Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia Outdoor Adventures Podcast is your local guide to hiking, camping, kayaking, travel and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure, right here in Virginia. Lets Go!
Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!
New Inspiring Stories, Hidden Gems, Travel-ready Resources, and more (Ep 78 Season 6 Trailer)
Big news, Adventurers - Virginia Outdoor Adventures is back with a brand new season! That means more inspiring stories, hidden gems, travel-ready resources, and new adventures across our Commonwealth.
In this Season 6 Trailer, get a sneak peek at new content inspired by you, as well as a chance to shape future episodes with your feedback.
Be the first to hear about new features designed to keep you inspired and in the know about all things Virginia outdoors, and upcoming events where you can meet me in-person.
The wait is over – Season 6 has arrived and it’s time for new adventures. Let’s Go!
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Mentioned in this episode:
Ep 76 Primitive Camping and Backpacking in Virginia State Parks
Ep 41 Stargazing in Virginia’s Dark Sky Parks
Ep 59 Wandering Waters Paddle Quest with Sammy Zambon, Virginia State Parks
Ep 42 A Glimpse into the Wonderful World of Virginia’s Wildlife
Ep 43 Virginia’s Lost Appalachian Trail with Mills Kelly
Ep 13 Endless Outdoor Rec Opportunities on Shenandoah Mountain
Ep 66 Parks Advocacy Day: Be a Champion for Our State Parks
Fan Mail - Send Jessica a Text Message
Contact Show Host, Jessica Bowser:
jessica@virginiaoutdooradventures.com
Announcer, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia outdoor adventures Podcast is your local guide for hiking, camping, kayaking, travel and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure right here in Virginia, I'm your host. Jessica Bowser, big news adventurers. Virginia Outdoor Adventures is back with a brand new season that means more inspiring stories, hidden gems, travel ready resources and new adventures across our Commonwealth. In this season six trailer, get a sneak peek at new content inspired by you, as well as a chance to shape future episodes with your feedback. Be the first to hear about new features designed to keep you inspired and in the know about all things Virginia, outdoors and upcoming events where you can meet me in person. The wait is over. Season Six has arrived, and it's time for new adventures. Let's go Virginia. Outdoor Adventures is sponsored by breaks Park and heart of Appalachia, known as the Grand Canyon of the South. Breaks Park is a hiking destination in the heart of Appalachia, you'll find trails for every skill level, featuring geologic wonders, Canyon overlooks, stream crossings and abundant wildlife. Stay close to the adventure with lodges, cabins and campgrounds inside the park, beyond the breaks, the heart of Appalachia invites you to hike and bike through breathtaking mountain landscapes, paddle hidden hollows, reel in trout from Crystal Clear streams, or hop on an ATV to conquer the rugged spearhead trails. Take a scenic drive, embark on an elk tour and explore Virginia's treasured Southwest where you'll also find vibrant local dining, shopping and celebrations. Your next outdoor adventure starts in the heart of Appalachia. Tap the links for breaks Park and heart of Appalachia in your show notes. Welcome friends to season six of Virginia outdoor adventures podcast. I cannot even believe we're in season six. This is unbelievable to me, and I'm pretty sure I started the trailer episode of season five saying the exact same thing, but even more so now that we are through yet another season. If you have been with me for a long time, you know that this podcast started as a pandemic project, something to keep me busy while I was at home, and it just sort of took off, and really I had no idea that I would still be doing this podcast all these years later. I thought it was just a temporary thing that might be fun, and here I am doing it as a full time job. It's completely unbelievable to me, especially five years later. So I want to thank everybody for making that possible, because this is not something that I have done alone. There have been a lot of people that have been involved in this process over the years, but first and foremost, you the listeners, have been unbelievably fantastic in supporting me, some people since day one. I mean, there are folks who send me messages and emails who have been listening since very early on. And I love getting those messages from people because it lets me know that I'm still doing something right, if people are hanging around this long. But also, I love hearing from folks who are fans and appreciate what I'm doing, and it makes me feel like, okay, I'm on the right track here, and I might as well just keep on going. So that is what I'm doing. Welcome to season six, folks, how was your summer? I have been getting messages and being tagged in posts from folks who have been on their summer adventures. For example, I heard from Ryan, who took his kids to Alaska and is planning to bike the Great Allegheny Passage from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland. And I also wanted to point out that Ryan let me know that he just recently finished listening to every single episode of this podcast, Ryan, I feel like I should apologize for that, because when I think back to Season One, when I was still trying to figure out what this podcast was about, what was important to me, what was important to the listeners, what did people want to hear? And I look at some of the things that I did, and oh my goodness. I mean, I was still trying to figure out what I was doing, as you can probably imagine. And I don't often go back and listen to those episodes from season one, because, yeah, I don't know it makes me nervous to do so I know they're good, to be honest, I know they're good. I would take them down if I was embarrassed by them, and I'm not, but I was still trying to figure things out. So I think it's amazing that Ryan listened to all of them. There's close to 100 Now I think this trailer episode is like episode 78 but those are the numbered episodes. There's also bonus content and special edition episodes and trailers. I think that I didn't number and swaps with other podcasters that didn't get numbered. So there's actually really close to 100 and Ryan has listened to all of them. So Ryan, you are awesome. Thank you for that. My friend Meg is living in a camper now she's living my dream. I think ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to live in a camper, and Meg is doing it. So go, Meg. And then Dane has been photographing hummingbirds in his backyard and has been sending me the pictures, and I've been loving them. It's been very fun to watch the progression of his photography skills and his love for those adorable and badass little birds. And also, he's planning to visit one of our dark sky parks this fall, which I love because I believe he was inspired by the podcast episode about our dark sky parks, and that was a couple of seasons ago. So for people to still be planning visits to dark sky parks because of an episode that came out year and a half ago or so at this point, I think it's incredible. So awesome. Thanks for sharing that. Dane Lori took a falconry class. Oh my gosh. I loved the post that she put up where she had a falcon sitting on her arm. That's really cool. And then Carrie so Carrie has been messaging me for a while to tell me that she's been enjoying the podcast, especially the most recent episode that came out at the end of last season about primitive camping in our state parks. And she talked about how that has been an inspiration for her. And so it's been fun talking to Carrie, who has been on her trail quest journey. And then she also started paddle quest. You might remember that there is a podcast episode about wandering waters paddle quest, which