After 10,000 miles crisscrossing Virginia, 17 full episodes, and 4 bonus features, Season Five of Virginia Outdoor Adventures has been a remarkable journey of discovery and connection. What began as a pandemic project has evolved into a five-season exploration of the Commonwealth's most breathtaking outdoor destinations, hidden gems, and adventure opportunities.
This season marked several firsts, including five solo episodes covering practical topics like packing checklists and seasonal bucket lists. The Virginia Adventure Town series continued to captivate listeners with comprehensive guides to Onancock, Big Stone Gap, and Martinsville – destinations where tourism dollars make a meaningful impact on small communities. Educational episodes on wilderness survival, snake identification, and secondhand gear shopping provided valuable knowledge for outdoor enthusiasts, while special features on forest bathing and wild caving introduced listeners to unique outdoor experiences.
Your feedback has shaped this podcast from the beginning, guiding content creation and helping it grow beyond what I ever imagined possible. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what outdoor adventures you want to explore in Season Six.
Share your feedback through the listener survey in the show notes for a chance to win a $50 gift card to River Rock Outfitter. Subscribe to the newsletter for exclusive updates and discounts, or consider supporting the show through Buy Me A Coffee. Your contributions directly fund the thousands of miles traveled to bring Virginia's outdoor wonders to your ears.
Adventure on, Friends – I'll see you in the fall!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jessica Bowser (00:00):
Announcer, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is amecca for outdoor travel and
adventure. Virginia outdooradventures Podcast is your local
guide for hiking, camping,kayaking, travel and so much
more. Get the information andthe inspiration to plan your own
adventure right here inVirginia. I'm your host. Jessica
(00:23):
Bowser, Virginia OutdoorAdventures is sponsored by
breaks Interstate Park. BreaksPark is a hiking destination in
the heart of Appalachia. Everytrail features something that
will awe you, including geologicformations, scenic views of the
canyon, stream crossings andwildlife viewing. Trails range
(00:45):
from easy to difficult. Theconvenience of lodges,
campgrounds and luxury cabinsinside the park means you'll
never need to wander far fromthe trail. Come see for yourself
why breaks is known as the GrandCanyon of the South download the
digital trailguide@breakspark.com or click on
breaks Interstate Park in theshow notes of your listening
(01:07):
app. Hello friends, and welcometo the final episode of season
five. And what a season it hasbeen 17 episodes, plus four
bonus episodes and over 10,000miles of traveling across
Virginia to create the contentthat you're hearing on this
podcast. In season five, I didmy first solo episode. I ended
(01:32):
up doing five because I got suchgreat feedback from all of you,
and in those episodes, I coveredthings like packing checklists
for cabin and Campground staysand also best winter and spring
adventures to add to your bucketlist. Amongst other things, we
kicked off season five back inthe fall with a special edition
(01:53):
episode about hurricane Helene.
And for those of you who caughtthat episode, you may remember
the guests saying that she wouldreally love for everybody to
come visit the places that werehit hardest by the hurricane, to
bring your tourism dollars tothose areas to help rebuild
their economy. And luckily, someof those places have reopened,
(02:13):
although some are definitelystill trying to rebuild. Are in
the process of rebuilding, and Iam going to be featuring one of
those locations in the beginningof season six. It's going to be
one of the Virginia adventuretown episodes, and that's going
to be Grayson County. I'm superexcited for that to come out in
season six. I also did episodesabout hiking at breaks Park, the
(02:36):
Pine Mountain Trail, and alsoconquering resolutions and
setting goals for the new yearwith the group girls who hike
Virginia. That was a lot of fun,a super popular episode. And
then also some of the mostpopular episodes, which
shouldn't surprise me, are theVirginia's adventure town
episodes, and those coveredOnancock, Big Stone Gap, and
(02:59):
most recently, martinsville.
Then I had some educationalepisodes, one on venomous and
non venomous snakes. Another oneon purchasing secondhand
consignment gear. There was anepisode about parks Advocacy
Day, which I got a lot offeedback from people who want to
participate in that next year,and of course, wilderness
(03:22):
survival skills, that was ahighly requested topic that I
was able to bring back the gueston that show who had also been a
guest previously on the podcast.
And then there were episodes onforest bathing, wild caving and
primitive camping andbackpacking in Virginia state
parks, so I'm super proud of allof these episodes. Somebody
(03:45):
asked me recently if I wouldplease highlight my favorites,
and trying to choose a favoriteepisode would be like a parent
trying to choose their favoritechild, because all of these
episodes I have poured a ton ofwork and love into and I am
really proud of all of them, andthere's no way to pick a
(04:05):
favorite. Plus, all of theguests are absolutely
spectacular. I mean, I am blownaway by how amazing each one of
these people are and howgenerous they are to come on the
podcast and share their passionand their love and their wisdom
with all the rest of us. So Iwill be taking a break over the
summer, just like I have overthe last couple of summers.
