Video of the first month in USA

Running into western Montana this morning on our way from the panhandle of northern Idaho, the scenery became greener and vaster with a river or two accompanying us most of the day. Pathik, our youngest runner who does not like running in the hot sun, was fortunate and happy to have a morning run which was shaded by huge rock bluffs along most of his run. He was thrilled that he could be sheltered by the cool, shady rocks and enjoy his run more. It is the subtle personal experiences like this that sometimes go unnoticed in trying to describe some of things that happen to us our here on the road.

There was a father and son who stopped their truck to talk to Erik and Banhsidhar as they were on the road during their running stint for the day. The father, Jim Owens was so excited about the run but could not seem to portray the same enthusiasm to his five year old child. He said that Harmony is his favorite word and seemed so thrilled that we were running for harmony through his small town. Again, it was an unexpected visit that uplifted our spirits as much as a pre-planned ceremony might.

As some of us were driving through the town of Thompson Falls, we stopped at the Little Bear Ice Cream Parlor and Café. Tom and Deb, the owners, were so friendly and understanding towards our run and runners. They immediately offered us anything we wanted to eat. Because we were just about to go running, we declined having a meal but instead opted for some of their delicious fruit smoothies. Trudy, the main waitress, was quite enthusiastic as she worked quickly with Tom to make our drinks amidst a crowded and busy rush hour. They even took time to come outside and hold the Torch for a photo with us. This kind of enthusiasm and kindness again touched our hearts and demonstrated true and sincere harmony, or ‘heart-money’.

During my run, there were two teenage boys who stopped and got out of their car to see what I was doing. I was confused when I did not see anyone else in this big SUV car. After answering a few questions of theirs, I asked how old they were. They told me they were fourteen years old. They did not even have a license and they were driving a big car around town. Later I saw them again as I was running out of town. They drove past me smiling and waving. Although is was a surprising encounter, it was so thoughtful of them to listen and show some interest in our efforts.

The end of our run was in the town of Perma. I have not figured out what gives it the status of a town as it was just a couple of houses and small store on the main highway with a Perma sign in front. Harold, who ran the store, was very nice to us and already knew something about us because our other team had stopped there in search of our campsite. We probably gave him the most company and business for a while.

With less than a million people in the fourth largest state in area, Montana certainly is not overpopulated by any means. With its endless mountains and clean flowing rivers surrounded by pastures and farms, Montana certainly ranks among the most beautifully scenic and peaceful states we are running through in our four month journey.

Staying the night at the Cascade Campground in the Lolo National Forest, we enjoyed a very peaceful and natural setting. We even spent some time before dark to enjoy the Flathead River across the street with a bit of swimming and rubber rafting. Most of us have been waiting all day for this as it was quite hot today and we were following two rivers the whole day without having time to jump in until the evening. This certainly makes for a more restful sleep and a more speedy recovery.

Arpan and Team Harmony

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