Staying at the Horseshoe Mountain Lodge last night in Mt. Pleasant was a wonderful experience. The snow covered peaks in the distance covering a beautiful horseshoe shaped mountain peak and the pleasant atmosphere of cool weather and very fresh air were a nice change from some of the hotter days of last week. Alicia was very kind to offer four rooms for our weary runners. Michelle, manager of the very elegant restaurant there, was also very supportive in offering a first class vegetarian meal complete with chocolate filled fresh strawberries and gingerbread pudding for dessert.

But all good things have to come to an end, usually quite soon in our case. Within hours, we were on the road again, running north on highway 89 towards Salt Lake City. On our route all day long we were surrounded by snow capped peaks. There had been lots of snow this past winter and now there was a relative cold spell in the area as well. These elements made for faster running along with the incredible pastures, hills and valleys that we came to around each bend. Utah is simply a wonderland of natural beauty and geographical delights that soothe the eyes and calm the soul. Some of our runners were able to make a stop at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple Project in Spanish Fork today. Although the manager of the Temple, Charu Das, had important business out of town, the runners were able to mingle with the llamas, who seemed as curious about us as we were about them.

The people here have also been fabulous. We received two complementary dining arrangements today. Terry Briggs, the owner of the Big Rock Candy Mountain Resort who fed us the other day, also offered us a meal at his restaurant called ‘Guru’s’, in Provo, Utah today. He and his wife Christina were so generous and kind to invite us to this incredibly designed facility in downtown Provo. This was perhaps the most creative and well balanced décor I have seen in any restaurant. For such a small but lovely city of Provo, this restaurant can compete even with the best in New York. Modern iron sculpture blended with artistic and spiritual themes and colors, Guru’s Restaurant in Provo was absolutely an experience no one should miss when passing through this area of Utah. The food was also quite delightful and fresh and the staff was truly hospitable and professional at the same time.

From Provo, two of our teams were to run to Salt Lake City and beyond. In Salt Lake City we were joined by Scott Kelly of Team Fast Lane. He is a dedicated athlete who runs, cycles and swims, and is in training for an iron-man triathlon. Scott was also able to join us for dinner which made our stay in Salt Lake City even more pleasant. Although originally from New York, Scott has settled down here in Utah and is taking advantage of the mountains and open spaces to stay in great athletic form. He also coaches for ‘Team in Training’, an organization that trains athletes to compete in marathons and other races while raising money for the Leukemia Foundation. He was able to help Morris run his fastest 2 miles of the Run yet!

We are very grateful to Travis Bailey of Macaroni’s Grill and Restaurant for having us in for a wonderful dinner tonight. The food was first class, Italian style, complete with fresh baked Italian bread and Italian opera playing in the background.

Even many of the clientele were friendly and wanted to know what we were doing on the World Harmony Run. We happily passed the torch around the restaurant to adults and children alike. Needless to say we are also grateful to the waiters, waitresses and other staff who made our experience there unforgettable. Travis himself is a superb chef and a wonderful soul.

We are quite happy that both FOX News station and ABC came out to cover our story in Salt Lake City near the Capitol Building. We did not get to see the broadcast tonight but we are sure that it will add to the positive value of the current news. When the media makes a choice to cover some of the positive newsworthy events of the day, they are playing an important role in adding to the harmony of our society.

The Hilton Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City also deserves much gratitude for putting us up tonight as well. This hotel is the most exclusive we have stayed in for a while.

Finally, we would like to welcome Slava, from Geneva, to our U.S. running team. He has worked so hard to get here from abroad and we are pleased that he was welcomed so warmly by the people of Salt Lake City.

Gratefully,

Arpan and Team Harmony

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