(04:28):
Somebody asked me, Why would youtake a break over summer when
that's the time to get outside?
And I will tell you why. Yes, itis the time to get outside, but
it is the time when podcastlistenership drops, and the
reason for that is becausepodcast listenership is pretty
habitual. People tend to do itwhen they are doing chores
(04:49):
around the house or commuting towork or working out at the gym,
things that they incorporateinto their normal routines, and
when people go on vacation inthe summer, those. Routines drop
off. So people tend to notlisten to podcasts in the summer
as much as they normally wouldother times of the year. And to
be fair to my guests and to mysponsors and my advertisers and
(05:13):
to myself, who puts a lot ofwork into all these episodes, I
decided that the best thing todo is to take a break in the
summer, when those numbers dropand then pick back up in the
fall. Summer is also when I takemy break. I will be traveling
overseas this summer, and assoon as I get back, I will be
gearing up and getting ready forseason six. So this is when I'll
(05:36):
be doing even more, travelingacross the state and meeting
with guests for season six anddoing features on Virginia's
adventure towns, and creating alot of the content that you will
see on social media, starting inthe fall. Your adventure starts
in the heart of Appalachia. Hikeand bike through breathtaking
(05:58):
mountain landscapes, paddlepeaceful rivers winding through
hidden hollows, or cast yourline in crystal clear streams
teeming with trout cravingsomething truly unique. Hop on
an ATV and ride the ruggedspearhead trail some of the best
in the east. Take a scenic drivethrough winding back roads.
Explore the Grand Canyon of thesouth at breaks park, or go on
(06:21):
an elk tour and witness thesemajestic creatures roaming free.
Whether you're looking for heartpounding outdoor adventure or
peaceful moments in nature, theheart of Appalachia has got what
you need, dine, celebrate, shopand rest well in the heart of
all things fun, the heart ofAppalachia Virginia's treasured
southwest begin your mountainescape by clicking on heart of
(06:44):
Appalachia in your show notes.
Another new feature this pastseason was fan mail. And fan
mail is an opportunity for youto text me directly by clicking
on Send Jessica a text message,which is in your show notes, and
those messages come directly tomy cell phone. So that was a lot
(07:06):
of fun this year to get messagescoming to my phone for the first
time. Usually, people would haveto send them to me, either on
social media, or they would haveto email me. And now there's
just a much easier way for youto contact me directly. Although
there is one glitch in thesystem, I discovered that if you
don't put your contactinformation in there, I really
don't have any way of knowingwho it's from. Like, it will
(07:28):
tell me it's from a phonenumber, but it only shows me the
last four digits of that phonenumber, and there's no name
associated with it, so it keepsyou anonymous. But also, I have
no way of knowing who to replyto, or who to thank, or you know
who to get back to movingforward. If you're going to send
me a text message, and I do hopethat you do, please let me know
(07:50):
who it's from, because if youdon't, I won't have any way of
knowing who it's from. If youwant to stay anonymous, that's
fine. But if you want me to knowwho it's from, and I do like to
know who I'm talking to, pleaselet me know that it is you. I
wanted to share this one fromRyan. And Ryan said I recently
listened to your episodes on BigStone Gap, and they were some of
(08:12):
my favorites. I love getting toknow and exploring these old
mountain towns so much richhistory and amazing outdoor
opportunities. Two weeks ago, wewent through the area and just
missed Big Stone Gap on the wayto Red River Gorge area in
Kentucky. We passed through StPaul and Coburn, which we
visited last year after hearingyour episodes on the towns and
(08:33):
the Clinch River. Before the BigStone Gap episode even finished,
I had already started thinkingabout when I can visit long way
of saying, I like the adventuretown episodes. You do a
fantastic job of highlightingall the things about the towns
and what people can do. Keep itup. Thank you so much, Ryan. I
always appreciate your messages.
I get quite a few messages fromRyan, and they are a delight.
(08:53):
Also, you can bet that I took ascreenshot of that message and
sent it over to the folks at BigStone Gap. Sent it anonymously,
of course, so they don't knowwho exactly it was from, but
they are over the moon to seethat people are responding to
the episode about their town. Icannot tell you guys just how
(09:14):
much it means to the folks inthese small towns when you come
and visit the people who livethere, and especially the folks
who are from there, take a lotof pride in their towns, and
they are super excited whenpeople come to visit in those
small towns, your dollars have areally big impact. So just keep
that in mind when you'rethinking about planning your
(09:35):
summer travels, maybe check outsome of the adventure town
episodes and plan a trip there.
