March 18, 2025 • 32 mins
Episode 70 marks a milestone for Virginia Outdoor Adventures podcast, celebrating nearly five years of epic adventures across the Commonwealth. Looking back, I reflect on the incredible diversity of Virginia's outdoor offerings – from whale watching and caving to kayaking and secluded island camping. These adventures have consistently showcased experiences many listeners didn't realize existed right in their own backyards.
I highlight essential spring adventures across Virginia, from waterfall hikes in Shenandoah National Park to elk viewing in Appalachia. The warming season brings excellent opportunities for paddling, wildlife viewing, boating, backpacking, and dark sky programs.
As I reflect on 70 episodes of discovery, the podcast community continues to grow, bringing outdoor enthusiasts together through shared experiences and inspirational stories. Across Virginia, listeners are discovering new adventures, planning getaways, and connecting with our state’s natural beauty through each episode. Join me as we continue this journey of adventure across Virginia's remarkable outdoor spaces. Let’s Go!
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VAOA Podcast is Sponsored by:
Virginia Association for Parks
Mentioned in this Episode:
Charlottesville Grotto
Friendly City Inn B&B, Harrisonburg
Spring Adventure Episodes:
Ep 64. Virginia’s Adventure Towns: Onancock
Ep 58. Virginia’s Adventure Towns: Urbanna
Ep 62. Virginia’s Venomous and Nonvenomous Snakes
Ep 54. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
Ep 59. Wandering Waters Paddle Quest
Ep 56. Let’s Go Adventures
Ep 9. Bird is the Word
Ep 43. Virginia’s Lost Appalachian Trail
Ep 45. Waterfalls of Shenandoah National Park
Ep 55. Appalachia’s Greatest Conservation Story: Elk Restoration in Southwest Virginia
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jessica Bowser (00:00):
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, Episode 70 marks amilestone for Virginia outdoor
adventures podcast, celebratingfive years of epic adventures
across the Commonwealth. Lookingback, I reflect on the
incredible diversity ofVirginia's outdoor offerings,
from whale watching and cavingto kayaking and secluded island
camping, these adventures haveconsistently showcased
(00:46):
experiences many listenersdidn't realize existed right in
their own backyards. I highlightessential spring adventures
across Virginia, from waterfallhikes in Shenandoah National
Park to elk viewing inAppalachia, the warming season
brings excellent opportunitiesfor paddling, wildlife viewing,
boating, backpacking and darksky programs. As I reflect on 70
(01:10):
episodes of discovery, thepodcast community continues to
grow, bringing outdoorenthusiasts together through
shared experiences andinspirational stories across
Virginia, listeners arediscovering new adventures,
planning getaways and connectingwith their state's natural
beauty through each episode.
Join me as we continue thisjourney of adventure across
Virginia's remarkable outdoorspaces. Let's go. This is part
(01:33):
two of a two part episode.
Virginia Outdoor Adventures issponsored by the Virginia
association for parks, V, A, F,P, champions parks across the
Commonwealth. Registration forthe annual conference is now
live. Join us may 1 throughfourth at occaneechi State Park.
(01:57):
This year's conference willfeature a tour of Staunton river
battlefield State Park, a guidedpaddle program at occaneechi,
perfect for those working onpaddle quest, and a special dark
sky program at Stanton RiverState Park, plus special guests
and speakers, workshops andpanel discussions, meals and
lodging provided, plus plenty ofopportunities for conviviality
(02:19):
around the campfire with likeminded Park enthusiasts.
Register for the vafp annualconference today by clicking on
Virginia association for parksin the show notes of your
listening app. As soon as I gotback from Minnesota, I jumped in
the car and went straight toHarrisonburg. I was the keynote
(02:40):
speaker for the Virginiaadventure education conference.
I've never been to thatconference before. This was my
first time. It was really cool,great speakers, great vendors
and incredible workshops. Bringstogether not only college
students, but educators andguides and college programs,
different businesses. In otherwords, leaders in the outdoor
(03:02):
industry to network and discussindustry trends. After my
keynote address, I got toparticipate in some of the
activities they had going on.
And the one thing I did thatreally kicked my butt was cave
repelling. And I have nevertried that before, but I have
really wanted to for a longtime, having been in caves and
done wild caving, I thought, Howneat would it be to do this sort
(03:24):
of rappelling or climbing, andas somebody who rock climbs and
ice climbs, I thought, how hardcan it be like it's got to be
pretty much the same thing. Itis nothing like the same thing,
of course. But there was aworkshop that showed people how
to do it, and I got to be theperson they demonstrated on. So
I was putting on the harness andthe different gear. And like,
even the gear is reallydifferent. Some of it's similar,
(03:46):
you know, things like carabinersand the harness, but there's a
lot of additional parts andthings that I hadn't recognized.
So that was new to me, learningjust how to get all of this
heavy gear on. And then wepracticed doing the climbing and
the rappelling on the rock wallsin the rec center at JMU. So
they got me all geared up. Andthen the difference between,
(04:08):
like regular climbing andrappelling and doing this cave
rappelling is not only just theadditional gear, but the way
they have it set up is you're onthe ropes. And in this case, I
had someone belaying me. There'sa special grip that is on the
rope that you use, like yousqueeze it, and it basically,
like grabs onto the rope so thatyou can pull yourself up. And
(04:30):
then you let go, and it loosens,and you slide it up the rope,
and you pull yourself up again.
And at the same time, there'salso a rope hanging under you
with a loop at the bottom of itthat you put your foot in, and
so you're basically standing upand being supported by that rope
with the loop that your foot isin. So you stand up at the same
(04:51):
time that you're pullingyourself up the rope and then
grabbing on. And basically it'slike sitting back and relaxing
for a moment. And. And pullingyourself up again, and you're
just doing that over and overand over again. It is absolutely
exhausting. I mean, we onlypracticed inside the gym, so I
don't know how high those wallscan be. They're not that, not
(05:12):
that high at all. And so talkingto some of the cavers this. This
particular workshop was beingpresented by the Charlottesville
grotto, which I thought it wasreally cool meeting the folks
there. There were a lot ofyounger people, and they were
demonstrating how to do it, andtalking me through it. And one
woman was telling me that theyhad recently done, I think, a
290 foot drop into a cave. Andso she had repelled in, but then
(05:35):
it took her 45 minutes to repelback out, or to climb back out,
I should say. And she said itwas really, really hard. There
were other people in the groupwho just didn't even bother
trying, because they were theyknew they weren't in good enough
shape to be able to pullthemselves out. But I was like,
I really want to do this. It'sgoing to be so cool. Like, you
see those images of cavers thatare like, going into caves, and
(05:59):
the only way in is, like a holein the ground, and they've got
these really cool photos, likesomebody went in first, and
they're taking the shot from theground up, and everything is
dark, but you just see this hugehole in the ceiling of the cave,
and then there's a rope and aperson dangling in the middle of
it. And I was like, I want thatto be me. And then after this
experience, I was like, I don'tknow if that can be me. I feel
(06:21):
like I need to train for it. Itmotivated me though I actually
did come home and start trainingand I joined the Charlottesville
grotto because I want to do someof these trips. And I need,
like, I need a goal. Like, Ineed a fitness goal in my life
right now, if you listen to theepisode that came out in January
about hiking goals withAlejandra from girls who hike
Virginia. I was like, I need agoal. I just like, I need to get
(06:43):
one. And I never did set one,because I had the hardest time
finding something that I thoughtI would stick with. And after
that, I was like, Oh yeah, I cando this. So I've been working
out, hitting the gym, doing allthe things, and hopefully by the
time spring hits, I'm going tobe in better shape and I can
start doing some of these thingsthat I really want to do. So
that was fun. Check it out fornext year Virginia adventure
(07:04):
education conference. I think itmight be a JMU again next year.