is like trail quest, visiting all of the state parks but paddling in the state parks that offer paddling opportunities and Virginia State Parks rewards people for doing this, so you get pins and different swag in the mail, and when you complete it, arranger will present you with a certificate at the park of your choice. So I recently got tagged in Carrie's post. Just last week, Carrie completed both trail quest and paddle quest, which is like huge I think that makes Carrie one of the first, like inaugural groups, to be finishing paddle quest, because that's a relatively new program, so not a lot of people have completed it yet. So kudos to Carrie, and she tagged me in this post where she was receiving her certificates at Pocahontas State Park, and wouldn't you know she was wearing my merch? I loved it so much. She had on one of the T shirts, the love t shirt. So I have this design where in big block letters, it says love, and then inside the block letters is the Blue Ridge mountain design from the cover art of the podcast, and she was wearing that T shirt. I love it so much. Carrie wrote this in her post. I completed my Virginia State Parks trail quest and paddle quest today at Pocahontas State Park, and was presented with my certificate by the amazing Ranger Alicia. My family was there to celebrate with me. I am grateful for them for being so supportive and holding down the house, taking care of the dog, and making it possible for me to go on so many adventures over the last two years. For these quests, my wonderful hiking bestie Pat and her husband surprised me today by coming. I've been grateful to have her and my hiking bestie Debra with me on many of my adventures, and here's where she gives me a shout out. And I'm also thankful for Jessica and her podcast Virginia outdoor adventures, which inspired and entertained me during the long drives all over Virginia. Congratulations, Carrie. I'm so excited for you. I would love for anybody who is working on trail quest or paddle quest, to let me know how those quests are going for you, I've attended several people ceremonies already where they've received their certificate. So if you're one of those folks who is getting really close to the end and you're planning something special for your ceremony, let me know I would be more than honored to attend if I am able to, I know several people have said, you know, I wanted to invite you, but I was worried that, you know I was overstepping, or you wouldn't come. And I'm like, No, invite me. If I can come, I will be there. If I can't, then I can't, but I would love to. I, in fact, I would really be honored. So let me know if you've got those accomplishments coming up. This seems like a good time to acknowledge all of the folks who have been supporting the podcast monetarily on my buy me a coffee page. So lots of new contributions have been coming in, and I'm just going to be honest with you guys. I feel like a terrible person, because usually when somebody makes a contribution on buy me a coffee, I am very quick to send off a thank you email, because I really, really do appreciate these contributions. But I have been on the road the last several weeks, and when I'm traveling to make new podcast episodes, my days are packed. From the moment I get up, to the moment I go to bed, and it leaves no time at all for sitting at my computer to respond to emails or do any sort of work. So I know I am late on sending my thank yous, but I will send them. I swear I will. In the meantime, I hope it makes up for it a little bit by acknowledging these folks now. So I just want to say thank you to Donna, Tim, Renee, Kate Kelly, Dave, Jim, Katarina, Liz, Sherry, Amanda, Austin, Melanie and Derek. All of those folks have made one time contributions, which make a huge difference. The money that is contributed on the buy me a coffee page goes directly towards offsetting my travel costs, and also all of the many subscriptions that I have to pay in order to produce a podcast. So this is super helpful. There are different membership levels, and we have some brand new members of Virginia outdoor adventures, starting with Jim and Tamara, who signed up at the wild wanderer level. Also at that level, Allison signed up. Thank you so much. Allison, Kevin signed up to be a trailblazer. And then lastly, Rafael signed up at the summit seeker level. You all this really means the world to me. Every time I open my email and I see an email that says you have a new member. It literally makes my day. And not only that, but it makes it possible for me to continue producing new episodes. So all of the new episodes coming out in season six are directly related to the support that I received from these folks on buy me a coffee and everybody who has contributed in the past, so thank you. Something that has changed with the podcast over the last year is the increase in listeners from outside Virginia. This has really surprised me. When I look at the stats, there's more and more people who are listening outside of Virginia, most of them are in neighboring states, but there are folks in New York and Ohio, Illinois, North Dakota and even overseas. There's several listeners in Germany, a couple in China. I always wonder who these people are, so let me just back up and say that unlike social media, where there are bots and easy opportunities to create fake accounts and whatnot. In podcast stats, they're pretty accurate. Like, there really aren't opportunities for people to create fake accounts and bots and just start putting out fake data all over the place. That really doesn't happen. So when I'm looking at these stats, and I see that there's two people listening in China. It's likely that there really are two people listening in China. So I have to wonder, like, Who are these folks, and why are they interested in a podcast about Virginia? But I do want to welcome all of these new listeners and just say I'm so happy that you're here. I know that there are a couple of folks who started following on the social media pages. And usually, when I see that I have a new follower on, like Instagram, for example, if it's possible, I'll usually message that person and say, hey, thanks so much for the follow. And then just say a little something about myself and ask a little something about them, and just try to start a conversation to learn you know what people's interests are, and to let them know that they can send me their feedback about the podcast anytime. So welcome to Matt from Maryland and Karen from South Carolina, Candice from West Virginia, and Jenny, also from West Virginia, and I'm sure there are many, many more like. I have really no way of tracking who new listeners are like I can see the numbers increasing, and I see the stats, but I don't see any personal information connected with those stats. So I only know these four people from social media because we've connected there. So if you're a new listener, I would love to meet you. If you haven't already reached out to me, please do you can do that on social media or in the show notes section of every single episode, there's a link that says, Send Jessica a text message, and that is the fan mail link. So you can reach me anytime by clicking that link and then sending me a message. And it comes directly to my phone as a text it doesn't tell me who it's from, though, so if you want me to know that it's from you, you do have to tell me who you are, and it like gives me, usually an area code for the phone, but it like x's out the last four numbers. So I can't respond either, but I will get the message, and if you're if you give me your contact information, I'd be happy to reply. So welcome to all. The new folks tucked into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Martinsville is a small city with outsized adventure potential. The Smith River blue way provides 45 miles of accessible paddling and world class trout fishing on the crown jewel of Martinsville, just