You've got all the informationyou need, from outdoor
recreation opportunities todining, lodging and attractions,
and all the links that you needto plan your trip are in the
show notes. So there's really noexcuse. I've done all the
homework for you. You just needto book your stay. So. So if you
(10:00):
do end up going to one of theadventure towns, please let me
know. I'd love to hear aboutwhat your experience is like.
I would be remiss if I didn'tgive a big shout out to everyone
who made a contribution on mybuy me a coffee page this year,
especially those who signed upfor a membership. Those
(10:22):
memberships and the smallercontributions are what sustains
this podcast. It pays for thingslike my hosting platform, my
email account, MailChimp, zoom,other recording equipment, etc,
etc. The list goes on. There isa long list of expenses that
goes into creating this podcast,and that doesn't even include
(10:44):
all of the travel expenses ontop of just production expenses.
So all of those contributionshelp pay for those things, and
none of this would be possiblewithout all of you. I actually
to show my appreciation. Ireally wanted to read all of the
names of everybody whocontributed this year. But as I
started putting the listtogether, it was way too long. I
(11:05):
was like, okay, nobody's goingto want to listen to all of
this. I have read the names onpast episodes, so I hope you all
feel appreciated, because I feelvery loved. And every time I get
an email that says someonebought you a coffee like it
absolutely makes my day. So ifyou want to help support this
podcast, especially as I amgoing to be gearing up for
(11:28):
season six, now is a reallygreat time, because those
contributions are going to helpfund my travel expenses as I hit
the road again in July andAugust to prepare for season
six. And you can do that bygoing to your show notes and
clicking on, buy me a coffee.
(11:51):
So what is coming up in seasonsix? What do we have to look
forward to? Well, there's quitea few episodes in the works
right now. I can only share afew of them with you, because
some of them have not quite beenfinalized yet. But as far as the
Virginia adventure town series,which is really popular, I can
tell you, for certain GraysonCounty, as I mentioned earlier,
(12:15):
is on the list, and so is KingGeorge. And King George is where
Caledon State Park is located. Idon't know what town in King
George we're gonna feature, butI'm sure it's going to include
all of the things around thecounty. So I'm really excited to
get back to Caledon and to KingGeorge and to feature that, and
then I cannot wait to go toGrayson. It's been a number of
(12:37):
years since I've been toGrayson. There's a lot going on.
If you've heard of some of themid roll ads in the past,
episodes for Grayson County, ohmy goodness, I had a hard time
packing it all in into one midroll ad. So they've just got so
much going on as far asoutdoorsy things. So I'm very
excited to get to Grayson. I'msure it's going to be absolutely
(12:58):
beautiful. Can't wait to takethose pictures and share them
with you on the socials, thenI've got an episode on mushroom
foraging, which is somethingthat I got a lot of requests
for. In fact, I've gottenseveral requests over many years
for mushroom foraging, butfinding the right person to do
the episode as a guest was alittle bit tricky, because you
(13:20):
want to find somebody who isreputable, because, as you can
probably guess, one wrong or badmistake when you're foraging for
mushrooms could be deadly. As aresponsible person who only
wants to give out goodinformation, I had to make sure
I found somebody who wasreputable, and who really knows
(13:41):
what they're talking about? AndI did, so I'm meeting up with
her hopefully in August. Now,the other episodes are still
kind of up in the air. I saidthat I've got some that I can't
quite tell you about, but hereis your opportunity to tell me
what you want to hear in seasonsix. So if you go to your show
notes and click on take thelistener survey, you will have
(14:04):
the opportunity to tell me whatyou would like to hear in season
six. But even more so, thislistener survey is an
opportunity for you to give meyour feedback on all things
having to do with the podcast.
This is the third year in a rowthat I am doing this listener
survey. I always do it in thesummer, so it gives me an
opportunity to review yourfeedback as I'm creating new
episodes and preparing for thenext season. So I would really
(14:27):
appreciate you clicking on thatlink in your show notes and
answering the questions. It'llonly take you a few minutes. But
here's the exciting part, forthe third year in a row, our
friends at River Rock outfitterhave offered a $50 gift card as
part of a raffle for anyone whocompletes the survey. So once
(14:47):
you complete the survey, you'reautomatically entered into the
raffle for this $50 gift card toriver rock outfitter in
Fredericksburg. River Rockoutfitter is owned by April
Peterson. You may. RememberApril Peterson from Episode 65
when she talked aboutconsignment gear and the reboot
program at River Rock outfitter.