Don't quote me on that, but staytuned to the podcast, because
I'm sure I will be announcingit. And then the other thing I
wanted to mention, when I was inHarrisonburg, I got to stay at
this adorable bed and breakfastthat I really want to recommend
if you are find yourself inHarrisonburg or passing through
(07:26):
this is a really greatopportunity to stay in a
historic bed and breakfast. It'scalled the friendly city Inn.
It's this charming restoredmansion from 1885 ish, and
according to their website, thehistory of the mansion is two
architects from Bostoncreatively adapted the
traditional queen andarchitecture to a stone and
(07:48):
shingle New England stylecottage. They describe it as the
inn looks and feels like an oldsummer coastal home in Newport
or Bar Harbor. The mansion's ontwo acres. It's got landscape
gardens, flower beds. I ofcourse, didn't see that because
it was snowing. And then theyhave an old horse and carriage
barn, very picturesque, right onthe main road. But like the best
(08:09):
part is that it was so close toall the parks and trails, I
mean, right down the street fromS and P GW, National Forest,
mass and nothing. There was alittle book in my room that
listed all of the outdooractivities, really great trail
options, how to get toeverything. And Breakfast was
absolutely phenomenal, which,you know, being vegan can
(08:30):
sometimes be tricky, and theyhad no problem at all throwing
together this incredible bowl, ahuge, huge bowl of oatmeal. I
had to take half of it home withme, and all of these yummy,
yummy berries and juices andmimosas and coffee and teas and
all the things. So I really,really enjoyed that. And I'm
(08:50):
going back. I'm not sure exactlywhen. I know I'm passing down 81
again this spring. I got acouple of trips coming up for
the podcast, so I plan onstopping in Harrisonburg again.
Great Adventure town. I'vealways really enjoyed my time in
Harrisonburg, so I encourage youto check it out. I'll put a link
to friendly city Inn in thenotes so you can find their
websites.
(09:12):
Spring is nearly here, and so itseems like a really good time to
start planning some springadventures. The last solo
episode I did, I listed a bunchof Epic Winter adventures in
Virginia, and that was a bighit. So coming back at you with
some spring adventures, and Iwas going through some old
episodes trying to think like,what are my favorite spring
(09:32):
adventures? What would Irecommend and things that you
don't want to miss this time ofyear, and I want to be able to
point you back to some previousepisodes that you've got good
resources to start planning whatyou want to do in the spring. So
the first thing that came tomind is, of course, the very
popular Virginia's adventuretown series, because two of
those towns are on the water,and spring is a little bit of a
(09:56):
better time to be able to takeadvantage of some of those water
activities. So. Those twoepisodes are 64 and 5864 is
Virginia's adventure towns onnancock, paddling, boating,
fishing and camping on theeastern shore. And then 58 is
Urbana river life, fishing,crabbing, boating, camping and
(10:18):
paddling. So if you're thinkingyou want to get away to the
water this spring. Look forepisode 64 and 68 on o nancock
and Urbana. And then I wasstarting to think about like,
what are some things that weneed to know as people are
starting to get back outside,but also wildlife is starting to
wake up from winter. And Ilooked at episode 62 which is
(10:41):
about Virginia's venomous andnon venomous snakes, hiking,
safety, myths and appreciation.
This is a time of year whenreptiles are waking up and
people are also getting outsidemore often, and so there's more
encounters with wildlife. And Iknow a lot of people get nervous
about snakes, and the guests inthat episode talked about all
(11:02):
the reasons why you really, youreally just don't need to be
nervous about snakes, mindful,maybe, but not nervous. So look
for episode 62 about Virginia'svenomous and non venomous
snakes. And then what else wakesup the ticks, most of them are
in hibernation during thewinter, and then they wake up
and start to breed in thespring. And so episode 54 is
(11:23):
about ticks and tick bornediseases, and how to protect
yourself in the outdoors,another really great resource.
Then episode 59 is aboutwandering waters paddle quest.
This was a hugely popularepisode, this is Virginia State
Parks sort of water equivalentto trail quest, if you're
(11:45):
familiar with trail quest, whichis an opportunity to visit all
of the state parks in Virginiawhile watering waters. Paddle
quest is an opportunity to visitthose same parks and participate
in water activities such askayaking, canoeing, stand up
paddle boarding. Ranger Sammytalks all about how to
participate in paddle quest andhow to prepare for it too. So if
(12:07):
you're thinking you're lookingfor a goal or some sort of
outdoor challenge, this is agreat time to start thinking
about paddle quest and planningyour visit to the different
state parks that have paddlingopportunities and sort of along
those same lines, Episode 56 isabout let's go adventures
offered by Virginia state parks,and those are beginner friendly
(12:28):
programs in camping, hiking,kayaking, fly fishing, archery
and orienteering. And I'mbringing this up because this
year they are adding somethingbrand new to the list they have
added backpacking now, I checkedto see what programs are being
offered on the calendar at themoment, there's a couple at
macho comico, I believe, and Italked to the staff, and they
(12:52):
told me that they are in theprocess of adding more right
now. So if you go on thecalendar and you see matcha come
ago and nothing else, it'sbecause they're finalizing those
details with the parks, butthey're adding more and also
sneak peek. There's going to bean episode about backpacking
coming out this spring with aranger at Virginia State Parks.
(13:12):
I'm really excited about thatone, because it means I get to
go backpacking in preparationfor that episode, but that'll
come out like late springprobably, so be on the lookout
for that episode. Nine bird isthe word with my friend Matt
felperin, who's getting way moreshout outs than anybody else I
think I've ever given shout outsto on this podcast. But spring
(13:33):
migration is starting, and thisis such an exciting time to see
birds passing down the Atlanticflyway. I'm sorry, passing up
the Atlantic flyway, not down.
They're coming back up north.
People get really excited aboutmigrating warblers and song
birds, so this is a great timefor that. I will tell you,
(13:55):
though, if you're just new tobirding, I personally think that
warblers are really tough.
They're high up in the trees.
They're small. They move arounda lot. Males look different from
females. It's, it can bechallenging, but it is really
fun. It's, it's a funopportunity if you want to try
to get started. So go to EpisodeNine. Matt tells you all about
(14:16):
how to get started birding.
Episode 43 is about Virginia'slost Appalachian Trail. And I
bring this up in the springbecause so many people are
starting there through hikes.