beyond city limits, Philpot lake offers 25 miles of undeveloped shoreline with camping, paddling and hiking opportunities. Bring your bike or borrow one for free and ride the Smith River Trail System, a network of local trails, including the 11 mile paved dick and Willie passage trail that serves as both recreation corridor and community connector. But the adventure doesn't end there. Explore local museums, culinary gems and fascinating history as part of your must do Martinsville bucket list. Tap on visit Martinsville in your show notes, or dive deeper into this Virginia adventure town in Episode 75 blueways, trails, camping and more in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. Check your show notes for the link. So how was my summer? Lots of people have been asking, because I did say at the end of last season that I was going overseas for a month. So I left in mid June and was gone until mid July. I I was in four or five different countries. The whole purpose of the trip was I had a family reunion in Austria and another one in Slovenia. But also my husband had some work meetings. The company that he works for has offices in pretty much every major city across the globe, so he often goes overseas for meetings. So he had some meetings lined up, and so I went with him on the first part, even before we were with family. And then after the first family reunion, he had to go back. And the last week of the trip, I was on my own. So we started off in London, and we had left the airport in one of those iconic black cabs, and my face was glued to the window, looking at birds, and I'm calling out like, Eurasian Magpie, rock pigeon, Eurasian Jay, great cormorant, and my husband's like, we haven't slept in 24 hours, and you're birding. Well, yeah, I don't know what else he expected. And I've been using this new app, Berta. So before I left, I was looking for an app that I could use to track my sightings. All the apps that I normally use are for North American species, and in the past, I've not been able to find a good app for birds, either in Europe or Asia. So I was looking again, and I came across Berta, B, I, R, D, A, and it seems to work pretty well. I mean, it's got all of the species. It's got some good information about every species. It's user friendly for the most part. My only complaint, though, is it kept glitching and like, sometimes the app would crash, and oftentimes it would just get really slow. So I'm wondering if anybody else has used this app, or if you have another app that you would recommend, because I think I'm looking for something maybe a little bit better, or maybe by the time I go on another trip, they will have updated this app, hopefully, and it will be working a lot better. I logged 81 species in the month that I was gone, which is so exciting. Not all of them were lifers, because I've been around Europe many, many times I've been Asia. So a lot of the birds that I saw on this trip are birds that I have seen in the past, but there are also a lot of lifers. So yay. It is always so exciting to get a lifer. And other than London, we were in Milan for like, a quick 24 hours, and we were off to Venice. The highlight of Venice was not actually Venice, it was day trips out to the islands of Murano and Burano. And I would recommend that, because Venice is so crowded. I mean, yes, it's pretty and it's unique, and I think everybody should experience it, but if you just kind of want to get out of the hustle and bustle, take a boat trip out to these islands. It gives you an opportunity to see shorebirds and other waterfowl on your way out to the islands, and then different species of birds, and, of course, different wildlife. And then, of course, the cultures are completely different out on the islands. It reminds me a little bit of Tangier island here in Virginia, where it's just isolated from the mainland. And so the architecture is different, the culture is different. Yes, there are Italians, but, you know, they just have a very different lifestyle, similar to Tangier. So I thought that was unique. And then after Venice, my husband and I split up, he had to go to Frankfurt for another meeting, and I took the train from Venice to klagenfer, which is in southern Austria, in the Carinthia region. And my cousins picked me up at the train station, and I spent a week at my cousin's house, and the area where they live is very close to the border of Slovenia. In fact, you can. See the mountains that are in Slovenia, like from their backyard. It's so, so beautiful. Oh my gosh. While I was there, we went biking. Like, bike touring is absolutely huge in Europe right now, and I think it's growing in popularity in the states too. But everywhere we went, and we didn't we didn't even have to go anywhere. We were like, sitting on the balcony just looking out onto this very rural, mostly farmland landscape, and watching just people going by on bikes constantly every single day. And I'm like, asking my cousin and her boyfriend, like, where are these people coming from? And they didn't know. They're like, we don't even know if they're Austrian because it's it's become so popular that now people plan trips and weekend getaways to neighboring countries and other countries around Europe to do different bike tours. So we were constantly seeing people go by on bikes. We were riding bikes too, and that area of Corinthia also has several lakes that are somewhat touristy, where, you know, there are shops and restaurants and hotels and and people come to swim and to sit on the beach. And so even though we were in this rural area with, you know, very, very small villages and people who have been living there for generations, like we were also walking distance to these touristy areas. So that was that's definitely unique. And also, during the day, we when it wasn't blazing hot, we would go on on some hikes. We hiked to a waterfall in an area that is actually a UNESCO global geopark. And what I love about this part of Austria is that all of these hikes are like, so accessible. There was one day we hiked to a place called kitzelberg, and we literally just went out the back door, like went down the road, turned the corner, around the neighbor's house, and then got on the trail. It's that accessible. And I'm like, halfway, wondering why my family didn't just stay in Europe so that I could have, like, also lived in this completely beautiful, wonderful, awesome place. In fact, my husband was like, I see where you get this now? Like, I think this runs through your blood or something, but, yeah, it's, it's really beautiful. We had a very nice time there, attended the family reunion, and then from there, we went to Italy with one of my cousins who wanted to plan this getaway for us, basically like a vacation for a week holiday, as they like to call it. And we were staying in this Italian villa on a winery, and it was just stunning. It only took us, like two hours to drive there from Austria, grapevines everywhere for as far as you can see really old, small towns and villages all around us, and of course, also amazing wine. And so we just had a very relaxing we had the villa all to ourselves at this winery, because there were only three bedrooms in in the whole place, and we had two of them, and the third one was un rented. So we had the whole run of this place to ourselves. We had an infinity pool overlooking all of the hills. I of course, was like in my glory with my binoculars burning every day. We had amazing food. My cousin actually speaks Italian, because she spent, like, I think, six months while she was in college studying somewhere in Italy. I don't even remember where now. So it was just, it was lovely. It was absolutely lovely. And at the end of the week, my cousin graciously went out of her way to drop us off where we needed to go. So we dropped my husband off at the airport in lublana, which is the capital of Slovenia, and then she drove me to the