# 40: I am on the road again, having stopped in Virginia to meet with Dick and Janice, then on to Greensboro, North Carolina and then settling for two weeks in Waynesboro, which is a bit west of Asheville.  While in Waynesville I met with a reader in Young Harris, Georgia, explored the Cherohala Skyway, hiked to Hen Wallow falls (what kind of name is that?), saw a bit of the Blue Ridge Parkway and attended the study group meeting in Asheville.  I gave my new presentation, “The Urantia Book and Perfection Hunger,” to the study group and it was well received, they even applauded.  Next I move to Joanna, South Carolina to meet with Lamar’s relatives and then on to Ladson for a few weeks.

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The brotherhood of man is, after all, predicated on the recognition of the fatherhood of God. The quickest way to realize the brotherhood of man on Urantia is to effect the spiritual transformation of present-day humanity. The only technique for accelerating the natural trend of social evolution is that of applying spiritual pressure from above, thus augmenting moral insight while enhancing the soul capacity of every mortal to understand and love every other mortal. Mutual understanding and fraternal love are transcendent civilizers and mighty factors in the world-wide realization of the brotherhood of man.  The Urantia Book (598.2) (52:6.7)

                                      Pisgah Covered Bridge

My first stop on the southward journey was in Natural Bridge Station, Virginia.  I drove over the mountains to meet with Dick and Janice in Lynchburg; I showed them the presentation and they made some excellent suggestions for improving it.  Dick has several videos posted on YouTube about the life of Jesus.  Dick and I visited Poplar Forest, where Thomas Jefferson owned some property and designed the house.  It was an interesting tour; they are still renovating the house to undo changes made by more recent owners.  One of the most delightful parts of the tour was outside on the grounds.  The previous day it had rained, in fact my move the previous day was in the rain.  Archeological excavations are being carried out near the house and one such dig was covered by a blue tarp.  Water had collected in the middle of it and a group of Bluebirds were enjoying an invigorating bath in the water.  It was a joy to watch them but unfortunately I did not have my telephoto lens with me and I did not want to get closer and interrupt their bathing.  Before moving on to North Carolina I did some hiking in the Jefferson National Forest behind the campground where I was parked.

The next move was to Greensboro, North Carolina where I had hoped to meet with a student of the Urantia Book but that did not work out.  The most interesting excursion while there was to drive forty or so miles south to Pisgah Covered Bridge, shown above.  It is in a peaceful setting and there was a nice walk in the woods, where I managed to get a small spot of poison ivy; I am usually on the lookout for the plant and was surprised later when I saw a small spot appear on my wrist.  There was also an excellent park a few miles from the campground where I did my morning walk.

                                 Cherohala Skyway

From Greensboro I next parked in Waynesville, which is a bit west of Asheville, North Carolina.  From there I drove to Young Harris, which is barely inside Georgia.  I wanted to meet Paul who is a good friend of Betty Lou and we had an interesting conversation.  I did ask him who Young Harris was but he had no idea.  When I was ready to leave we went outside so I could show him the Monster (my Ford F-350); as soon as I opened the door he reached in, removed the floor mat and dumped the dirt out of it.  You don’t think he was making a comment on how clean I keep my truck do you?

One of the places I wanted to visit was the Cherohala Skyway, a beautiful drive up the mountain in the Nantahala region of the Smoky Mountains.  Lamar and I wanted to take that drive several years ago, but it never happened when he was with us.  The leaves were just starting to change, especially in the higher elevations.  On the way back I visited the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, located near the beginning of the Skyway.

                                            Near Hen Wallow Falls

The main reason I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway was to bypass the tourists and traffic of Cherokee.  The best hike I had was from the Cosby campground, near the end of the Foothills Parkway in Tennessee.  It was about two miles uphill through the woods, a lovely walk.  Hen Wallow falls was at the end of the trail, I have no idea what that name refers to and I could find no reference to the derivation of the name on the web.  The above photo was taken on the way back down.  Beautiful country! 

                                      Asheville Study Group

I met Linda at a McDonalds so I could park the Monster there and ride to the meeting with her; last time I visited their study group, parking the Monster was a bit of a challenge.  As you can see, the meeting was well attended and they were appreciative of my presentation.  They read Paper 70, “The Evolution of Human Government.”  Because of discussions and such they only got through Section 5, “The Beginnings of Government.”  The following quote is from this reading.

The nations of Urantia have already entered upon the gigantic struggle between nationalistic militarism and industrialism, and in many ways this conflict is analogous to the agelong struggle between the herder-hunter and the farmer. But if industrialism is to triumph over militarism, it must avoid the dangers which beset it.  These are:  the strong drift toward materialism, the worship of wealth-power, the vices of luxury, the increasing dangers of indolence, biologic deterioration and the threat of standardized industrial slavery.  The Urantia Book (786.2 – 8) (70:2.11 – 17)