This is the time of year whenfolks, especially if they're
planning to go from Georgia toMaine on the at are starting off
in, usually Georgia at SpringerMountain, and starting to head
(14:37):
up north. And most of thosefolks will hit the Virginia area
around late spring or summer. Soit's really interesting to hear
about Virginia's lostAppalachian Trail mills. Kelly
was the guest, and he's ahistorian at well, was a
historian at George MasonUniversity. Congratulations
Mills for just retiring, but hehas written this. Book about the
(14:59):
lost Appalachian Trail, which isa section of at that ran through
Virginia that was later reroutedand kind of forgotten about, and
a lot of people don't know thatit exists. So really
interesting, fascinating historyabout the at in Virginia in that
episode, Episode 45 one of themost popular episodes of all
(15:20):
time of this podcast iswaterfalls of Shenandoah
National Park, and that was acollaborative effort with the
staff at the park to raiseawareness about our waterfalls
and safety, especially aroundwaterfalls, because there are
more accidents around waterfallsin the park every spring than
other areas of the park, mostlybecause people are coming out to
(15:42):
visit for the first time or forthe first time in the season,
and they forget to follow thesafety rules. And you know, not
following the safety rulesaround waterfalls could be
deadly. But it's not just allabout rules. Rain. The ranger in
that episode talks about some ofhis favorite waterfalls, and
recommends ones that you shouldvisit. So go back and check out
(16:03):
the most popular episode,Episode 45 waterfalls of
Shenandoah National Park.
Lastly, my favorites. I savedthese two for last because I
personally think these are themust do spring activities in
Virginia, and that ishighlighted in Episode 55
(16:24):
Appalachia is greatestconservation story elk
restoration in southwestVirginia. And for those of you
who missed that episode, elkhave been reintroduced to
Virginia after they wentextinct, and we have a heard of
them in southwest Virginia beingmanaged by the Virginia
Department of WildlifeResources, and there are
opportunities to visit the herd,and those opportunities are in
(16:49):
the spring and the fall. Ipersonally really like spring.
Fall is beautiful too, but Ithink spring is a good time to
go. I was just on the breaksInterstate Park websites to see
if they have availability, andthere is plenty of availability
left, which I'm surprised,because this has gotten so
popular that it usually fills upimmediately, especially if, like
(17:12):
DWR announces it, sometimes itfills up in a day. So maybe they
didn't announce it this year.
I'm not really sure what theirstrategy is for marketing. I
just know that there are stillspots left. If you happen to get
on there and they're all filledup, then maybe plan your trip
for the Fall breaks. Park haslodges and cabins and
campgrounds, and there's a tourbus that leaves right from the
(17:33):
park and will take you to seethe elk. So if for some reason,
they're all full this spring,never fear. Plan something for
the fall when the foliage isgorgeous, that is my
recommendation. And so long asyou're going to be going out to
the breaks, also listen toepisode 61 scenic hikes in
southwest Virginia breaks Parkand Pine Mountain. That was the
(17:53):
first episode of season five,and people loved it. Got lots of
real, really great feedbackabout that, because everybody
loves to hike. So check outepisodes 55 and 61 and then, of
course, let me know if you doany of these adventures this
spring. I love to hear from mylisteners. I love to know what
(18:14):
you're out there doing. I loveto hear how the podcast has
impacted your time outdoors, andif you have anything to share,
go ahead and either message meon the socials or click on Send
Jessica a text message in yourshow notes.
Breathtaking views, toweringcliffs, roaring rivers,
(18:37):
unlimited adventure. Discoverthe rugged beauty of breaks,
Interstate Park deep in theheart of southwest Virginia
breaks is home to the 1000 footvertical Canyon known as the
Grand Canyon of the South everyone of my trips to the breaks
have been packed with stunninghikes in a rocky geologic
Wonderland, mountain bikingthrough breathtaking scenery and
(18:59):
rock Climbing on the Appalachiansandstone that makes breaks a
climbers paradise. But some ofmy most memorable moments
include hearing the bugle of anelk echoing through the
mountains, or staring up at themajesty of the Milky Way
outstretched over toweringcanyon walls. Don't miss your
chance to experience Appalachia.
Greatest conservation story. Elkhave returned to southwest
(19:21):
Virginia, and you can experiencethem in their natural habitat.
Reservations for this spring'selk viewing, bus tours are
available now with amenitiessuch as lakefront cottages,
Woodland Lodges, campgrounds andthe rhododendron restaurant on
site breaks holds epicadventures for the entire
family, your adventure awaits atthe breaks. Click on breaks
(19:43):
Interstate Park in your shownotes to visit breaks park.com.
Let's jump into fan mail. Lasttime, I asked folks to let me
know how the podcast hasimpacted your adventures, and
have you tried a new activity?
Or visit a new place. Afterlistening to the podcast, I got
a bunch of messages. There'sjust a couple that I wanted to
(20:06):
share. This one is from Don hesays, Hey, Jessica. Just wanted
to say thank you for such agreat podcast. Reminds me that
adventures are right out ourdoor in Virginia. Started
listening with the Onan cockepisode and was hooked. The Tim
Kaine episode was inspiring, aswell as your interview with
Alejandra. Look forward to moreepisodes. Thanks so much. Don I
(20:28):
just wanted to point out that Ohnancock is an adventure town
episode, and the episode withTim Kaine just blew up like I
can't believe how many peoplereally, really enjoyed that one.
I think people are overall justsurprised that Senator Tim Kaine
is so outdoorsy and really lovedhearing about how his epic
(20:50):
adventures impact his work andand what it means to him to be a
part of this beautiful,beautiful state. So that's a
good one to check out. And then,of course, I already mentioned
alejandra's episode came out inJanuary, and that was all about
setting outdoorsy goals for thenew year. I also got a lot of
messages about that. Alejandrawas such a high energy guest.
(21:13):
Her message really resonatedwith folks, and people
identified with her and reallyenjoyed it. So I heard from all
kinds of people. Now she's withthe group girls who hike
Virginia, but I heard fromplenty of guys out there who
told me they really liked thatepisode. And then I got this
message from Christy, who said,Hi, Jessica, I really appreciate
your work with Virginia parksand outdoor adventures. Our
(21:35):
family started camping two yearsago, and the information you've
shared has helped us plan hikesand give an inspiration for
places we want to visit. Thankyou, Christy, that is exactly
what I love to hear music to myears. This is from Neil. This is
probably one of the moretouching messages I've gotten in
a little while. He says, Hi,Jessica, I love your podcast,
(21:57):
and have been listening to itfor over a year. From Colorado,
I grew up in Northern Virginia,and my wife and I have been
planning for a while to moveback to Virginia while we are
officially moving to Middleburgin three weeks, and with the
assistance and inspiration ofyour podcast, we are ready to
hit the ground running. We aresigned up for trail quest, and
we'll be very quickly exploringsky meadows and Shenandoah
(22:20):
River. We recently listened toEpisode 41 about star gazing,
and are very excited to attendan astronomy program at Sky
Meadows. Just wanted to sharethat my mom and I loved episode
53 about Farmville in 2022 wetook part in the night train
trail races on the High Bridgetrail. It took place at night,
(22:41):
and seeing the fireflies was soincredible. We are planning
another trip there soon afterthe move is complete. Thanks so
much for creating an amazingoutdoor community in Virginia.
