Its April 30th, 2011. Myself and about 25 OMrunners from San Jose & greater Bay area have by now trained for the Avenue of the Giants Marathon 2011 race to be held on May 1. Race is in Humboldt Redwoods State Park which is approximately 250 Miles North Of San Jose Ca. It is important for us to be well rested the day before the race. This required that we travel on Saturday Apr 30 and stay overnight close to the race location. Not to worry, Chinmaya Mission West, Piercy, CA gave our entire team an invitation to come stay in their Ashram. Piercy is located about 35 Miles south of the Redwood Parks, which is a convenient distance to drive on the day of the Race. A bit of history on Krishnalaya, as it is called by Chinamaya Mission West. I got it from their website http://krishnalaya.chinmayamission.org/
Krishnalaya, or ‘the abode of Krishna,’ is situated on the banks of the Eel River, nestled in the coastal mountains and giant redwood trees of Northern California. The ashram is located in Piercy, on the border of Mendocino and Humboldt Counties.
The gurgling river flow and the stunning views of the mountain ranges make Krishnalaya an ideal place for spiritual individual retreats, group camps, and seminars. The ashram houses a beautiful 200-person lecture hall with air conditioning, a state-of-the-art sound system, a big screen television, and multimedia equipment. The ashram lodges 80 people comfortably (9 of the rooms have balconies facing the river), a commercial kitchen, dining hall, satsang hall, and temple shrine.
The weather at Krishnalaya varies year-round. Misty mornings, hot afternoons, and cool nights are typical. Rain is possible throughout. During winter months, there is a lot of rain, but it rarely snows.
I got a ride from Ranga to our Piercy, CA destination. We started out at 10 am from Cupertino and weather across California was one of the best, sunny and pleasant 60. As you may know staying hydrated in preparation for the run is a challenge when you are travelling long distance. So we would be taking several breaks along Hwy 101. First pit stop was right after the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge
In the pictures above,me and Fellow carpoolers: Ranga, Sharada,
The next stop was at a Hwy exit in Cloverdale which had Starbucks. Ranga had meticulously packed Idli Lunches for all us. We used the rest rooms at SB and ate in their outside tables and I had a strong coffee for me. I stayed perked up thru the rest of the journey to Krishnalaya. We reached Piercy at about 3.30PM and checked into the Ashram. Stunning and beautiful Monastic facility and I was overwhelmed by the hospitality extended to all the runners by the Swamiji and the residents of the Ashram. They had prepared evening chai and snacks in anticipation of the large group of runners from Bay area.
Entrance to Piercy Ashrama
The east wing of rooms where I stayed
Eel River, view from the back of the room where I stayed
Idols in the Kutir Gardens where Chinmayananda Stayed
More Runners joined by 6.00 PM and we recorded our historical personal experience in various pictures below
Early birds got a chance to get a picture with Swamiji
Dinner Plates looked not only Satvic and sumptuous, they gave all the Carbs
Later that day, we attended a session that Swamiji gave to the students of the Ashrama. At seven we had Hanuman Chalissa chnated and swamiji blessed the OMRunners for a successful and injury free completion of the Marathon Race next day.
Had a sumptous Vegetarian Satwic Meal in the dining hall. See pictures above of the mouth watering items in the meal we had. We had carbo loading from the chapathi's and potatoes. We all went then for a long walk with the swamiji in the rural road skirting the Ashram.
By 10.00 PM we all went to bed and I had one of the most restful nights I can remember before such races. Thanks to CHinmaya Mission West, Swamiji and the residents who mad this happen and we all would have a greatest run of our time next day at the Avenue of the Giants
Krishnalaya, or ‘the abode of Krishna,’ is situated on the banks of the Eel River, nestled in the coastal mountains and giant redwood trees of Northern California. The ashram is located in Piercy, on the border of Mendocino and Humboldt Counties.
The gurgling river flow and the stunning views of the mountain ranges make Krishnalaya an ideal place for spiritual individual retreats, group camps, and seminars. The ashram houses a beautiful 200-person lecture hall with air conditioning, a state-of-the-art sound system, a big screen television, and multimedia equipment. The ashram lodges 80 people comfortably (9 of the rooms have balconies facing the river), a commercial kitchen, dining hall, satsang hall, and temple shrine.
The weather at Krishnalaya varies year-round. Misty mornings, hot afternoons, and cool nights are typical. Rain is possible throughout. During winter months, there is a lot of rain, but it rarely snows.
I got a ride from Ranga to our Piercy, CA destination. We started out at 10 am from Cupertino and weather across California was one of the best, sunny and pleasant 60. As you may know staying hydrated in preparation for the run is a challenge when you are travelling long distance. So we would be taking several breaks along Hwy 101. First pit stop was right after the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge
In the pictures above,me and Fellow carpoolers: Ranga, Sharada,
The next stop was at a Hwy exit in Cloverdale which had Starbucks. Ranga had meticulously packed Idli Lunches for all us. We used the rest rooms at SB and ate in their outside tables and I had a strong coffee for me. I stayed perked up thru the rest of the journey to Krishnalaya. We reached Piercy at about 3.30PM and checked into the Ashram. Stunning and beautiful Monastic facility and I was overwhelmed by the hospitality extended to all the runners by the Swamiji and the residents of the Ashram. They had prepared evening chai and snacks in anticipation of the large group of runners from Bay area.
More Runners joined by 6.00 PM and we recorded our historical personal experience in various pictures below
Later that day, we attended a session that Swamiji gave to the students of the Ashrama. At seven we had Hanuman Chalissa chnated and swamiji blessed the OMRunners for a successful and injury free completion of the Marathon Race next day.
Had a sumptous Vegetarian Satwic Meal in the dining hall. See pictures above of the mouth watering items in the meal we had. We had carbo loading from the chapathi's and potatoes. We all went then for a long walk with the swamiji in the rural road skirting the Ashram.
By 10.00 PM we all went to bed and I had one of the most restful nights I can remember before such races. Thanks to CHinmaya Mission West, Swamiji and the residents who mad this happen and we all would have a greatest run of our time next day at the Avenue of the Giants
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