kreinska Gorod region of Slovenia, where she dropped me off to start a week of hiking and folks, this is where things went completely sideways, so I had a little Bit of an accident. It's almost embarrassing to even talk about it, because I cannot believe this happened, but I'm chalking this up as another one of those episodes of don't do what I did, kids. So I get to Slovenia, my cousin drops me off, and we're having lunch before she leaves, and there's this bike trail on the main road that we can see from the restaurant where we're eating. And I was like, You know what, the day's half over, I can't really start any big hikes today, so maybe I just, like, rent a bike and then eat. Like, I could rent an E bike and do that trail right there. And she's like, Yeah, yeah, Jessica, you should do this. And she went with me to rent the bike, and in the meantime, I get this text message from my husband, who was boarding his flight, and he said, Love you. Drink water, don't die. And that's really funny, because by the time he had landed in Paris for his connecting flight, I had almost died twice. So I rent this bike and. I take off down the trail, and I'm having the best time. I'm literally like, oh my god, I love riding a bike. It is. The weather is beautiful. I mean, the Alps, they look like the Rocky Mountains, and there are gorgeous turquoise streams that I'm riding my bike over, big fields. And then, of course, like all of the traditional Slovenian architecture that I grew up with in Cleveland. So I literally feel like I am home and I'm riding my bike down this trail, and I'm having the best freaking time. And then I hear a rumble, and I'm like, what is that? And I get I stop the bike, and I turn around, and here is this massive thunderstorm, like, rolling my way from behind, so I hadn't seen it coming, and I'm like, oh, and I jump on my bike and I start pedaling back, but at this point, I'm already, like, 20 miles away from my start point, so I'm, like, riding as fast as I possibly can, and the storm is coming fast Now, luckily, The trail passes through a lot of small towns, I was able to dodge into a restaurant just as it was hitting. And this was like one of those epic thunderstorms where, like, it's reverberating off the mountains, which are very, very close, and everything is shaking. And I was like, Well, that was a close one, but I waited it out, and then I got back on the bike, and I rode back into town, and I stopped in an outfitter because I really wanted a new pair of hiking shoes, like it was time. My trail runners are a couple years old already, so I had seen other hikers on my trip wearing Scarpa brand hiking shoes. Now, if you're a climber, you know this brand. In fact, I think my climbing shoes are scarbos, but for some reason they don't sell their hiking shoes in the US. I don't know why, but over in Europe, everybody wears this brand, and it might be one of the most popular brands of hiking shoes, as well as climbing and mountaineering. I really wanted to get a pair, so I stopped into this outfitter and I pick up a new pair of shoes, but the shoe box they came in was too big to fit in my pack, so they gave me a bag, and I had to put it over my shoulder, because that was really the only way to carry it. And so I'm heading back on the trail, and I stopped to take a picture of a bird, and I went to get back on the bike, and this is where it gets, like, super embarrassing. So an E bike is heavier than a normal bike. I wasn't used to how heavy it was, and I was on a gravel incline trying to mount the bike with this package with with this bag containing my new hiking shoes over the over one shoulder. Oh, and also, the the seat on the bike was a little too high, like I had raised it earlier, and it was fine while I was riding, but for getting on and off the bike, it was kind of hard for my toes to reach the ground. And so, because I was on an incline, I could not reach the ground at all on one side. And so I literally, I just tried to mount the bike, and I just fell over, and the bike fell on top of me, and I'm laying there thinking, I do not believe this just happened. Also, no clue as to how injured I was, so I stand up, and the only other person who saw me fall was this older Slovenian man who had his shirt off and had this big pot belly, and he's standing behind his van, and he starts calling to me in Slovenia and asking me if I'm okay. And I'm telling him Yes, and he's telling me, you don't look okay. And I'm going, Yeah, I'm okay. I'm okay, okay. So I get on the bike just to prove that I'm okay, and I start to ride away. And for the first 20 seconds, I'm like, see, I'm fine, and then all of a sudden it hit me, and every single part of my body hurt like in a way that I can't even describe. I was moaning and groaning the entire rest of the ride back, which was really only maybe five miles or so, but I stopped because the sun was setting, and there were some really beautiful photo opportunities, and I wanted to get out my camera on my tripod, and I'm setting it up, and the whole time I'm like, limping and groaning and bleeding. Yeah, I should point that out too. I had like, blood on both knees, and I could tell that my elbow. I couldn't see it, but I could, like, feel blood on my elbows, and it was just I was a mess. Took my pictures, though, and then I got back to the room, and I could barely walk. My room was in this adorable eco hotel, but it was on the third floor, and there was no elevator and this, the stairs, of course, were super steep, and I had to walk up two flights of steps to get to my room. I could barely lift my knee. I'm like hanging on to the handrail with both hands and hoisting myself up every single step. It was taking me like 15 minutes to get up the stairs to my room. And then once I was in my room, the bathroom was elevated up a big step too. So just like walking in and out of the bathroom was horrible. I was in such bad shape, and when I woke up in the morning, my right knee looked like I had a baseball inside of it, and I could barely move. And all the focus seemed to be on my knee, because it was so badly swollen, I didn't even realize that the most injured part of me was actually my left shoulder, which is the one that I had landed on. So here we are in September now, and this happened in July. My knees are fine. My elbows are scarred, but they're healed. My shoulder is still all messed up, and so that really impacted the rest of my trip, because I had all of these big hikes planned, and I just couldn't do them. But at the same time, I was not about to sit in the room like everybody was telling me, you need to go to the hospital. And I was like, no, because I don't have time for that. I came here to hike, and that's what I plan to do, and I did, and I just powered through the pain for the rest of the week, but honestly, like, once you start moving, and I think the blood starts circulating, the pain kind of goes away. And I wasn't being stupid, like I wasn't pushing it by doing really hard hikes, I decided instead to completely alter all my routes, and I was walking around villages and taking some easy trails. And, like, initially, I thought, well, maybe I can't hike at all, but I can bird. And so I just grabbed my camera and my binoculars and went out, but ended up out for like, the entire day, and I was fine. So I had a really, really enjoyable rest of my time. And Slovenia, if you have never been, oh my gosh. You know, I could sell anybody on this country, to be honest, it is clean, it is safe, it is affordable. In fact, it's one of the safest countries in Europe. I walked around in the villages at night. It was no problem at all, like in the dark, and when I say dark, I mean, like, there's it's dark, dark. There's no street lights. I had to use my headlamp to get around. But as far as safety concerns, there aren't too many, as far as crime and whatnot. So it is clean, it is safe, it is affordable. They are in the