Neil, Neil, I swear if I wrote areview myself, it would not be
as good as this one. This iseverything that I love, and
actually what I really lovedabout this I shared it with a
(23:03):
potential advertiser the otherday. It was one of our tourism
destination marketingorganizations who wanted to know
where my listeners are located,and I was telling them how
surprised I am every time I findout that somebody outside of
Virginia is listening to thispodcast. And people actually
plan trips to Virginia, becausethey start listening, and
(23:23):
they're so intrigued by what wehave to offer here and how
beautiful our outdoor spacesare, that they come here because
they've discovered the podcastand decided, let's do it. And I
think it's really interesting tohear from somebody living in
Colorado, because there's somany people moving out west. But
what I learned from the folks atthe tourism DMO that I spoke
with is that a lot of folks whomoved out west are now moving
(23:46):
back to the coast, and some ofthat has to do with cost of
living, she was saying, butalso, Virginia is beautiful,
like, why would you not want tolive here? So cool to hear from
Neil, who grew up in Nova and isnow moving back. But all of
these examples are reallyfantastic, too. Trail quest, of
course, is something everybodyshould be signed up for. If
(24:07):
you're not signed up forVirginia State Parks trail
quest, I don't know what you'rewaiting for, get on their
website and go to the trailquest page and register so that
when you visit a state park,you're getting pins in the mail
and working towards earning yourmaster hiker certificates. Sky
meadows and Shenandoah Riverboth are designated dark sky
(24:27):
parks. I think there's four orfive of them now, and episode 41
is all about star gazing in thedark sky parks. And I will just
tell you Neil sky Meadows hastheir astronomy program like
every month, and it doesn'tmatter what time of the year it
is, so unless there's really badweather, it usually goes on and
it's very well attended. I'veenjoyed the couple that I've
(24:48):
been to. The telescopes thatpeople bring out there are huge,
like you need a U haul truck toget some of these telescopes out
onto the grassy area. And it'sso cool. It's. Just really, you
learn so much. It's really coolto see people who are just taken
aback, you know, they're sooverwhelmed and or I should,
(25:09):
maybe, I should say, overcome byhow incredible the universe is
and getting to see it. Somefolks, for the first time, it's
a lot of fun. Highly recommendthat all of these dark sky
programs are on Virginia StateParks websites too. And then the
episode about Farmville wasanother one of these Virginia's
adventure town series episode. Ijust saw the guest from that
(25:30):
episode, Mayor Brian Vincent, atthe conference that I keynoted
in Harrisonburg recently. It wasfunny because I didn't even know
he was in the room. And then Imentioned the episode about
Farmville in my keynote address,and then all of a sudden I hear
this shouting from the back ofthe room, and he's like, waving
his arms. And I was like, hey,who let that guy in here? But
(25:50):
no, I'm kidding. It was reallygreat to see him, and he was
very excited to know that peopleare listening to that episode
and coming to visit Farmville,because the High Bridge trail is
just majestic. I don't thinkI've seen anything else like it,
or it's certainly not inVirginia. It's the longest one
in Virginia. It's an old trestlebridge built during the Civil
(26:10):
War, if I remember correctly.
And the Firefly program at thatpark is also something you just
won't see anywhere else. I mean,I went a couple years ago for
the first time, and you stand onthe bridge. Normally, the bridge
is closed at night, so this isone of those rare opportunities
where you get to go out on thebridge at night, and you stand
there and look over the railingdown towards the river, and the
(26:31):
trees are just lighting up,almost like fireworks with all
the different fireflies. Butwhat's most interesting is that
you learn so much about thefireflies and about the ecology.
And I had no idea that therewere, like many species of
fireflies, and some of them havedifferent colors. This was all
new to me. So this is also oneof those programs that fills up
(26:52):
really quickly. You have to gettickets for it's a ticketed
event, so you have to keep youreye on the website. You know,
know the date ahead of time, putit on your calendar and just be
ready when those tickets go onsale, because they go quickly.
So thanks, Neil, you gave me somuch to talk about and so much
to look back on and remind folksabout how lucky we are to live
(27:12):
here in Virginia. So friends, goahead and send me your messages
by clicking on Send Jessica atext message in your show notes,
before I hop off, I just want toremind folks that I've got some
great discounts and deals onoutdoor gear and experiences in
(27:32):
my email newsletter. And one ofthe things that was featured in
the most recent email newsletterI wanted to share so I had a
phone call not too long ago withthe owner of this little cottage
company called the pee style.
And if you've never heard of it,it's an adventure accessory.
It's designed for those of uswho can't pee standing up. And
so she said to me, I would lovefor you to try my product. I'm
(27:55):
going to send it to you if youwant to let me know how it works
out for you. I'd love to hearyour experience with it. So she
sends it to me, and as somebodywho has not needed a device to,
you know, to be able to peeoutside for my whole life, I was
like, Well, what am I going todo with this? So it remained
unused for a long time, and thenwhen I started packing for
(28:15):
Minnesota, I found it, and I waslike, You know what? This might
actually be a really good thingto have, because the
temperatures were so cold, as Imentioned, in Minnesota, like
negative 18, negative 32 it justseemed less than ideal to try to
go the traditional way. And so Itook this device with me. It's
(28:36):
plastic and it's small. Comes inthis little carrying case, and
it's got a little carry littleCaribbean around it, so you can
hook it to your pack or whateveryou have. And it really came in
handy. And it was funny, becausethe first day of the trip, I was
with two guys, so we had to havethe conversation about, like,
what are we going to do whenwe're driving around this bog?
And I'm the only person in thegroup who, you know, can't just
(29:00):
go anywhere, you know, the guys,they can just go anywhere. But I
was like, well, actually, so Ihave this thing. I started
telling them about the P styleand how it had been sent to me,
and I had never used it, butthis seemed like a really good
opportunity to try it out. And Igotta tell you, it came in
(29:20):
handy. And then I startedthinking, like, what else can
this be used for? And I startedthinking about the flight on the
way home, you know, if you'reyou need to use a bathroom while
you're on the plane. And I don'tlike to sit on those gross
toilets. That's reallydisgusting. But also, if you try
squatting over them and theplane is moving, that causes a
little bit of a problem too. Sohaving something like this is
(29:42):
really good. And then I startedthinking about like, climbing
and backpacking. And when you'rebackpacking, like, if you've got
a really heavy pack on,squatting with all that extra
weight on, you can put a lot ofstress on your knees and your
legs and taking it off andputting back. On is kind of a
pain. And then when you'reclimbing, you've got a harness
on, and you don't want to takethe harness off and then go, and
(30:04):
then have to put it all back on.
So like, all of a sudden, all ofthese scenarios started coming
to me, like, where this wouldactually really come in handy.
So now I'm really glad I haveit, and I am recommending it for
my listeners. It is 10% off formy listeners, there's a link in
the email newsletter. So ifyou're not signed up for the
(30:26):
email newsletter, I try tofeature a different product or
outdoor experience in everynewsletter, and I also have a
list of all of the previous onesthat you will receive when you
sign up for the emailsnewsletter, along with my new
listener resource guide. And theresource guide has got all kinds
of cool things, like the topepisodes my Virginia bucket list
(30:49):
of must do things in Virginia,and then, of course, these
discounts. So if you haven'tsigned up for that, you can
click the link in the shownotes. It says, sign up for the
email newsletter. Another optionis just go to the website,
Virginia outdoor adventures.comand scroll down to the bottom of
the homepage, and you'll see asign up box there, or a pop up
box will probably pop up and youcan sign up there too. So check
(31:12):
it out, my friends, that's goingto be all for episode seven
zero. I think it's absolutelyremarkable that I've made it
this far. I think it's even moreremarkable that anybody is still
listening. If you want to helpme out, share your favorite
episode with a friend or someonewho you think will enjoy
Virginia outdoor adventures thathelps the show grow and helps
(31:33):
more people discover adventuresin their own backyard. You can
also buy me a coffee on my buyme a coffee page. Links are in
the show notes, and I will seeyou in the next episode.