(15:07):
I'm in close contact with Apriland river rock, and they have
just opened a new location andalso a second location in
Fredericksburg, which is amazingfor a brick and mortar store in
today's economy where peoplelike to shop online. I think it
says a lot about her businessand about the community in
(15:29):
Fredericksburg supporting smalllocal businesses. So fill out
that listener survey. You justmight win a $50 gift card to
river rock outfitter, even ifyou don't win, please check out
river rock. It is an awesomestore, a very valuable partner
in our community. All of theoutdoor outfitters could use
(15:49):
your support river rock and somany others all across the
state. So please do frequentyour local Outfitters.
Upcoming events. I only have oneupcoming event on the calendar,
and that is the AppalachianTrail festival in Loudoun
County, which is coming up thisweekend. But by the time this
(16:12):
episode airs, it will be in thepast, and I will be somewhere in
Europe. So if anything elsecomes up, I will be putting it
in Instagram and Facebookstories, if you really want to
keep up to date with where I'mgoing to be, and also so many
other things, like latestepisodes, discounts for my
listeners, tips, special offersand other things you really want
(16:34):
to sign up for my emailnewsletter if you haven't done
that yet, the link to sign upfor the newsletter is in the
show notes. It only comes outonce every other week, so you're
not going to get bombarded byemails from me, but you will
stay up to date with the podcastand also get some exclusive
information that other folksaren't getting unless they
(16:56):
subscribe to the emailnewsletter. You will also get my
resource guide when you sign up,and my resource guide includes
things like bucket list items inVirginia that you don't want to
miss. Hey, adventure seekers,can you believe I traveled
10,043 miles across Virginialast year? Yep, over 10,000
(17:18):
miles in search of the besttrails, parks and base camps to
help you plan your nextadventure. If you've enjoyed
discovering these hidden gemsand want to hear more, consider
supporting the podcast throughmy buy me a coffee page. Your
contribution, whether it's a onetime tip or a monthly
membership, helps cover the costof creating these episodes and
(17:39):
keeps the adventure going. Everybit helps fuel the journey, plus
members get some awesome perks.
So head to my buy me a coffeepage by clicking on support the
show. In your show notes, shoutout to the newest members of
Virginia outdoor adventures.
Anne from Fredericksburg, Mattfrom Roanoke. Barb from
Chesterfield, Lori from Norfolk,Rafael from Falls Church, Kevin
(18:01):
from Richmond and Allison fromClearbrook. Thanks for helping
me share Virginia's wildest,most inspiring places one
adventure at a time. That bringsme to the end of this episode
and also to the end of seasonfive. By the time you all are
listening to this, I will besomewhere overseas. I am going
(18:22):
to Austria and Slovenia. I havefamily reunions in each country.
And on the front end of thetrip, I will be accompanying my
husband to London and Milan andVenice, where he has work
meetings arranged. And on theback end of the trip, some a
couple of my cousins and I aregoing to be going to Trieste,
Italy, which is the northeastcorner of the country on the
(18:43):
Adriatic for holiday, as theylike to say. And at the very
tail end of the trip, I will behiking solo through Slovenia.
Although I don't have all thedetails worked out just yet, or
I would share them, I'm reallylooking forward to this trip.
It's been two summers since Iwas last overseas, so I cannot
wait to see my family again andto just take a break and
(19:06):
decompress a little bit. Butbefore I sign off, I want to
give a very big thank you to allof you for supporting the show
throughout the seasons. Ifyou're new, welcome and thank
you so much for joining us, andif you've been around for a
while, I cannot express how muchI appreciate you sticking
around, for listening, forsending me messages, for sharing
(19:29):
the podcast with your friends,for contributing on buy me a
coffee, for signing up for thenewsletter, for taking the
listener survey, for leaving afive star rating and review, and
all of the things that you allHave done throughout the seasons
to help the show grow and tohelp me continue doing what I'm
doing. I still cannot believeit's been five seasons this
(19:50):
podcast started as a pandemicproject for something to keep me
busy and occupied, and alsobecause I was looking for an
outlet to share all. All of thebeautiful, wonderful, amazing
places that we have in theoutdoors right here in Virginia,
especially at a time when somany people were looking to get
outside in a safe way. And nevercould I ever have imagined that
(20:13):
five years later I would stillbe sitting here doing this full
time. It's really unbelievable,but none of it would be possible
without all of you. So thankyou, thank you, and thank you,
and I look forward to seeing youin season six. Chow Chow and
adventure on Virginia. OutdoorAdventures is inspired by and
(20:37):
supported by listeners like you,which is why your messages and
feedback means so much to me.
