We had a beautiful run today, under blue skies but with a cool breeze blowing the scent of the pine forests lining the road.

Some stetches were decidedly hilly, especially for Surya who seemed to get a real steepie every time.

Kshetragna accidently did an extra mile though, so Surya was able to do one less to compensate for all the hill work.

At Great Falls we stopped to drop off one runner and wait for the previous one. We hadn't realised it was actually the driveway to a firestation. Two of the fire officers, Jeff and Lee, came out to talk to us. They'd seen the second runner set off with the flaming torch, and, being as fire is their business, they thought at first that we were a visit that they'd arranged but forgotten about! They try to put flames out and we try to keep ours burning... They were happy to hear about the Harmony Run, and to participate by holding the torch and adding their goodwill for us to carry on down the road.

The previous day we received a very nice police escort from Chief Richard Hayes through Fort Lawn, South Carolina. Kshetragna was grateful for his generous service!

On that same day, a very fine gentleman named Leroy passed by us several times observing the runners trying to see what we were doing. He finally stopped at the van to have a chat and he was so obviously moved by our cause, that he offered us a generous donation with tears in his eyes. We were all very moved by how deeply he understood the world's need for harmony.

During our run we stopped at metal working shop where there was an antique car outside that looked quite road worthy.

A gentleman Ken Schmidt, and his assistant came out and very kindly told us about this 1931 Model A Ford, telling us that we could sit inside and take photos, which we did.

When we first asked him to hold the torch for a photo he was hesitant to do so as many others have been. But soon he warmed up a bit and gladly held the torch high with a big smile on his face.

It is these kind of unexpected encounters that help to keep us going, especially on days that seem uneventful with no ceremonies to run to.

Vladimir was so happy to finally get a chance to drive today!

The women had a little time during the vehicle switch to enjoy a little lunch and a little icecream.

Thank-you to the Marriott hotel in Columbia, South Carolina, for kindly accommodating our women's team in this beautiful city centre location, and to all the front desk staff for being so kind and helpful - pictured here is Christian from the front desk. He remembered the run coming through Columbia two years ago.

In the evening my team checked into the Country Hearth Inn near the center of Columbia, the Capital city of South Carolina. Mr. Kumar kindly offered us two rooms there. He was so thrilled to know more about our efforts that he was inspired to try to get us in an Indian newspaper.

We would also like to thank you the Hilton Garden Inn for taking care of the rest of the boys. The boys all had big smiles in the morning!

For dinner we were treated to an excellent eggplant parmesian! Our resident Italian-New Yorker, Arpan, can really make delicious things happen in our little kitchen!

– Kokila and Arpan

Distance: 87 miles

Team Members:
Arpan DeAngelo (New York), Atulya Lee Berube (San Diego), Yuyudhan Hoppe (Minnesota), Gabriel (Canada), Mark Collison (England), Kshetragna (Russia), Surya (Russia), Drsalu (Austria), Vladimir (Moldova), Kokila Chamberlin (Wales)

Harmonemail:
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