Virginia Outdoor Adventures isinspired by and supported by
listeners like you, which is whyyour messages and feedback means
(31:55):
so much to me. You can text medirectly by clicking on Send
Jessica a text message in yourshow notes, I answer questions,
respond to comments and shareyour feedback on the show. Never
miss a new episode. Sign up formy email newsletter and receive
my listener resource guide withthe top podcast episodes, a
Virginia outdoor bucket list andexclusive brand discounts for my
(32:19):
listeners. Click on newsletter,sign up in your show notes, or
visit Virginia outdooradventures.com thanks for
listening until next time.
Adventure on you.
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, Episode 70 marks amilestone for Virginia outdoor
adventures podcast, celebratingfive years of epic adventures
across the Commonwealth. Lookingback, I reflect on the
incredible diversity ofVirginia's outdoor offerings,
from whale watching and cavingto kayaking and secluded island
camping, these adventures haveconsistently showcased
(00:46):
experiences many listenersdidn't realize existed right in
their own backyards. I highlightessential spring adventures
across Virginia, from waterfallhikes in Shenandoah National
Park to elk viewing inAppalachia, the warming season
brings excellent opportunitiesfor paddling, wildlife viewing,
boating, backpacking and darksky programs. As I reflect on 70
(01:10):
episodes of discovery, thepodcast community continues to
grow, bringing outdoorenthusiasts together through
shared experiences andinspirational stories across
Virginia, listeners arediscovering new adventures,
planning getaways and connectingwith their state's natural
beauty through each episode.
Join me as we continue thisjourney of adventure across
Virginia's remarkable outdoorspaces. Let's go. This is part
(01:33):
two of a two part episode.
Virginia Outdoor Adventures issponsored by the Virginia
association for parks, V, A, F,P, champions parks across the
Commonwealth. Registration forthe annual conference is now
live. Join us may 1 throughfourth at occaneechi State Park.
(01:57):
This year's conference willfeature a tour of Staunton river
battlefield State Park, a guidedpaddle program at occaneechi,
perfect for those working onpaddle quest, and a special dark
sky program at Stanton RiverState Park, plus special guests
and speakers, workshops andpanel discussions, meals and
lodging provided, plus plenty ofopportunities for conviviality
(02:19):
around the campfire with likeminded Park enthusiasts.
Register for the vafp annualconference today by clicking on
Virginia association for parksin the show notes of your
listening app. As soon as I gotback from Minnesota, I jumped in
the car and went straight toHarrisonburg. I was the keynote
(02:40):
speaker for the Virginiaadventure education conference.
I've never been to thatconference before. This was my
first time. It was really cool,great speakers, great vendors
and incredible workshops. Bringstogether not only college
students, but educators andguides and college programs,
different businesses. In otherwords, leaders in the outdoor
(03:02):
industry to network and discussindustry trends. After my
keynote address, I got toparticipate in some of the
activities they had going on.
And the one thing I did thatreally kicked my butt was cave
repelling. And I have nevertried that before, but I have
really wanted to for a longtime, having been in caves and
done wild caving, I thought, Howneat would it be to do this sort
(03:24):
of rappelling or climbing, andas somebody who rock climbs and
ice climbs, I thought, how hardcan it be like it's got to be
pretty much the same thing. Itis nothing like the same thing,
of course. But there was aworkshop that showed people how
to do it, and I got to be theperson they demonstrated on. So
I was putting on the harness andthe different gear. And like,
even the gear is reallydifferent. Some of it's similar,
(03:46):
you know, things like carabinersand the harness, but there's a
lot of additional parts andthings that I hadn't recognized.
So that was new to me, learningjust how to get all of this
heavy gear on. And then wepracticed doing the climbing and
the rappelling on the rock wallsin the rec center at JMU. So
they got me all geared up. Andthen the difference between,
(04:08):
like regular climbing andrappelling and doing this cave
rappelling is not only just theadditional gear, but the way
they have it set up is you're onthe ropes. And in this case, I
had someone belaying me. There'sa special grip that is on the
rope that you use, like yousqueeze it, and it basically,
like grabs onto the rope so thatyou can pull yourself up. And
(04:30):
then you let go, and it loosens,and you slide it up the rope,
and you pull yourself up again.
And at the same time, there'salso a rope hanging under you
with a loop at the bottom of itthat you put your foot in, and
so you're basically standing upand being supported by that rope
with the loop that your foot isin. So you stand up at the same
(04:51):
time that you're pullingyourself up the rope and then
grabbing on. And basically it'slike sitting back and relaxing
for a moment. And. And pullingyourself up again, and you're
just doing that over and overand over again. It is absolutely
exhausting. I mean, we onlypracticed inside the gym, so I
don't know how high those wallscan be. They're not that, not
(05:12):
that high at all. And so talkingto some of the cavers this. This
particular workshop was beingpresented by the Charlottesville
grotto, which I thought it wasreally cool meeting the folks
there. There were a lot ofyounger people, and they were
demonstrating how to do it, andtalking me through it. And one
woman was telling me that theyhad recently done, I think, a
290 foot drop into a cave. Andso she had repelled in, but then
(05:35):
it took her 45 minutes to repelback out, or to climb back out,
I should say. And she said itwas really, really hard. There
were other people in the groupwho just didn't even bother
trying, because they were theyknew they weren't in good enough
shape to be able to pullthemselves out. But I was like,
I really want to do this. It'sgoing to be so cool. Like, you
see those images of cavers thatare like, going into caves, and
(05:59):
the only way in is, like a holein the ground, and they've got
these really cool photos, likesomebody went in first, and
they're taking the shot from theground up, and everything is
dark, but you just see this hugehole in the ceiling of the cave,
and then there's a rope and aperson dangling in the middle of
it. And I was like, I want thatto be me. And then after this
experience, I was like, I don'tknow if that can be me. I feel
(06:21):
like I need to train for it. Itmotivated me though I actually
did come home and start trainingand I joined the Charlottesville
grotto because I want to do someof these trips. And I need,
like, I need a goal. Like, Ineed a fitness goal in my life
right now, if you listen to theepisode that came out in January
about hiking goals withAlejandra from girls who hike
Virginia. I was like, I need agoal. I just like, I need to get
(06:43):
one. And I never did set one,because I had the hardest time
finding something that I thoughtI would stick with. And after
that, I was like, Oh yeah, I cando this. So I've been working
out, hitting the gym, doing allthe things, and hopefully by the
time spring hits, I'm going tobe in better shape and I can
start doing some of these thingsthat I really want to do. So
that was fun. Check it out fornext year Virginia adventure
(07:04):
education conference. I think itmight be a JMU again next year.
Don't quote me on that, but staytuned to the podcast, because
I'm sure I will be announcingit. And then the other thing I
wanted to mention, when I was inHarrisonburg, I got to stay at
this adorable bed and breakfastthat I really want to recommend
if you are find yourself inHarrisonburg or passing through
(07:26):
this is a really greatopportunity to stay in a
historic bed and breakfast. It'scalled the friendly city Inn.