European Union, so they use the euro. And then on top of all that, it is just beautiful, and it is so accessible, like the lengths that this country goes to to make sure that outdoor spaces and outdoor recreation are accessible to tourists and visitors, is remarkable, on top of their very conscious sustainability practices, so that they are not overwhelming the outdoor spaces or the people and the communities that are located there. So they are very eco conscious, and literally, like all of their brochures and their literature that goes out say, we welcome responsible recreationers, it's almost like the underlying tone is saying, if you're not going to be a responsible recreator, don't come here, but yeah, really beautiful places. So I hiked in kreinska Gora, which is where triglau National Park is. It's the only national park in Slovenia, but also contains the highest peaks. And then I spent a couple of days at Lake bochin, and that is also a really beautiful place, also very popular for skiing in the winter. And so that was in a nutshell, my trip to Europe. Fall is here, and Virginia state parks are calling your name. Experience the breathtaking beauty of autumn with vibrant foliage, crisp air and endless outdoor activities, from hiking through golden forest to cozying up by a campfire, there's no better place to enjoy the season capture the magic of fall with family and friends in a stunning State Park. From the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Cumberland Gap, adventure is never far away. Start planning your adventure by tapping on Virginia state parks in your show notes, or by visiting Virginia State parks.gov after Europe, I had almost no downtime. The day after my flight landed, I was right back at my desk getting ready for a brand new podcast season, and within a couple of days, I was on the road doing my first site visit for my first adventure town episode. Let's talk about what to expect in the new podcast season. I am really excited about this. I have a lot of adventure town episodes lined up. And why not? Because all the feedback I keep getting from everyone is that they love these episodes. So I've got several of those lined up for the first couple of months, and starting with King George County, and that was my first site visit. I don't want to give away too much about these episodes, but King George County is on the Northern Neck. Bordered by the Potomac and the Rappahannock rivers, and it contains Caledon State Park and the Dahlgren heritage Railroad Trail. And my guests in that episode are members of the Friends groups of both the State Park and the rail trail. And then from there, I was off to Grayson County. Most people know Grayson County because of Grayson Highlands state park that seems to be an iconic location in Grayson County and in it. And actually, there are a lot of iconic places in Grayson County, including the Virginia Creeper trail, including a part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Mount Rogers recreational area. Of course, Mount Rogers is the highest peak in Virginia, and that is in Grayson County. There's just so much to do in Grayson, and it is a beautiful, beautiful place. I have two guests for that episode. One of my guests help map the section of the new river that runs through Grayson County, and then my other guest is from the town of freeze, and new river trail passes through the town of freeze, and I got to experience my very first live music jam. You probably know that that part of Virginia is part of the crooked road music Heritage Trail, and Freeze has a very rich history in music. And so I got to go to my first Thursday night jam. I have so many videos. I cannot wait to post these on social. I wonder if I play a little bit. It was so fantastic. I had just sat down in my seat. I don't think my butt was in the chair for even 30 seconds when someone came up to me and asked me if I wanted to two step with him. And I was so excited, I rocketed out of my seat. I was like, what took somebody so long to ask? And I have never done this before. I've never attended one of these before. I have never two stepped and he said, Don't you worry, I'm gonna teach you. And he did. It was fantastic. So much fun. Then after Grayson, I was on to Massanutten resort. And okay, I'm gonna share this with you guys. So I got a call from Massanutten resort not too long ago, and they told me they were interested in sponsoring a podcast episode, and I was definitely hesitant. I have never worked with a resort before, and I was a little concerned about promoting a really large business. And so I took the call, and the person who had contacted me said that she did not want me to do a podcast episode about the resort. She instead wanted to focus on the partnerships between the resort and the community that gave the community access to trails. And if you've ever been to Massanutten, or you're from the Harrisonburg area, you're probably familiar with the western slope, and that is a section of the mountain where the resort is located, where there are a lot of trails that are primarily used by mountain bikers. Mountain bikers really love these trails, but it's also open to hikers as well, and I was already familiar with this, because couple seasons ago I did an episode about Mike mountain biking in Harrisonburg. You might remember, Thomas was the guest in that episode. He's the owner of Shenandoah bicycle shop in downtown Harrisonburg, and he took me to the western slope, and so he and I rode those trails together. So I was familiar with it, and through him, I also became familiar with the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, and that is a nonprofit organization that is working with the resort to build these trails and create access to these trails and maintain the trails. I was all about that. I was like, let's talk about this. And then on top of that, they also asked me to please highlight and feature downtown Harrisonburg. And I was like, Oh my gosh, like, this resort is asking me not to feature them, but to talk about community partnerships and downtown amenities, which increases economic development. I was like, I Yes, please. So that's what it's all about. And it first, I was a little worried that listeners were gonna think I sold out, or wonder why they should listen to an episode about Massanutten. But I really think this is a great episode that talks about hiking and mountain biking I do mention some of the other outdoor activities that are available at the resort. And then there was one afternoon where it thunderstormed and I found myself in the spa. So you're gonna hear me talk about that, because, like, let's be honest. You know, if you're on one of these trips and you're hiking or you're paddling or climbing or doing whatever you're doing outside all day, especially if you're doing it multiple days in a row, you're gonna get sore, and if it's. Thunderstorming outside, why not find yourself at the spa? So that's exactly what I did, and I just talk about my whole weekend adventure in Massanutten, two fantastic guests. They are ambassadors for the resort, but also members of the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition and volunteers who help build and maintain trails, and they were just so much fun. We had a really great time. And then from there, I went over to Waynesboro, where I met a guest that is pretty popular. You probably already know her, and I'm not going to tell you her name just yet, because I want you to come back and listen to the episode. But over the years, I've had multiple requests for an episode about mushroom foraging, and I've been on the hunt, pun intended for a guest that is knowledgeable and reputable, because, as you can imagine, I cannot have just anybody coming on the podcast giving out bad information, because if you eat the Wrong mushroom, yeah, we all know what can happen. So I did finally find this person. Last year at go fest, she was