Video of the first month in USA

Getting an early start at this time of year in this region is a blessing as the heat and humidity are beginning to soar by mid-afternoon. I was fortunate to go running with Pathik and Francesco this morning while the sun was still low and the heat not yet evident. Running through Bowman, where we stayed last night, we thought we would meet some children at the local recreation/pool but it was too early for that. Having to cover so many miles on foot everyday it is difficult to time our schedule with that of all those who may otherwise be able to meet us.

We did get to Buffalo on time though to meet an old acquaintance from past runs. Wally Stevens and his brother-in-law Rick met some of us in town at the local gas station as we were filling propane in our camper. The running team who would reach here later were still out of town so we had time to go and visit Wally’s family at his house close by. Wally’s dad, Lawrence Kaitfors, now 88 years young, met us for the first time in 1989. He was in his early 70’s then and running marathons. It was so nice to see him again. His smile and friendliness made our day.

We also were fortunate to meet his wonderful family of four women and two men, all siblings and some of their families as well. They happen to be having a family reunion this weekend otherwise we would not have had the opportunity to meet them all. After getting acquainted with us and our Run we had some time to take some photos with them all. It was a very uplifting time for us all.

Later Wally met the runners coming through town and got some photos for the newspaper he works for and used to own called the Nation’s Center News. We are so grateful to Wally, Lawrence, Rick, Linda, Laurel, Doreen, Dwayne, Gail, and Stan for their enthusiastic welcoming to their sweet family.

As the heat reached 100 F and the humidity started climbing as well, we made our way to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Erik, one of the runners on the other team, describes his run:

“Today we ran through the ruggedly beautiful region of northwestern South Dakota. The hills were rolling and spotted with buttes here and there on the way to the Black Hills. Very few people were on the roads between the towns which made for quiet and reflective running. We saw many antelope, cows, and bulls along the route which made it more interesting. The temperature reached 101 F, but with ice in the hat it is bearable for the running. One person stopped to ask about the run and how to get harmony.

“We took a nice swim break in the Rocky Point State Park at the Belle Fourche reservoir. It was like an oasis in the middle of nowhere, many people were on the lake boating, swimming, and jet skiing. A perfect end to our run.

“We stopped in Spearfish for the night. A great city nestled in the Northern Black Hills.”

In Spearfish, we were fortunate to have two motels to stay in due to the kindness of the management there. The Howard Johnson Motel of Spearfish and the All Star Travelers Inn there as well offered us nice air-conditioned rooms for our rest and recovery.

We also were kindly offered great food at the local Pizza Hut due to the generosity of Julie, the manager, and Gabe, the friendly waiter who was so helpful and kind to us.

The Dairy Queen Ice Cream in Belle Fourche nearby was kind also to offer our team of four who drove by on our way to watch the sunset over

the community of Arpan, South Dakota. Mary Lou, the manager, seemed to easily understand our efforts to share and inspire harmony in the community.

We also were offered some lunch sandwiches from the local Quizno’s in Spearfish due to the kindness and generosity of Tod and his staff. Quizno’s, a sandwich store chain, has been kind to us in many cities. Their food is always fresh and delicious and prepared with care. We are glad to have our lunches from them whenever possible.

So everything out here in North and South Dakota has been friendly and welcoming, except for one thing: the flies. There are so many flies here right now probably due to the heat and humidity. It will take some effort to learn how to live in Harmony with flies as it is their world too.

Arpan and the Team

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