It's this charming restoredmansion from 1885 ish, and
according to their website, thehistory of the mansion is two
architects from Bostoncreatively adapted the
traditional queen andarchitecture to a stone and
(07:48):
shingle New England stylecottage. They describe it as the
inn looks and feels like an oldsummer coastal home in Newport
or Bar Harbor. The mansion's ontwo acres. It's got landscape
gardens, flower beds. I ofcourse, didn't see that because
it was snowing. And then theyhave an old horse and carriage
barn, very picturesque, right onthe main road. But like the best
(08:09):
part is that it was so close toall the parks and trails, I
mean, right down the street fromS and P GW, National Forest,
mass and nothing. There was alittle book in my room that
listed all of the outdooractivities, really great trail
options, how to get toeverything. And Breakfast was
absolutely phenomenal, which,you know, being vegan can
(08:30):
sometimes be tricky, and theyhad no problem at all throwing
together this incredible bowl, ahuge, huge bowl of oatmeal. I
had to take half of it home withme, and all of these yummy,
yummy berries and juices andmimosas and coffee and teas and
all the things. So I really,really enjoyed that. And I'm
(08:50):
going back. I'm not sure exactlywhen. I know I'm passing down 81
again this spring. I got acouple of trips coming up for
the podcast, so I plan onstopping in Harrisonburg again.
Great Adventure town. I'vealways really enjoyed my time in
Harrisonburg, so I encourage youto check it out. I'll put a link
to friendly city Inn in thenotes so you can find their
websites.
(09:12):
Spring is nearly here, and so itseems like a really good time to
start planning some springadventures. The last solo
episode I did, I listed a bunchof Epic Winter adventures in
Virginia, and that was a bighit. So coming back at you with
some spring adventures, and Iwas going through some old
episodes trying to think like,what are my favorite spring
(09:32):
adventures? What would Irecommend and things that you
don't want to miss this time ofyear, and I want to be able to
point you back to some previousepisodes that you've got good
resources to start planning whatyou want to do in the spring. So
the first thing that came tomind is, of course, the very
popular Virginia's adventuretown series, because two of
those towns are on the water,and spring is a little bit of a
(09:56):
better time to be able to takeadvantage of some of those water
activities. So. Those twoepisodes are 64 and 5864 is
Virginia's adventure towns onnancock, paddling, boating,
fishing and camping on theeastern shore. And then 58 is
Urbana river life, fishing,crabbing, boating, camping and
(10:18):
paddling. So if you're thinkingyou want to get away to the
water this spring. Look forepisode 64 and 68 on o nancock
and Urbana. And then I wasstarting to think about like,
what are some things that weneed to know as people are
starting to get back outside,but also wildlife is starting to
wake up from winter. And Ilooked at episode 62 which is
(10:41):
about Virginia's venomous andnon venomous snakes, hiking,
safety, myths and appreciation.
This is a time of year whenreptiles are waking up and
people are also getting outsidemore often, and so there's more
encounters with wildlife. And Iknow a lot of people get nervous
about snakes, and the guests inthat episode talked about all
(11:02):
the reasons why you really, youreally just don't need to be
nervous about snakes, mindful,maybe, but not nervous. So look
for episode 62 about Virginia'svenomous and non venomous
snakes. And then what else wakesup the ticks, most of them are
in hibernation during thewinter, and then they wake up
and start to breed in thespring. And so episode 54 is
(11:23):
about ticks and tick bornediseases, and how to protect
yourself in the outdoors,another really great resource.
Then episode 59 is aboutwandering waters paddle quest.
This was a hugely popularepisode, this is Virginia State
Parks sort of water equivalentto trail quest, if you're
(11:45):
familiar with trail quest, whichis an opportunity to visit all
of the state parks in Virginiawhile watering waters. Paddle
quest is an opportunity to visitthose same parks and participate
in water activities such askayaking, canoeing, stand up
paddle boarding. Ranger Sammytalks all about how to
participate in paddle quest andhow to prepare for it too. So if
(12:07):
you're thinking you're lookingfor a goal or some sort of
outdoor challenge, this is agreat time to start thinking
about paddle quest and planningyour visit to the different
state parks that have paddlingopportunities and sort of along
those same lines, Episode 56 isabout let's go adventures
offered by Virginia state parks,and those are beginner friendly
(12:28):
programs in camping, hiking,kayaking, fly fishing, archery
and orienteering. And I'mbringing this up because this
year they are adding somethingbrand new to the list they have
added backpacking now, I checkedto see what programs are being
offered on the calendar at themoment, there's a couple at
macho comico, I believe, and Italked to the staff, and they
(12:52):
told me that they are in theprocess of adding more right
now. So if you go on thecalendar and you see matcha come
ago and nothing else, it'sbecause they're finalizing those
details with the parks, butthey're adding more and also
sneak peek. There's going to bean episode about backpacking
coming out this spring with aranger at Virginia State Parks.
(13:12):
I'm really excited about thatone, because it means I get to
go backpacking in preparationfor that episode, but that'll
come out like late springprobably, so be on the lookout
for that episode. Nine bird isthe word with my friend Matt
felperin, who's getting way moreshout outs than anybody else I
think I've ever given shout outsto on this podcast. But spring
(13:33):
migration is starting, and thisis such an exciting time to see
birds passing down the Atlanticflyway. I'm sorry, passing up
the Atlantic flyway, not down.
They're coming back up north.
People get really excited aboutmigrating warblers and song
birds, so this is a great timefor that. I will tell you,
(13:55):
though, if you're just new tobirding, I personally think that
warblers are really tough.
They're high up in the trees.
They're small. They move arounda lot. Males look different from
females. It's, it can bechallenging, but it is really
fun. It's, it's a funopportunity if you want to try
to get started. So go to EpisodeNine. Matt tells you all about
(14:16):
how to get started birding.
Episode 43 is about Virginia'slost Appalachian Trail. And I
bring this up in the springbecause so many people are
starting there through hikes.
This is the time of year whenfolks, especially if they're
planning to go from Georgia toMaine on the at are starting off
in, usually Georgia at SpringerMountain, and starting to head
(14:37):
up north. And most of thosefolks will hit the Virginia area
around late spring or summer. Soit's really interesting to hear
about Virginia's lostAppalachian Trail mills. Kelly
was the guest, and he's ahistorian at well, was a
historian at George MasonUniversity. Congratulations
Mills for just retiring, but hehas written this. Book about the
(14:59):
lost Appalachian Trail, which isa section of at that ran through
Virginia that was later reroutedand kind of forgotten about, and
a lot of people don't know thatit exists. So really
interesting, fascinating historyabout the at in Virginia in that
episode, Episode 45 one of themost popular episodes of all
(15:20):
time of this podcast iswaterfalls of Shenandoah
National Park, and that was acollaborative effort with the
staff at the park to raiseawareness about our waterfalls
and safety, especially aroundwaterfalls, because there are
more accidents around waterfallsin the park every spring than
other areas of the park, mostlybecause people are coming out to
(15:42):
visit for the first time or forthe first time in the season,
and they forget to follow thesafety rules. And you know, not
following the safety rulesaround waterfalls could be
deadly. But it's not just allabout rules. Rain. The ranger in
that episode talks about some ofhis favorite waterfalls, and
recommends ones that you shouldvisit. So go back and check out
(16:03):
the most popular episode,Episode 45 waterfalls of
Shenandoah National Park.