presenting, and a friend of mine was listening to her presentation and was texting me from the presentation, like, oh my god, Jessica, you have to have this person on your podcast. She's amazing. And it just so happened that I was looking for somebody who could talk about mushroom foraging. So I got together with her at the Blue Ridge tunnel, actually one of the trailheads, and we were walking through the forested area there, and we had some really good finds, and I learned so much from her. And I'm reading her book right now, so I'm really excited to have her on as a guest, because she's so knowledgeable and so passionate, but also talks about sustainability and our place in the ecosystem, and talks about foraging from a bigger perspective as well. So it's going to be really, really good. And then after that, I finally got to come home and take a little bit of a break. I've had some conversations with the city of Norton down in Appalachia about doing the next Virginia adventure town feature there. So I'll be traveling there in October, it seems like. And then also in season, was it three or four? I think maybe four. One of the most popular episodes of that season was an episode featuring my friend Mills Kelly, who is the host of the green tunnel podcast and had released a book at the time called the Lost Appalachian Trail. And his book was about a section of the trail in Virginia that had been rerouted and the impacts of rerouting the trail, on the trail communities and the trail itself and the hikers, and just a fascinating historical book. And so many people had written to me and said, I live in this area, and I didn't even know that there was a lost Appalachian Trail, and people who went out looking for it, you can still hike it. It's not officially part of the at but the trail itself still exists. That episode was like the download numbers were unreal. So Mills has a new book coming out, also about the Appalachian Trail, a little bit different this time. And so he was asking me if I would have him back on. And I said, Absolutely yes. So keep an eye out for that. Those are some of the upcoming episodes. And then I wanted to ask for feedback about one other episode that I'm considering but haven't quite made a decision on yet. Somebody contacted me about doing an episode about off roading, and I did a similar episode a couple seasons ago, also, surprisingly to me, very, very popular episode, but it was different in that the guests on that episode owned a company where you could rent a jeep and take it up into the mountains, and it was fully loaded with all of the camping accessories you could possibly imagine, like rooftop tent and canopies and kitchen in the back, like everything, and you would rent the Jeep, and you would, you would take it into the mountains and camp with it for as many days as you wanted to rent it. This person, though, who contacted me recently, wants to talk about how to drive your vehicle off road, and so there's no opportunity to rent you would need to have your own vehicle. So that was my initial concern. But after talking to him, and that's because I want to make sure that all of the activities that I share are accessible to everybody, and if you don't own an off road vehicle, I was worried that this might not be something that's accessible to folks, but what he explained to me is that most people own cars that have off roading capabilities, and they don't even know it. So he said that, like there are Nissans and some versions of Subaru that people don't even know how to use the off road cap. Capabilities, or they buy the car not for off roading purposes, but it's already got these features built in. And because it's not marketed as an off roading vehicle that, like the sales, people don't know about the features. They don't talk about it. People buy these cars not knowing that they have these capabilities. And he was saying that he wants to teach people how to use their cars so that they can access more trails and more public lands and places that they might think that they can't get to otherwise. And so I thought that was really interesting, because really, if it is true that a lot of people have cars that have these capabilities but don't know how to use them, like, why not learn to use them and why not make more of the outdoors accessible by being able to reach them with off roading vehicles? And I think about like my experiences in the outdoors around Virginia, and it's not very often that I feel like I need an off road vehicle, but every now and then, I end up on a pretty rough trail. And that happened in Grayson County. I was going up to white top. And if you've been up to white top, you know that road is rough. In fact, there's even a stream that crosses the road that you have, you have to drive over the stream. Now, luckily, I do have an off road vehicle, and I know how to use it, so I was able to navigate. But one of the people who worked in the tourism office at Grayson County was with me, and she was in her own car, and she's like, I'm not going up there. She's like, you're on your own from here on out. So every now and then, there are times when I am really glad that I have a vehicle that I know how to use. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to get to some of these things and and often times you also don't even know what's ahead of you, like you're driving to a certain trail and you're following your GPS and it takes you down a state or a national forest road that you've never been down before. Sometimes there's a sign warning you, but oftentimes there there isn't, and you find yourself many miles down a very, very rough trail where you're having to drive slowly and navigate around boulders and potholes and then it just gets too rough. People get nervous. They want to turn around. So here's an opportunity for to learn from somebody who can teach you how to drive your car and also how to unstuck yourself if you get stuck. So I'm I'm kind of leaning towards yes on this episode, but I also would love to hear from people if they think this is a good idea or not. Last night, I dove into the listener survey results, and if you have not yet filled out the listener survey. It is not too late. Check your show notes for the link. Everybody who takes the listener survey is entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card to river rock outfitters in Fredericksburg. I was looking at the results, and before I even share some of the results, something really remarkable stood out to me. This is not the first year that I have done the survey, but the first year I did do the survey. So my friend Allison, who helps me with this podcast, who is absolutely amazing, she keeps me on track, in addition to helping with some of the social media posts, putting together outlines for email newsletters, just a myriad of tasks she helps me with. And one of the things that she and I did together was create the first listener survey, and so she had access to it, and was sort of monitoring it. I guess it was two years ago. I think this is the third one I've done now while I was in Europe two years ago for the family reunion. And when I got back, we had a meeting, and she said to me, you need to sit down one night at the end of the day, when everything else is done, pour yourself a glass of wine and read the results. And I was like, why are they that bad? Like that? I need to drink when I read the survey results, and she said, No, she's like, you're going to be really touched by some of the things that people wrote. People wrote really, really nice things. And this is now the third time that I'm reviewing the survey, and every single time this is true, you all give me such thoughtful, insightful feedback, and not just on the survey, but always in social media, posts, in fan mail, in emails, direct messages. And I think that's really remarkable, because I talk to other people in the Creator space, who are, you