Are you looking for the perfect place to unwind before starting the hectic pace of autumn and back-to-school?<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll find it hidden high in wooded mountains between Stroudsburg and Bangor.<\/p>\n
Columcille Megalith Park provides a chance to immerse yourself in silence and absorb the serenity of nature.<\/p>\n
First let me explain that it\u2019s something totally different.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s private. Not a theme park. No information booth. No indoor bathrooms. No hamburger stand or Auntie Anne\u2019s Pretzels.<\/p>\n
Instead, it\u2019s pure nature. And rocks. Huge rocks. Lots of them. Sort of like a visit to Fred Flintstone.<\/p>\n
On my visit, I hiked aimlessly among 20 verdant acres. During that time, I saw just three other individuals: A married couple taking a stroll and an older gent who knew the entire history of the place.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe like to maintain quiet. We don\u2019t encourage loud voices,\u201d the gent said, describing himself as a longtime volunteer.<\/p>\n
While the place appears ancient, the park was built in 1978 by Presbyterian minister William H. Cohea Jr. and Fred Lindkvist, along with volunteers.<\/p>\n
Cohea was inspired to create the sanctuary after a spiritual visit to the Scottish Isle of Iona.<\/p>\n
So he and Lindkvist set up the stony retreat and turned it into a nonprofit charitable organization.<\/p>\n
Both founders have since passed and their ashes are interred inside the chapel.<\/p>\n
For that reason and others, the property takes on a special feel, imbued with respect and reverence.<\/p>\n
Clearly, this is not a place to visit if your kids are loud and unruly.<\/p>\n
You might want to take them to Knoebel\u2019s or Wildwater Kingdom instead.<\/p>\n
Columcille describes itself as \u201ca playground of Myth and Mystery. We strive to offer programming that represents diverse spiritual, philosophical, and ceremonial traditions to allow our community to explore many different systems in greater depth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, you\u2019re free to wander on your own, as I did. But there are occasional, organized activities both day and night.<\/p>\n
On Sundays, it\u2019s three-hour walking tours led by Dr. Tom Egan, Irish historian and storyteller.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Aug. 28, it\u2019ll be Full Moon Yoga. So what\u2019s that?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe practice involves cooling, grounding energy and moves in cyclical pattern that reflect rhythms of the moon. The sequence supports fluidity in both body and mind while inviting reflection, release, and connection to the quieter, more introspective qualities of the full moon.\u201d<\/p>\n
OK. I still don\u2019t know what it is. But I\u2019d like to do it anyway.<\/p>\n
This place is just, well, different. A Celtic-inspired wonderland of massive standing boulders.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also a stone circle and a bell tower, among other attractions.<\/p>\n
In between are meandering woodland trails and hills. Nothing is paved, so wear walking shoes or sneakers.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t run into Fred or Wilma or their pet dinosaur Dino. But I did find Mother Nature. She\u2019s as beautiful as ever and offers a sense of peace.<\/p>\n
You simply won\u2019t find a park like this anywhere.<\/p>\n
And like Stonehenge, no climbing is allowed. And no standing atop the huge megaliths. You can quietly take photos but no drones are permitted.<\/p>\n
Dogs are welcome on a leash but they, too, must stay quiet \u2014 even if they see a squirrel. Good luck with that.<\/p>\n
This unusual destination can be found at 2155 Fox Gap Road, Bangor.<\/p>\n
If you visit, tell Mother Nature that I said hello.<\/p>\n
An entry arch of massive boulders at Columcille Megalith Park resembles what one would see at England\u2019s Stonehenge. DONALD R. SERFASS\/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS<\/p>\n
A stone chapel provides space for reflection and meditation at Columcille Megalith Park near Bangor.<\/p>\n
Trails through the woods lead visitors to unexpected rock sculptures at a place nicknamed Pennsylvania\u2019s Stonehenge. This one made me reflect on Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s \u201cUniversal Man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right: Columcille Megalith Park\u2019s founders have passed away and are interred inside the park chapel.<\/p>\n
Above: A stone tower provides yet another space for solitude and reflection on the grounds of Columcille Megalith Park.<\/p>\n
A curious rock circle dominates an open field on the grounds at Columcille Megalith Park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Are you looking for the perfect place to unwind before starting the hectic pace of autumn and back-to-school?…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257142,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-257141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}