You can text me directly byclicking on Send Jessica a text
message in your show notes. Ianswer questions, respond to
comments and share your feedbackon the show. Never miss a new
episode. Sign up for my emailnewsletter and receive my
listener resource guide with thetop podcast episodes of Virginia
(21:00):
outdoor bucket list andexclusive brand discounts for my
listeners. Click on newsletter.
Sign up in your show notes orvisit Virginia outdoor
adventures.com thanks forlistening until next time.
Adventure on you.
Announcer, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is amecca for outdoor travel and
adventure. Virginia outdooradventures Podcast is your local
guide for hiking, camping,kayaking, travel and so much
more. Get the information andthe inspiration to plan your own
adventure right here inVirginia. I'm your host. Jessica
(00:23):
Bowser, Virginia OutdoorAdventures is sponsored by
breaks Interstate Park. BreaksPark is a hiking destination in
the heart of Appalachia. Everytrail features something that
will awe you, including geologicformations, scenic views of the
canyon, stream crossings andwildlife viewing. Trails range
(00:45):
from easy to difficult. Theconvenience of lodges,
campgrounds and luxury cabinsinside the park means you'll
never need to wander far fromthe trail. Come see for yourself
why breaks is known as the GrandCanyon of the South download the
digital trailguide@breakspark.com or click on
breaks Interstate Park in theshow notes of your listening
(01:07):
app. Hello friends, and welcometo the final episode of season
five. And what a season it hasbeen 17 episodes, plus four
bonus episodes and over 10,000miles of traveling across
Virginia to create the contentthat you're hearing on this
podcast. In season five, I didmy first solo episode. I ended
(01:32):
up doing five because I got suchgreat feedback from all of you,
and in those episodes, I coveredthings like packing checklists
for cabin and Campground staysand also best winter and spring
adventures to add to your bucketlist. Amongst other things, we
kicked off season five back inthe fall with a special edition
(01:53):
episode about hurricane Helene.
And for those of you who caughtthat episode, you may remember
the guests saying that she wouldreally love for everybody to
come visit the places that werehit hardest by the hurricane, to
bring your tourism dollars tothose areas to help rebuild
their economy. And luckily, someof those places have reopened,
(02:13):
although some are definitelystill trying to rebuild. Are in
the process of rebuilding, and Iam going to be featuring one of
those locations in the beginningof season six. It's going to be
one of the Virginia adventuretown episodes, and that's going
to be Grayson County. I'm superexcited for that to come out in
season six. I also did episodesabout hiking at breaks Park, the
(02:36):
Pine Mountain Trail, and alsoconquering resolutions and
setting goals for the new yearwith the group girls who hike
Virginia. That was a lot of fun,a super popular episode. And
then also some of the mostpopular episodes, which
shouldn't surprise me, are theVirginia's adventure town
episodes, and those coveredOnancock, Big Stone Gap, and
(02:59):
most recently, martinsville.
Then I had some educationalepisodes, one on venomous and
non venomous snakes. Another oneon purchasing secondhand
consignment gear. There was anepisode about parks Advocacy
Day, which I got a lot offeedback from people who want to
participate in that next year,and of course, wilderness
(03:22):
survival skills, that was ahighly requested topic that I
was able to bring back the gueston that show who had also been a
guest previously on the podcast.
And then there were episodes onforest bathing, wild caving and
primitive camping andbackpacking in Virginia state
parks, so I'm super proud of allof these episodes. Somebody
(03:45):
asked me recently if I wouldplease highlight my favorites,
and trying to choose a favoriteepisode would be like a parent
trying to choose their favoritechild, because all of these
episodes I have poured a ton ofwork and love into and I am
really proud of all of them, andthere's no way to pick a
(04:05):
favorite. Plus, all of theguests are absolutely
spectacular. I mean, I am blownaway by how amazing each one of
these people are and howgenerous they are to come on the
podcast and share their passionand their love and their wisdom
with all the rest of us. So Iwill be taking a break over the
summer, just like I have overthe last couple of summers.
(04:28):
Somebody asked me, Why would youtake a break over summer when
that's the time to get outside?