Lastly, my favorites. I savedthese two for last because I
personally think these are themust do spring activities in
Virginia, and that ishighlighted in Episode 55
(16:24):
Appalachia is greatestconservation story elk
restoration in southwestVirginia. And for those of you
who missed that episode, elkhave been reintroduced to
Virginia after they wentextinct, and we have a heard of
them in southwest Virginia beingmanaged by the Virginia
Department of WildlifeResources, and there are
opportunities to visit the herd,and those opportunities are in
(16:49):
the spring and the fall. Ipersonally really like spring.
Fall is beautiful too, but Ithink spring is a good time to
go. I was just on the breaksInterstate Park websites to see
if they have availability, andthere is plenty of availability
left, which I'm surprised,because this has gotten so
popular that it usually fills upimmediately, especially if, like
(17:12):
DWR announces it, sometimes itfills up in a day. So maybe they
didn't announce it this year.
I'm not really sure what theirstrategy is for marketing. I
just know that there are stillspots left. If you happen to get
on there and they're all filledup, then maybe plan your trip
for the Fall breaks. Park haslodges and cabins and
campgrounds, and there's a tourbus that leaves right from the
(17:33):
park and will take you to seethe elk. So if for some reason,
they're all full this spring,never fear. Plan something for
the fall when the foliage isgorgeous, that is my
recommendation. And so long asyou're going to be going out to
the breaks, also listen toepisode 61 scenic hikes in
southwest Virginia breaks Parkand Pine Mountain. That was the
(17:53):
first episode of season five,and people loved it. Got lots of
real, really great feedbackabout that, because everybody
loves to hike. So check outepisodes 55 and 61 and then, of
course, let me know if you doany of these adventures this
spring. I love to hear from mylisteners. I love to know what
(18:14):
you're out there doing. I loveto hear how the podcast has
impacted your time outdoors, andif you have anything to share,
go ahead and either message meon the socials or click on Send
Jessica a text message in yourshow notes.
Breathtaking views, toweringcliffs, roaring rivers,
(18:37):
unlimited adventure. Discoverthe rugged beauty of breaks,
Interstate Park deep in theheart of southwest Virginia
breaks is home to the 1000 footvertical Canyon known as the
Grand Canyon of the South everyone of my trips to the breaks
have been packed with stunninghikes in a rocky geologic
Wonderland, mountain bikingthrough breathtaking scenery and
(18:59):
rock Climbing on the Appalachiansandstone that makes breaks a
climbers paradise. But some ofmy most memorable moments
include hearing the bugle of anelk echoing through the
mountains, or staring up at themajesty of the Milky Way
outstretched over toweringcanyon walls. Don't miss your
chance to experience Appalachia.
Greatest conservation story. Elkhave returned to southwest
(19:21):
Virginia, and you can experiencethem in their natural habitat.
Reservations for this spring'selk viewing, bus tours are
available now with amenitiessuch as lakefront cottages,
Woodland Lodges, campgrounds andthe rhododendron restaurant on
site breaks holds epicadventures for the entire
family, your adventure awaits atthe breaks. Click on breaks
(19:43):
Interstate Park in your shownotes to visit breaks park.com.
Let's jump into fan mail. Lasttime, I asked folks to let me
know how the podcast hasimpacted your adventures, and
have you tried a new activity?
Or visit a new place. Afterlistening to the podcast, I got
a bunch of messages. There'sjust a couple that I wanted to
(20:06):
share. This one is from Don hesays, Hey, Jessica. Just wanted
to say thank you for such agreat podcast. Reminds me that
adventures are right out ourdoor in Virginia. Started
listening with the Onan cockepisode and was hooked. The Tim
Kaine episode was inspiring, aswell as your interview with
Alejandra. Look forward to moreepisodes. Thanks so much. Don I
(20:28):
just wanted to point out that Ohnancock is an adventure town
episode, and the episode withTim Kaine just blew up like I
can't believe how many peoplereally, really enjoyed that one.
I think people are overall justsurprised that Senator Tim Kaine
is so outdoorsy and really lovedhearing about how his epic
(20:50):
adventures impact his work andand what it means to him to be a
part of this beautiful,beautiful state. So that's a
good one to check out. And then,of course, I already mentioned
alejandra's episode came out inJanuary, and that was all about
setting outdoorsy goals for thenew year. I also got a lot of
messages about that. Alejandrawas such a high energy guest.
(21:13):
Her message really resonatedwith folks, and people
identified with her and reallyenjoyed it. So I heard from all
kinds of people. Now she's withthe group girls who hike
Virginia, but I heard fromplenty of guys out there who
told me they really liked thatepisode. And then I got this
message from Christy, who said,Hi, Jessica, I really appreciate
your work with Virginia parksand outdoor adventures. Our
(21:35):
family started camping two yearsago, and the information you've
shared has helped us plan hikesand give an inspiration for
places we want to visit. Thankyou, Christy, that is exactly
what I love to hear music to myears. This is from Neil. This is
probably one of the moretouching messages I've gotten in
a little while. He says, Hi,Jessica, I love your podcast,
(21:57):
and have been listening to itfor over a year. From Colorado,
I grew up in Northern Virginia,and my wife and I have been
planning for a while to moveback to Virginia while we are
officially moving to Middleburgin three weeks, and with the
assistance and inspiration ofyour podcast, we are ready to
hit the ground running. We aresigned up for trail quest, and
we'll be very quickly exploringsky meadows and Shenandoah
(22:20):
River. We recently listened toEpisode 41 about star gazing,
and are very excited to attendan astronomy program at Sky
Meadows. Just wanted to sharethat my mom and I loved episode
53 about Farmville in 2022 wetook part in the night train
trail races on the High Bridgetrail. It took place at night,
(22:41):
and seeing the fireflies was soincredible. We are planning
another trip there soon afterthe move is complete. Thanks so
much for creating an amazingoutdoor community in Virginia.
