysics and great sushi will be disappointed. Crestone is devoid of five-star luxuries, or even a strong sense of commerce. There, paradise arrives at everyday low prices and things are kept simple: houses and cabins sometimes still sell for five figures, dinner checks are sometimes rounded down if you lack cash and locals crack a smile when newcomers lock car doors.
Not that Crestonians feed merely their souls. Walk into Curt’s Old Country Store and you will find yourself in a health-food emporium reminiscent of those found in big college towns, with offerings ranging from organic dog food to vegetarian jerky.
Next door, the town’s go-to cafe, Shambala, is a comfortably laid-back spread of parlors in a former miner’s home. “Unattended children will be given a double mocha and a puppy,” reads a sign next to the kitchen counter, where chai, juices and delicious organic fare are liberally doled out.
If all this health and spirituality leaves one feeling a bit too earnest, then Crestone has a wonderful antidote. Duck into the purple-painted Silver Crest Palace — the only bar in town — which at first glance could be a Wild West saloon with a poker game in the main gallery and lots of drinking and smoking (“only organic cigarettes,” a regular said) around the cherry wood bar. The easygoing attitude stems from the fact that the saloon becomes a private club several nights a week. When I was there the Crestone Yacht Club was in full session. Membership: 50 cents.
But ahoy! Monks, Wiccans, writers, artists, teachers, cowgirls and cowboys were among the crowd debating, playing poker, exchanging books, hitting on each other and occasionally throwing a buck into the tip jar to finance the bartender’s pilgrimage to Peru. This unusually sociable place functioned less as a bar and more as town pub with a metaphysical bent.
Perhaps Crestone was just revealing yet another of its seemingly countless paths to paradise.
Here are a few other area attractions THE JACK DEMSEY MUSEUM
Indiana Jones Hotel