Legend has it that Thomas Beale and his band of adventurers discovered a treasure cache in the American Southwest As a boy, I was fascinated by tales of lost…

The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of America’s most-visited national parks. Visualizing the Blue Ridge Parkway, your mind likely drifts to scenic drives and brea…

I don’t think about fences much. I was raised in suburbia, where each backyard was cordoned off by some sort of fence. They kept the dogs in and the neighbor…

The Pucketts moved from Patrick County, VA to this spot in Carroll County in 1865. In the final, desperate years of the Civil War, Confederate desertion rate…

Today, the Inn at foster Falls is a beautifully restored luxury hotel. In the heart of Foster Falls, Virginia, an Inn sits high on a hill, surrounded by the Bl…

The song “Shady Grove” was first written down in 1658 In 2012, I participated in the Heritage Tune competition at the Union Grove Old Time Fiddler’s Convention…

Go to any Old Time jam session in the area surrounding Galax, VA (“The World Capital of Old Time Music”), and the tune “Cripple Creek” will be played before ni…

Emma “Grandma” Gatewood In 1972, I hiked the Appalachian Trail for the first time. Inspired by the stories of Grandma Gatewood and encouraged by books like The…