Karen J. Hall grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and has visited the parkway often over the years. She is the author of Postcard History Series: Blue Ridge Parkway. FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc., is a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia. FRIENDS raises funds for parkway projects. Very understaffed and underfunded, the National Park Service cannot preserve the original splendor of all of the viewsheds; FRIENDS is committed to raising the necessary funds and providing the volunteers for trails and viewshed restoration.