Kirkpatricks.org  Northern California Kirkpatricks

Baba’s party left Waynesboro and headed west through Tennessee and into Arkansas. about 3/4 of the way across that state, they spent the night at the Pond Creek Motor Lodge outside of Altus OK. The building(s) no longer exist but they were located on old highway 64 (now known as Pond Creek Road). The site is occupied now by a electric cable installation company.

Altus and it’s neighbor Ozark are Arkansas’ “Wine Country” now and in general, the area looks prosperous. Pond Creek Road however has seen better times for sure.

The group left Murphy, NC and headed into Tennessee. Near Chattanooga, they stopped to visit Ruby Falls, a tourist attraction on Lookout Mountain. Ruby Falls is in an underground cavern inside Lookout Mountain.

They finished the day in Waynesboro TN at the Stonebrook Lodge (or Sim’s Motel). The structure still stands but hasn’t been in use for some time judging by the current condition.

You can still make out the swimming pool and parking areas, but the rest of the site isn’t in very good condition.

On the second day of the journey, the group headed north towards North Carolina and stopped in Caesar’s Head State Park to admire the view. The park is named for a rock outcropping at about 3300′ that resembles Julius Caesar in profile.

To tell the truth, we thought we could see a profile of a Roman nose but it wasn’t all that clear that the Roman Emperor was in attendance. Be that as it may, the view is indeed spectacular. With a 2000′ dropoff in front of the bluff, one can see for a long way.

Table Rock Mountain can be seen in the distance. The young man next to Brigitte said that in the spring, the skys are very clear and the colors are vibrant and very alive from this view. He comes often.

Heading north, the group stopped in Brevard North Carolina at Varner’s Drugstore.

Now called Rocky & Bullwinkles the soda fountain is still there and we enjoyed some great ice cream.

The group motored on to Murphy NC where they stayed overnight at the Moorland Heights Motel. The Murphy post office now sits on the site.

On Tuesday, 20 May 1952, Meher Baba and nine close companions set out on a journey to the west coast. They left the Myrtle Beach Center and headed across South Carolina. They spent the night in Columbia at a hotel called the “Forest Court Hotel”. The building has since been turned into apartments and is known as “Forest Oaks Apartments”.

What’s interesting about this place is that it’s very clean and well-maintained. It obviously is cared for by someone. However, it lies in the middle of a rundown neighborhood with trash and abandoned houses/businesses. We got there too late to talk to anyone but felt it was in good hands.

Internet access has been spotty and it’s been hard to post. I’m at my sister-in-law’s house and things seem stable, for now.

To a person, everyone we’ve met have been wonderfully welcoming. It started with Charles, the guy behind the Hertz counter in Myrtle Beach. He was very helpful and researched our rate and saved us an additional $100. On top of that, he hung on to a Toyota Prius just for us because he knew we were going coast to coast. A sweet guy.

Over the last 24 hours we ran into 4 people from Walnut Creek. Imagine that. We’ve had a delightful time meeting new folks and visiting cool, out of the way places. During our stay in Myrtle Beach we encountered a lot of wildlife, including this guy:

There’s a freshwater lagoon near the cabin and just beyond are some sand dunes and then the Atlantic Ocean. This ‘gator was about 6 feet long. There’s a dragonfly hitching a ride on his head. Here’s Brigitte on the bridge over the Lagoon.

The south has been such a lovely place to visit. If only they could do something about the humidity……

Well, we’re here, finally. Here is the Meher Baba Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach.

The planes? 4 of them in one day. We got to the first leg (SFO to MSP) on BART. After that it was St. Paul to Orlando, Orlando to Atlanta and Atlanta to Myrtle Beach. Delays, rough air, we had it all.

The automobile? A Toyota Prius from Hertz.

With some luck, it will give us excellent milage cross country.