Neil, Neil, I swear if I wrote areview myself, it would not be
as good as this one. This iseverything that I love, and
actually what I really lovedabout this I shared it with a
(23:03):
potential advertiser the otherday. It was one of our tourism
destination marketingorganizations who wanted to know
where my listeners are located,and I was telling them how
surprised I am every time I findout that somebody outside of
Virginia is listening to thispodcast. And people actually
plan trips to Virginia, becausethey start listening, and
(23:23):
they're so intrigued by what wehave to offer here and how
beautiful our outdoor spacesare, that they come here because
they've discovered the podcastand decided, let's do it. And I
think it's really interesting tohear from somebody living in
Colorado, because there's somany people moving out west. But
what I learned from the folks atthe tourism DMO that I spoke
with is that a lot of folks whomoved out west are now moving
(23:46):
back to the coast, and some ofthat has to do with cost of
living, she was saying, butalso, Virginia is beautiful,
like, why would you not want tolive here? So cool to hear from
Neil, who grew up in Nova and isnow moving back. But all of
these examples are reallyfantastic, too. Trail quest, of
course, is something everybodyshould be signed up for. If
(24:07):
you're not signed up forVirginia State Parks trail
quest, I don't know what you'rewaiting for, get on their
website and go to the trailquest page and register so that
when you visit a state park,you're getting pins in the mail
and working towards earning yourmaster hiker certificates. Sky
meadows and Shenandoah Riverboth are designated dark sky
(24:27):
parks. I think there's four orfive of them now, and episode 41
is all about star gazing in thedark sky parks. And I will just
tell you Neil sky Meadows hastheir astronomy program like
every month, and it doesn'tmatter what time of the year it
is, so unless there's really badweather, it usually goes on and
it's very well attended. I'veenjoyed the couple that I've
(24:48):
been to. The telescopes thatpeople bring out there are huge,
like you need a U haul truck toget some of these telescopes out
onto the grassy area. And it'sso cool. It's. Just really, you
learn so much. It's really coolto see people who are just taken
aback, you know, they're sooverwhelmed and or I should,
(25:09):
maybe, I should say, overcome byhow incredible the universe is
and getting to see it. Somefolks, for the first time, it's
a lot of fun. Highly recommendthat all of these dark sky
programs are on Virginia StateParks websites too. And then the
episode about Farmville wasanother one of these Virginia's
adventure town series episode. Ijust saw the guest from that
(25:30):
episode, Mayor Brian Vincent, atthe conference that I keynoted
in Harrisonburg recently. It wasfunny because I didn't even know
he was in the room. And then Imentioned the episode about
Farmville in my keynote address,and then all of a sudden I hear
this shouting from the back ofthe room, and he's like, waving
his arms. And I was like, hey,who let that guy in here? But
(25:50):
no, I'm kidding. It was reallygreat to see him, and he was
very excited to know that peopleare listening to that episode
and coming to visit Farmville,because the High Bridge trail is
just majestic. I don't thinkI've seen anything else like it,
or it's certainly not inVirginia. It's the longest one
in Virginia. It's an old trestlebridge built during the Civil
(26:10):
War, if I remember correctly.
And the Firefly program at thatpark is also something you just
won't see anywhere else. I mean,I went a couple years ago for
the first time, and you stand onthe bridge. Normally, the bridge
is closed at night, so this isone of those rare opportunities
where you get to go out on thebridge at night, and you stand
there and look over the railingdown towards the river, and the
(26:31):
trees are just lighting up,almost like fireworks with all
the different fireflies. Butwhat's most interesting is that
you learn so much about thefireflies and about the ecology.
And I had no idea that therewere, like many species of
fireflies, and some of them havedifferent colors. This was all
new to me. So this is also oneof those programs that fills up
(26:52):
really quickly. You have to gettickets for it's a ticketed
event, so you have to keep youreye on the website. You know,
know the date ahead of time, putit on your calendar and just be
ready when those tickets go onsale, because they go quickly.
So thanks, Neil, you gave me somuch to talk about and so much
to look back on and remind folksabout how lucky we are to live
(27:12):
here in Virginia. So friends, goahead and send me your messages
by clicking on Send Jessica atext message in your show notes,
before I hop off, I just want toremind folks that I've got some
great discounts and deals onoutdoor gear and experiences in
(27:32):
my email newsletter. And one ofthe things that was featured in
the most recent email newsletterI wanted to share so I had a
phone call not too long ago withthe owner of this little cottage
company called the pee style.
And if you've never heard of it,it's an adventure accessory.
It's designed for those of uswho can't pee standing up. And
so she said to me, I would lovefor you to try my product. I'm
(27:55):
going to send it to you if youwant to let me know how it works
out for you. I'd love to hearyour experience with it. So she
sends it to me, and as somebodywho has not needed a device to,
you know, to be able to peeoutside for my whole life, I was
like, Well, what am I going todo with this? So it remained
unused for a long time, and thenwhen I started packing for
(28:15):
Minnesota, I found it, and I waslike, You know what? This might
actually be a really good thingto have, because the
temperatures were so cold, as Imentioned, in Minnesota, like
negative 18, negative 32 it justseemed less than ideal to try to
go the traditional way. And so Itook this device with me. It's
(28:36):
plastic and it's small. Comes inthis little carrying case, and
it's got a little carry littleCaribbean around it, so you can
hook it to your pack or whateveryou have. And it really came in
handy. And it was funny, becausethe first day of the trip, I was
with two guys, so we had to havethe conversation about, like,
what are we going to do whenwe're driving around this bog?
And I'm the only person in thegroup who, you know, can't just
(29:00):
go anywhere, you know, the guys,they can just go anywhere. But I
was like, well, actually, so Ihave this thing. I started
telling them about the P styleand how it had been sent to me,
and I had never used it, butthis seemed like a really good
opportunity to try it out. And Igotta tell you, it came in
(29:20):
handy. And then I startedthinking, like, what else can
this be used for? And I startedthinking about the flight on the
way home, you know, if you'reyou need to use a bathroom while
you're on the plane. And I don'tlike to sit on those gross
toilets. That's reallydisgusting. But also, if you try
squatting over them and theplane is moving, that causes a
little bit of a problem too. Sohaving something like this is
(29:42):
really good. And then I startedthinking about like, climbing
and backpacking. And when you'rebackpacking, like, if you've got
a really heavy pack on,squatting with all that extra
weight on, you can put a lot ofstress on your knees and your
legs and taking it off andputting back. On is kind of a
pain. And then when you'reclimbing, you've got a harness
on, and you don't want to takethe harness off and then go, and
(30:04):
then have to put it all back on.
So like, all of a sudden, all ofthese scenarios started coming
to me, like, where this wouldactually really come in handy.
So now I'm really glad I haveit, and I am recommending it for
my listeners. It is 10% off formy listeners, there's a link in
the email newsletter. So ifyou're not signed up for the
(30:26):
email newsletter, I try tofeature a different product or
outdoor experience in everynewsletter, and I also have a
list of all of the previous onesthat you will receive when you
sign up for the emailsnewsletter, along with my new
listener resource guide. And theresource guide has got all kinds
of cool things, like the topepisodes my Virginia bucket list
(30:49):
of must do things in Virginia,and then, of course, these
discounts. So if you haven'tsigned up for that, you can
click the link in the shownotes. It says, sign up for the
email newsletter. Another optionis just go to the website,
Virginia outdoor adventures.comand scroll down to the bottom of
the homepage, and you'll see asign up box there, or a pop up
box will probably pop up and youcan sign up there too. So check
(31:12):
it out, my friends, that's goingto be all for episode seven
zero. I think it's absolutelyremarkable that I've made it
this far. I think it's even moreremarkable that anybody is still
listening. If you want to helpme out, share your favorite
episode with a friend or someonewho you think will enjoy
Virginia outdoor adventures thathelps the show grow and helps
(31:33):
more people discover adventuresin their own backyard. You can
also buy me a coffee on my buyme a coffee page. Links are in
the show notes, and I will seeyou in the next episode.
Virginia Outdoor Adventures isinspired by and supported by
listeners like you, which is whyyour messages and feedback means
(31:55):
so much to me. You can text medirectly by clicking on Send
Jessica a text message in yourshow notes, I answer questions,
respond to comments and shareyour feedback on the show. Never
miss a new episode. Sign up formy email newsletter and receive
my listener resource guide withthe top podcast episodes, a
Virginia outdoor bucket list andexclusive brand discounts for my
(32:19):
listeners. Click on newsletter,sign up in your show notes, or
visit Virginia outdooradventures.com thanks for
listening until next time.
Adventure on you.
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