And I will tell you why. Yes, itis the time to get outside, but
it is the time when podcastlistenership drops, and the
reason for that is becausepodcast listenership is pretty
habitual. People tend to do itwhen they are doing chores
(04:49):
around the house or commuting towork or working out at the gym,
things that they incorporateinto their normal routines, and
when people go on vacation inthe summer, those. Routines drop
off. So people tend to notlisten to podcasts in the summer
as much as they normally wouldother times of the year. And to
be fair to my guests and to mysponsors and my advertisers and
(05:13):
to myself, who puts a lot ofwork into all these episodes, I
decided that the best thing todo is to take a break in the
summer, when those numbers dropand then pick back up in the
fall. Summer is also when I takemy break. I will be traveling
overseas this summer, and assoon as I get back, I will be
gearing up and getting ready forseason six. So this is when I'll
(05:36):
be doing even more, travelingacross the state and meeting
with guests for season six anddoing features on Virginia's
adventure towns, and creating alot of the content that you will
see on social media, starting inthe fall. Your adventure starts
in the heart of Appalachia. Hikeand bike through breathtaking
(05:58):
mountain landscapes, paddlepeaceful rivers winding through
hidden hollows, or cast yourline in crystal clear streams
teeming with trout cravingsomething truly unique. Hop on
an ATV and ride the ruggedspearhead trail some of the best
in the east. Take a scenic drivethrough winding back roads.
Explore the Grand Canyon of thesouth at breaks park, or go on
(06:21):
an elk tour and witness thesemajestic creatures roaming free.
Whether you're looking for heartpounding outdoor adventure or
peaceful moments in nature, theheart of Appalachia has got what
you need, dine, celebrate, shopand rest well in the heart of
all things fun, the heart ofAppalachia Virginia's treasured
southwest begin your mountainescape by clicking on heart of
(06:44):
Appalachia in your show notes.
Another new feature this pastseason was fan mail. And fan
mail is an opportunity for youto text me directly by clicking
on Send Jessica a text message,which is in your show notes, and
those messages come directly tomy cell phone. So that was a lot
(07:06):
of fun this year to get messagescoming to my phone for the first
time. Usually, people would haveto send them to me, either on
social media, or they would haveto email me. And now there's
just a much easier way for youto contact me directly. Although
there is one glitch in thesystem, I discovered that if you
don't put your contactinformation in there, I really
don't have any way of knowingwho it's from. Like, it will
(07:28):
tell me it's from a phonenumber, but it only shows me the
last four digits of that phonenumber, and there's no name
associated with it, so it keepsyou anonymous. But also, I have
no way of knowing who to replyto, or who to thank, or you know
who to get back to movingforward. If you're going to send
me a text message, and I do hopethat you do, please let me know
(07:50):
who it's from, because if youdon't, I won't have any way of
knowing who it's from. If youwant to stay anonymous, that's
fine. But if you want me to knowwho it's from, and I do like to
know who I'm talking to, pleaselet me know that it is you. I
wanted to share this one fromRyan. And Ryan said I recently
listened to your episodes on BigStone Gap, and they were some of
(08:12):
my favorites. I love getting toknow and exploring these old
mountain towns so much richhistory and amazing outdoor
opportunities. Two weeks ago, wewent through the area and just
missed Big Stone Gap on the wayto Red River Gorge area in
Kentucky. We passed through StPaul and Coburn, which we
visited last year after hearingyour episodes on the towns and
(08:33):
the Clinch River. Before the BigStone Gap episode even finished,
I had already started thinkingabout when I can visit long way
of saying, I like the adventuretown episodes. You do a
fantastic job of highlightingall the things about the towns
and what people can do. Keep itup. Thank you so much, Ryan. I
always appreciate your messages.
I get quite a few messages fromRyan, and they are a delight.
(08:53):
Also, you can bet that I took ascreenshot of that message and
sent it over to the folks at BigStone Gap. Sent it anonymously,
of course, so they don't knowwho exactly it was from, but
they are over the moon to seethat people are responding to
the episode about their town. Icannot tell you guys just how
(09:14):
much it means to the folks inthese small towns when you come
and visit the people who livethere, and especially the folks
who are from there, take a lotof pride in their towns, and
they are super excited whenpeople come to visit in those
small towns, your dollars have areally big impact. So just keep
that in mind when you'rethinking about planning your
(09:35):
summer travels, maybe check outsome of the adventure town
episodes and plan a trip there.
You've got all the informationyou need, from outdoor
recreation opportunities todining, lodging and attractions,
and all the links that you needto plan your trip are in the
show notes. So there's really noexcuse. I've done all the
homework for you. You just needto book your stay. So. So if you
(10:00):
do end up going to one of theadventure towns, please let me
know. I'd love to hear aboutwhat your experience is like.