know, either social media influencers or YouTubers or whatever they're doing, and the constant complaint that I hear from them is how disrespectful people are all the time, and nasty comments and people fighting on their pages and and, you know, okay, everybody has seen it. It's right. We've all seen this honestly in the last five years. I think I can count on one hand the number of times that somebody has given me some sort of feedback that's either rude or disrespectful or inappropriate. Appropriate, or any of those things. And I sat down and read through some of this survey last night. No joke, it was after midnight, and I was getting teary eyed, especially as I got to the end where I was asking one of the questions was, what can the host improve on? And I think the last question was like, what were the host strengths, and the things that you all said in there like literally brought me to tears. I was so touched by your thoughtfulness and your honesty, even the criticism that I receive is respectful and constructive. So I really want to thank all of you. I know it takes time six minutes, approximately of your time to complete the survey. But these results are so helpful. I mean, this gives me the feedback that I'm looking for. It gives me the data that I'm looking for. It helps shape the future episodes of the podcast. It gives me information that I can provide to sponsors and advertisers, people who want to know things about my audience. This This helps me provide a lot of it where other data specs aren't available, and then it's just like the honest feedback, like the real people leaving me real comments. Those are so impactful. So I love that you all have taken some time out of your life to give me this feedback. And I appreciate it. I appreciate you. I received some great feedback on the section of the survey regarding the Virginia's adventure town series, and I wanted to share just a few So this one says it would be great to include a bit of info on kid friendly activities in these towns, easy trails, interesting playgrounds, coffee shops with play areas, etc. I travel solo with my two year old, so our trips are his speed right now, which is slow. Lol. This is really great feedback. And if you have not already, go back and listen to episode 29 great hikes in Virginia with Erin Gifford. Erin is the author of the book hiking with kids Virginia. 52 great hikes for families, and she had just released that book when we recorded that episode. So all of the hikes that we talk about in that episode are from her book and are kid friendly. Your two year old might not quite be ready for that yet, but he will be before you know it. And for anybody else listening who has kids who's interested, that's episode 29 and I will say also that I have been more mindful about incorporating information about kid friendly stuff in all of my episodes. So the very next episode to come out next week is about King George County, and you will hear us discuss in that episode the all natural playground that was installed by the Friends Group at Caledon State Park. And when we talk about the Dahlgren trail, we actually discuss each section of the trail and what the terrain is like, and we very specifically say which sections are the most friendly for small kids on bikes or even strollers. Next comment, I'm a Virginian and have loved how it highlights towns across the state that I've never been to. I like how it highlights the people from the area who know their town and the activities that make them proud to be a part of their community. These episodes help in making plans to go visit sometime, and I appreciate that you visit these places while I appreciate this feedback, because it means that I have been hitting my goals. All of this feedback is exactly what I strive to do in each one of these episodes in the series. I am very thoughtful and deliberate about the guests that I choose because I do want them to be from the community and to be engaged in their community and proud of what their community is doing in the outdoor space. And additionally, I want you, the listener, to have all the resources that you need to plan a trip, and that includes lodging, dining and other attractions. And I received other feedback that I'm not going to read, but quite a few people had said how much they appreciate, especially the episodes where there is a state park in the town, and I can completely understand why, because state parks are a huge draw for folks, and people are willing to drive a long way to visit one but they don't usually know what else there is to do in the area when they get there. For example, I had heard from several people who said they really appreciated the episode about St Paul because they were traveling five or six hours to visit the new Clinch River State Park, but then they didn't know what else to do once they arrived, so that episode gave them lots of suggestions and all of the links in the show notes to all of the places that we talked about, so that they could fill their itinerary for a weekend. I am so glad to get this feedback, because it means that I'm hitting my goals and I'm doing my job. The next comment says this series almost convinced me to visit one of these towns, and I may still some of them are just a little too far of a drive for a weekend getaway. Well, I don't know where this person lives, because all of this feedback is anonymous, but I will say that I try to have episodes in the series that cover all regions of the state, so I've got episodes in. In the coastal area, including one on the eastern shore in Appalachia, in central Virginia and south side. So depending on what on where you live, unless you're living outside of Virginia, there should be at least one that is close by. And if not, hang tight, there are plenty more coming, and there should be soon. And then somebody said it would be great to include ones within one hour of the Richmond area. Well, there is one within one hour of the Richmond area. Check out episode 53 about Farmville, which features five state parks in the area, including the majestic High Bridge and high bridge Trail State Park, which runs right through the middle of downtown Farmville. People sent me lots of great ideas for new episodes. I'm going to share a few. Somebody said RV camping weekenders like me, full timers or the occasional and someone else said an episode on hammock camping would be helpful. I don't recall that subject being covered. I love both of these ideas, mostly because lots of people enjoy camping, and these are just two variations of camping, and it's quite possible that a lot of people have never tried either of these, but after hearing an episode, they might think about it. So what I need from you all are suggestions for guests. A guest on RV camping would need to be able to talk about owning and renting an RV, and then I just don't even know where to begin looking for somebody who could talk about hammock camping. So if you guys have ideas, please send them my way. Someone else suggested camping, backpacking and solo trips. While there are lots of episodes about camping and backpacking. There are no episodes about solo trips yet, but it got me thinking, because almost all of my trips are solo trips. Now, there are some activities that I'm not going to do alone, like I need a buddy to go caving and I need a guide to go ice climbing, for example, but all of the traveling I'm pretty much doing on my own, all of the hiking, the camping, the backpacking, that's all solo. So this has got me thinking that maybe I should be talking a little bit more about my experiences doing these things solo, but I'd like to hear from you all what you think about that someone else said more fly fishing for women and cycling. I have done episodes on fly fishing and cycling early on, like in season one and two, but it's been a minute, so it might be a good time for me to think about revisiting some of these topics, and