May 24, 2020 Live from the road

Tulsa, Oklahoma - Grand Canyon, Arizona

Reported by Arpan DeAngelo 580.0 mi

Enjoy this video shot in 2018. Great memories.

This photo was taken 2 years ago at the Oklahoma City Memorial. During this section of our four month Peace Run around North America we run into Oklahoma City, the Capital of the state of Oklahoma. We usually pay a visit to a famous Memorial dedicated to the people who were victims of a tragedy here in 1995. Right after this tragedy occurred in 1995 the Peace Run was invited to carry the Peace Torch to this location. We also went to various city schools to help bring some hope and peace especially to those whose families were affected by this unfortunate incident.

At times we get to run on the iconic Rte. 66 as we head through Oklahoma into Texas. Our RV, or recreational vehicle, is our 'oneness-home' for our full four months on the road. This is where we cook our meals for the runners almost every day.

A typical delicous and healthy lunch preparation for our full team of a dozen runners .

Entering into the Southwestern states of the United States at this time of year it can get very hot. But the beauty of the unique landscape and the vastness of the deserts and canyons makes all the sun and heat more easily enjoyable.

On the way through Texas from Oklahoma we usually stop to enjoy Palo Duro Canyon in the 'panhandle' of Texas. In 2018 we took some photos here on our way to New Mexico.

Enoying a peaceful meditation at beautiful Palo Duro Canyon. It is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment located in the Texas Panhandle near the cities of Amarillo and Canyon. As the second-largest canyon in the United States, it is roughly 120 mi long and has an average width of 6 mi, but reaches a width of 20 mi at places.

From Texas we entered into the Land of Enchantment, the beautiful State of New Mexico.

Here in 2018 and every other year that we come through Santa Fe, our dear friend and local Peace Run organizer, Sunamita, welcomes us to this wonderful city.

Sunamita arranges quite a few inspiring ceremonies for the team including this one at the Governors office in the beautiful State Capitol building in 2018.

Two years ago we enjoyed another ceremony in Santa Fe at the iconic Meow Wolf complex.

These sculptures are some of the unique and immersive art installations with multimedia elements and a mysterious narrative throughout the museum building.

Almost everywhere we stay we usually get complimentary accommodations for a comfortable night's stayover. This Hilton Hotel in Santa Fe was among some of the nicest places we were offered on this particular trip in 2018.

Finally we headed north through the beautiful landscapes of New Mexico into southern Colorado.

Colorado offers many amazing natural features to enjoy as we head towards Utah. The San Juan National Forest encompasses about 1.8 million acres in the southwestern corner of Colorado. Terrain ranges from high-desert mesas to alpine peaks, .

Pagosa Springs is one of the highlights of our run though the southwestern Colorado mountains. The natural sulfur hot springs can relax our sore muscles and sooth our souls with great views as well.

In 2018, after running through Pagosa Springs, we ran to Durango, Colorado where we stayed for the night. We were kindly treated to a delicious restaurant meal at this wonderful Indian food restaurant.

In the high deserts of southern Colorado, Mesa Verde, a very large flat topped mountain offers a great landscape for running towards the next state of Utah.

Twin Rocks Cafe in Bluff, Utah is one of the first highlights of our stay there after leaving Colorado on our way to Monument Valley.

Early sunrise meditation on the red rocks of the Valley of the Gods in Utah is quite a thrilling experience for early risers.

Land formations called Buttes and Mesas reflect the natural landscapes which were once under water and are now amazing windswept wonders.

Further down the road in Utah we are greeted by one of the most iconic of all landscapes, called Monument Valley. This section of the very large native American Navajo reservation has been seen as the backdrop of many movies and photos.

The incredible natural formations of Monument Valley in southern Utah offer tremendous inspiration and energy for our many miles into Arizona. We did a group run in this section in 2018 which was the exact location where the Forrest Gump movie scene was filmed, only we were running through here for real back then as we usually do on our way through Utah and Arizona.

The exquisite beauty and colorful forms of the natural evolution of the earth seem to draw you into their beauty as they overwhelm the senses.

One of our favorite campsites is on the border of Utah and Arizona in the town of Monument Valley.

Nestled among the huge buttes and rock formations one can enjoy the natural wonders of a brilliant star studded sky at night as well.

In 2018 we shared our peace activities with the Navajo children of Monument Valley in this local high school.

Sharing peace songs and activities was one of the main highlights of the Peace Run in the past, in any part of the world. We are eagerly looking forward to the time when we can once again resume our wonderful personal interactions with the schools.

The majestic Grand Canyon is the next major highlight on our journey south into the state of Arizona.

The boys team in 2018, at the trail head of one of the long and winding journeys down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

It takes a couple of hours to hike to the bottom, but at least twice as long to make it back up to the top.

Reaching the bottom you are greeted by the refreshing waters of the Colorado River. Harita and Mandra happily made it to the river in 2018. They also made it back up to the top as they are still with us to this day. Everyone has to carry lots of water in the summer as the temperature at the bottom can top 100F over 35C.

Along the way there are many oppotunities to be inspired by the natural breathtaking vistas of one of the 8 natural Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon.

On the other side of the world, one of our Indonesian team members, Putu, organized food parcel donations for 200 families in need in Sudaji, her village in Bali.

This is Putu's son, Paramananda, offering a food parcel to one of the families.

Our super runner, Kanyaka, on one of her daily runs near her home in Bali. This last week she ran an unbelievable 87 miles, which she dedicated to the Peace Run having begun in 1987.

Kanyaka shares with us a beautiful rainbow she saw while running. There is nothing as peaceful and inspiring as a colorful rainbow to greet us after a refreshing rain.

In Heidelberg, Germany one of our runners, Vasanti, was enjoying the amazing natural settings during one of her Peace journeys.

Vasanti shares part of her beautiful trail run in Heidelberg, Germany.

This young boy in Ukraine loved the idea of the Peace Run and offered his own artistic expressions for peace.

In New Zealand Phil Davies took this beautiful photo on one of his peace walks this week. Enjoying our own beautiful surroundings even on a solo run or walk can bring much peace into our lives.

Finally as the sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean in Florida, Santiva, one of our peace runners from the Orlando area, enjoys a peaceful run on the beach.

May the light and beauty of peace rise and shine like the brilliant sun in all of our lives as we all try to share our inspiring and uplifting experiences throughout this vast and beautiful world.

Torch carried by
Arpan DeAngelo (United States), Grahak Cunningham (Australia), Harita Davies (New Zealand), Homagni Baptista (Australia), Kanyaka Arini (Indonesia), Natabara Rollosson (United States), Nikolaus Drekonja (United States), Pragati Pascale (United States), Putu Ekawati (Indonesia), Santiva Morrison (United States), Vasanti Niemz (Germany).  
Accompanied by  
Other runners worldwide
Photographers
Banshidhar Medeiros, Harita Davies, Natabara Rollosson, Putu Ekawati
The torch has travelled 580.0 mi from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Grand Canyon, Arizona.

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