I Am Crestone — Burning Bright Media

I recently spent a weekend in Crestone, Colorado. My husband and I were headed up for a documentary project we are working on. It was my job to find a place stay. A quick search of crestonecolorado.com found two possible locations. After reading a little about both, Matt noticed that the owner of one called I am Harmony had stopped serving breakfast because she had become vegan. Well, that was all I needed to hear. I quickly shot her an email with our dates. Her response, a few days later, was that she had a room for us on the days we would be in town. Because Crestone is a little off the beaten path, Kiara wanted to make sure we would be able to find her house. Coming from Arvada, I knew we would be arriving later in the evening. When I mentioned this, Kiara told me that was fine, but that she retires early, "I'm 90" she told me. What? A ninety year old vegan running a bed and breakfast? Priceless!

We started our journey on a late Friday afternoon. We were excited about our weekend adventure. Packed with snacks and drinks, we settled in for the roughly 4 hour long drive. As we approached South Park, the snow started coming down. This wasn't so bad. We can handle a little snow. As we approached Buena Vista, it was getting a little hairy. We pushed on towards Salida. It got dark, cell range was long gone, and we headed up Poncha Pass. No words can explain how crazy that drive got. We had one car in front of us. Good thing because the road was barely visible. I thank my lucky stars Matt was driving because I could barely see out of my half of the windshield. We traversed the pass slow and sure, but Mother Nature was not through with us. As we headed into Crestone, the gigantic flakes of snow hurled themselves suicidally at the windshield. It was as if we were travelling light speed. (Note, I wish I'd had the wherewithal to pull out my camera and film...too tense).

Once we found our way to I Am Harmony, we took a moment to reflect on our journey. We tiptoed into the sleepy house, found our room, and passed out exhausted.

The next morning we had the pleasure of meeting Kiara. She made us coffee and told us all about her home and about her faith in the I Am Presence spiritual movement. She gave us some ideas of places to visit while we were in town and where to find some good vegan food. We chatted for a while, then set out on our day to see Crestone. Matt had set up a meeting at local coffee shop called Cloud Station, which turned out to be a part of the local natural food store Elephant Cloud. I love natural food stores, so I delighted in meandering about checking out their selections while we waited for our coffee. I chose a four pack of vegan muffins to share for breakfast. The coffee was superb and the location enchanting with large beautiful paintings covering the walls.

After our meeting, we headed to the Haidakhandi Universal Ashram Temple. We wanted to inquire about an event they were having the following day. Matt and I were interested in photographing a ceremony, but wanted to get permission. The people were very friendly and let us know that we were welcome to photograph and what time to be back in the morning

After visiting the Ashram, we headed to the Shumei International Institute. The center acts as a retreat, as well as a venue for cultural, environmental and spiritual events. Followers of Shumei believe in the importance of interfaith activities as well as natural agriculture.

We then hiked up to the Karma Thegsum Tashi Gomang Stupa. Historically, Stupas are constructed to hold relics of enlightened teachers. They are often used as places of mediation. Circling clockwise around the Stupa in prayer. The hike took about a half hour, but was well worth it. Such a beautiful and peaceful location.

After a long day of adventure, we headed back to I Am Harmony and took a much needed respite. We woke famished and went out searching for a bite to eat. We found the little Brewery in town and each got bowls of green chili and shared a batch of Bar Fries. The service was great and the food was Delish! If you visit Crestone, please check out the Crestone Brewing Company at www.crestonebrewingco.com

Sunday morning Matt took off early to take some photos, while I hung back to talk to Kiara. I wanted to know more about this very interesting lady. I asked her if she minded answering a few questions. She said that was fine.

Kiara was born in on October 14, 1926 in Bisby, Arizona. Bisby is a mining town close to the Mexican border. Kiara recalls her mother travelling across the border to shop and buy furniture when she was a child. After high school, Kiara went to college to become a teacher. Both her brothers served in WWII, and her older sister joined the marines after college.

Kiara had mentioned that she spent some time in a convent, so I asked her if she had been raised Catholic. No, she had not and that was an interesting story. As a young adult in Bisby, there was not a lot to do socially. She and a friend, another teacher at the local middle school, would get together in the evening to play poker and drink White Ladies (she doesn't recall what goes in a White Lady). On one snowy evening, while the gals were playing, Kiara's friend wanted to make a wager. Whoever won the game got to tell the other what to do. Kiara thought that was just fine, because she usually won. Lo and behold, she lost. Her friend told Kiara that she had to attend morning mass. The only problem was that morning mass was at 6 a.m. and that was just 4 hours later... Neither girl thought Kiara would hold up her end, but at 6 a.m. she knocked on her friend's door and said that she was heading to mass, but her friend had to go with her. That was her first visit to Catholic mass. Not too long after, she entered the convent. She remained in the convent for about 20 years.

Upon departing the convent, Kiara returned to teaching middle school English. While on a trip to Israel, she befriended a wealthy couple. It was this couple that brought Kiara to Crestone for the first time. There was a definite connection and she decided she would look for some property. Her goal was to build a round house and a labyrinth. Both accomplished!

Moving on to the real topic at hand, I asked Kiara how long she had been vegan and what was her motivation. She told me she stopped eating meat about 10 years ago, but still consumed dairy and eggs. It was about 4 years ago she made the connection about honoring all life and decided to become vegan. She admitted it has been a difficult transition for her, but she persists. She has discovered all the good vegan food in town, she especially enjoys the vegan tacos and veggie burgers. Kiara doesn't cook too much for herself. I asked if she had a favorite recipe and she couldn't think of one. I asked what she eats for breakfast, she doesn't really eat breakfast. The only food I noticed during my stay was a simmering pot of black beans and a baked sweet potato.

Kiara stays very busy entertaining guests and maintaining her property. If you are in Crestone, you will want to check out I Am Harmony. She not only maintains a labyrinth, but numerous other spiritual areas in her yard all neatly divided by rocks, colored glass and crystals.