I would be remiss if I didn'tgive a big shout out to everyone
who made a contribution on mybuy me a coffee page this year,
especially those who signed upfor a membership. Those
(10:22):
memberships and the smallercontributions are what sustains
this podcast. It pays for thingslike my hosting platform, my
email account, MailChimp, zoom,other recording equipment, etc,
etc. The list goes on. There isa long list of expenses that
goes into creating this podcast,and that doesn't even include
(10:44):
all of the travel expenses ontop of just production expenses.
So all of those contributionshelp pay for those things, and
none of this would be possiblewithout all of you. I actually
to show my appreciation. Ireally wanted to read all of the
names of everybody whocontributed this year. But as I
started putting the listtogether, it was way too long. I
(11:05):
was like, okay, nobody's goingto want to listen to all of
this. I have read the names onpast episodes, so I hope you all
feel appreciated, because I feelvery loved. And every time I get
an email that says someonebought you a coffee like it
absolutely makes my day. So ifyou want to help support this
podcast, especially as I amgoing to be gearing up for
(11:28):
season six, now is a reallygreat time, because those
contributions are going to helpfund my travel expenses as I hit
the road again in July andAugust to prepare for season
six. And you can do that bygoing to your show notes and
clicking on, buy me a coffee.
(11:51):
So what is coming up in seasonsix? What do we have to look
forward to? Well, there's quitea few episodes in the works
right now. I can only share afew of them with you, because
some of them have not quite beenfinalized yet. But as far as the
Virginia adventure town series,which is really popular, I can
tell you, for certain GraysonCounty, as I mentioned earlier,
(12:15):
is on the list, and so is KingGeorge. And King George is where
Caledon State Park is located. Idon't know what town in King
George we're gonna feature, butI'm sure it's going to include
all of the things around thecounty. So I'm really excited to
get back to Caledon and to KingGeorge and to feature that, and
then I cannot wait to go toGrayson. It's been a number of
(12:37):
years since I've been toGrayson. There's a lot going on.
If you've heard of some of themid roll ads in the past,
episodes for Grayson County, ohmy goodness, I had a hard time
packing it all in into one midroll ad. So they've just got so
much going on as far asoutdoorsy things. So I'm very
excited to get to Grayson. I'msure it's going to be absolutely
(12:58):
beautiful. Can't wait to takethose pictures and share them
with you on the socials, thenI've got an episode on mushroom
foraging, which is somethingthat I got a lot of requests
for. In fact, I've gottenseveral requests over many years
for mushroom foraging, butfinding the right person to do
the episode as a guest was alittle bit tricky, because you
(13:20):
want to find somebody who isreputable, because, as you can
probably guess, one wrong or badmistake when you're foraging for
mushrooms could be deadly. As aresponsible person who only
wants to give out goodinformation, I had to make sure
I found somebody who wasreputable, and who really knows
(13:41):
what they're talking about? AndI did, so I'm meeting up with
her hopefully in August. Now,the other episodes are still
kind of up in the air. I saidthat I've got some that I can't
quite tell you about, but hereis your opportunity to tell me
what you want to hear in seasonsix. So if you go to your show
notes and click on take thelistener survey, you will have
(14:04):
the opportunity to tell me whatyou would like to hear in season
six. But even more so, thislistener survey is an
opportunity for you to give meyour feedback on all things
having to do with the podcast.
This is the third year in a rowthat I am doing this listener
survey. I always do it in thesummer, so it gives me an
opportunity to review yourfeedback as I'm creating new
episodes and preparing for thenext season. So I would really
(14:27):
appreciate you clicking on thatlink in your show notes and
answering the questions. It'llonly take you a few minutes. But
here's the exciting part, forthe third year in a row, our
friends at River Rock outfitterhave offered a $50 gift card as
part of a raffle for anyone whocompletes the survey. So once
(14:47):
you complete the survey, you'reautomatically entered into the
raffle for this $50 gift card toriver rock outfitter in
Fredericksburg. River Rockoutfitter is owned by April
Peterson. You may. RememberApril Peterson from Episode 65
when she talked aboutconsignment gear and the reboot
program at River Rock outfitter.
(15:07):
I'm in close contact with Apriland river rock, and they have
just opened a new location andalso a second location in
Fredericksburg, which is amazingfor a brick and mortar store in
today's economy where peoplelike to shop online. I think it
says a lot about her businessand about the community in
(15:29):
Fredericksburg supporting smalllocal businesses. So fill out
that listener survey. You justmight win a $50 gift card to
river rock outfitter, even ifyou don't win, please check out
river rock. It is an awesomestore, a very valuable partner
in our community. All of theoutdoor outfitters could use
(15:49):
your support river rock and somany others all across the
state. So please do frequentyour local Outfitters.
Upcoming events. I only have oneupcoming event on the calendar,
and that is the AppalachianTrail festival in Loudoun
County, which is coming up thisweekend. But by the time this
(16:12):
episode airs, it will be in thepast, and I will be somewhere in
Europe. So if anything elsecomes up, I will be putting it
in Instagram and Facebookstories, if you really want to
keep up to date with where I'mgoing to be, and also so many
other things, like latestepisodes, discounts for my
listeners, tips, special offersand other things you really want
(16:34):
to sign up for my emailnewsletter if you haven't done
that yet, the link to sign upfor the newsletter is in the
show notes. It only comes outonce every other week, so you're
not going to get bombarded byemails from me, but you will
stay up to date with the podcastand also get some exclusive
information that other folksaren't getting unless they
(16:56):
subscribe to the emailnewsletter. You will also get my
resource guide when you sign up,and my resource guide includes
things like bucket list items inVirginia that you don't want to
miss. Hey, adventure seekers,can you believe I traveled
10,043 miles across Virginialast year? Yep, over 10,000
(17:18):
miles in search of the besttrails, parks and base camps to
help you plan your nextadventure. If you've enjoyed
discovering these hidden gemsand want to hear more, consider
supporting the podcast throughmy buy me a coffee page. Your
contribution, whether it's a onetime tip or a monthly
membership, helps cover the costof creating these episodes and
(17:39):
keeps the adventure going. Everybit helps fuel the journey, plus
members get some awesome perks.
So head to my buy me a coffeepage by clicking on support the
show. In your show notes, shoutout to the newest members of
Virginia outdoor adventures.
Anne from Fredericksburg, Mattfrom Roanoke. Barb from
Chesterfield, Lori from Norfolk,Rafael from Falls Church, Kevin
(18:01):
from Richmond and Allison fromClearbrook. Thanks for helping
me share Virginia's wildest,most inspiring places one
adventure at a time. That bringsme to the end of this episode
and also to the end of seasonfive. By the time you all are
listening to this, I will besomewhere overseas. I am going
(18:22):
to Austria and Slovenia. I havefamily reunions in each country.
And on the front end of thetrip, I will be accompanying my
husband to London and Milan andVenice, where he has work
meetings arranged. And on theback end of the trip, some a
couple of my cousins and I aregoing to be going to Trieste,
Italy, which is the northeastcorner of the country on the
(18:43):
Adriatic for holiday, as theylike to say. And at the very
tail end of the trip, I will behiking solo through Slovenia.
Although I don't have all thedetails worked out just yet, or
I would share them, I'm reallylooking forward to this trip.
It's been two summers since Iwas last overseas, so I cannot
wait to see my family again andto just take a break and
(19:06):
decompress a little bit. Butbefore I sign off, I want to
give a very big thank you to allof you for supporting the show
throughout the seasons. Ifyou're new, welcome and thank
you so much for joining us, andif you've been around for a
while, I cannot express how muchI appreciate you sticking
around, for listening, forsending me messages, for sharing
(19:29):
the podcast with your friends,for contributing on buy me a
coffee, for signing up for thenewsletter, for taking the
listener survey, for leaving afive star rating and review, and
all of the things that you allHave done throughout the seasons
to help the show grow and tohelp me continue doing what I'm
doing. I still cannot believeit's been five seasons this
(19:50):
podcast started as a pandemicproject for something to keep me
busy and occupied, and alsobecause I was looking for an
outlet to share all. All of thebeautiful, wonderful, amazing
places that we have in theoutdoors right here in Virginia,
especially at a time when somany people were looking to get
outside in a safe way. And nevercould I ever have imagined that
(20:13):
five years later I would stillbe sitting here doing this full
time. It's really unbelievable,but none of it would be possible
without all of you. So thankyou, thank you, and thank you,
and I look forward to seeing youin season six. Chow Chow and
adventure on Virginia. OutdoorAdventures is inspired by and
(20:37):
supported by listeners like you,which is why your messages and
feedback means so much to me.
You can text me directly byclicking on Send Jessica a text
message in your show notes. Ianswer questions, respond to
comments and share your feedbackon the show. Never miss a new
episode. Sign up for my emailnewsletter and receive my
listener resource guide with thetop podcast episodes of Virginia
(21:00):
outdoor bucket list andexclusive brand discounts for my
listeners. Click on newsletter.
Sign up in your show notes orvisit Virginia outdoor
adventures.com thanks forlistening until next time.
Adventure on you.
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