maybe from a different perspective or a different angle. So yeah, I appreciate that feedback, because now you've got my wheels turning, pun intended, diving into the s, p5, 100, and maybe talking to someone who has hiked all 500 miles of trails in SNP, it's a cool accomplishment, for sure. It is a cool accomplishment, for sure, hiking 500 trails in Shenandoah National Park. I think I'm in some sort of a Facebook group for people who are are doing this. And I think I saw that they're starting to, they started creating patches or stickers or something for this. So, yeah, I think that there are a lot of people interested in I think it. I think this would be a great subject. I mean, Shenandoah National Park is a very popular place for a lot of folks, and setting goals is also really important for a lot of people. I did an episode about outdoorsy goal setting with Alejandra from girls who hike Virginia just this past January, and that episode, man, people were eating it up. So, yeah, I think this is a great topic. I just have to find a guest, and I could start looking around. But if somebody has suggestions. Send them to me, please. This next suggestion is more biologists, historians and state representatives. This, I think, is super interesting. So I have had biologists and historians on the podcast. Check out episode 42 a glimpse into the wonderful world of Virginia's wildlife. And that is with Megan Thomas, who is a biologist from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. And she talks about Falcon cam and the three other wildlife cams that DWR makes accessible to the public. Very interesting episode. People love episodes about wildlife, so maybe I'll start looking for biologists for other wildlife topics, mills. Kelly, who I mentioned previously, is a recently retired history professor at George Mason University, and he's coming back on and then state representatives. This is the thing that really fascinates me, because the last two surveys, I was surprised how many people said they wanted to hear from legislators about policy and laws and other legislation that impacts outdoor recreation and gosh, me, personally, I could geek out and talk about policy all day, but I don't, because I don't want to put people to sleep. But I also think that maybe there is an opportunity here. To hear a different perspective, because outdoor recreation and access to our public lands is absolutely impacted by politics, and not just federal, but also state and local, because state and local is where it's at, folks. So it may be having a couple of legislators come on and talk about, you know, what's coming up in the General Assembly that we should keep our eyes open on, or just general information about how the state budget or other policies impact our access to the outdoors. So I really like this topic, but also I really like it because it appeals to me, and I want to make sure that it also appeals to other people. So send me your feedback on that before I dive down that rabbit hole. Then somebody said, Anyone from the PA TC? And if you're not familiar with the PA TC, that's the Potomac Appalachian Trail club. So anyone from the paetc that maintains trails? I love this idea. I did do an episode. It's episode 22 hiking McAfee knob and Virginia's triple crown with Diana Christopoulos from the Roanoke Appalachian Trail club. Check that out, as well as episode 13, which is endless outdoor rec opportunities on Shenandoah mountain, with Lynn Cameron, who's the co chair of friends of Shenandoah mountain and also a very active member of her Appalachian Trail club, and she and her husband Malcolm do tons of volunteer trail work. So there are episodes out there, and I would love to focus on more, because there are, there are Appalachian Trail clubs all over the state, and they're regional. And even though I have done a couple, I would love to really highlight some of the lesser known areas, like McAfee knob in Virginia's Triple Crown is really well known and really well loved. But I know that there are other areas of the Appalachian Trail through Virginia that maybe aren't quite as known. And there are great hikes, not just on the at but in those general areas, and somebody from a trail club could talk all about those. So I love this idea, and I'm glad somebody brought it to my attention. And then lastly, someone said maybe someone talking about effective conservation advocacy, if you missed it just this past January. Episode 66 is parks advocacy day, be a champion for our state parks. And the guest is Michelle Shope, who is on the board of the Virginia association for parks. It's a special edition episode. I don't normally do these types of episodes, but we had Advocacy Day coming up at the capitol that I wanted to let people know about, and also let them know what the experience is like, because a lot of folks are really nervous or intimidated by the idea of going to Richmond and talking to state legislators, and that's completely understandable, but also it shouldn't be scary or intimidating. So Michelle talked about what her experience had been like the year before, when she was brand new to it. You know, we talked people through what they could expect if they decided to join us that year. And we do this every year. So there is an opportunity coming up again this January to do it again. So check out that episode. And thank you so much to everybody who sent me their feedback. There was lots of other suggestions. I can't go through all of them, but I can tell you that I have read them all. And one more reminder, this is the last chance to fill out the listener survey. The survey is going to close at the end of this week, and if you have not submitted your responses, please do so now the link is in your show notes. There are a couple of events coming up where I will be in person so you can come out and say hello. If you'd like in the listener survey, somebody wrote that they would like places she will be, with a little notice for those of us who plan ahead, and I had to chuckle, because I am also a planner and like to know things well in advance, especially because I have a really busy schedule. So in the past, I have been posting any upcoming events where I'm going to be in person on social media, but I understand that it's easy to miss that. So starting this season, I'm going to be including those upcoming events in my email newsletter as well. So if you're not already subscribed to the email newsletter, you're going to want to do that, because not only are you going to know about upcoming events, but giveaways are going to be in the newsletter. And then I'm working with several new brands this year that are offering discounts on their outdoor gear, and that's exclusive to my listeners, and it's only for people who receive the email newsletter. And then, of course, you'll never miss a new episode, because you'll always receive an email newsletter after a new episode is released. So you'll want to sign up for that by going to the link in your show notes and clicking on email newsletter sign up. So the two events that are coming up are beats on the back. End at seven Bend State Park, and that's going to be really soon, Sunday, September the 14th. And then this is not confirmed yet, but most likely I'm going to be at go fast in Roanoke, and that is October 17 through the 19th. So mark your calendars, friends, the first episode of season six drops one week from today. Thank you for sticking with me throughout this adventure. I couldn't be more excited for another podcast season, and I appreciate each of you for your support and the community we've built around our mutual love for our beautiful outdoors right here in Virginia. Virginia Outdoor Adventures is inspired by and supported by listeners like you, which is why your messages and feedback means so much to me. You can text me directly by clicking on Send Jessica a text message in your show notes, I answer questions, respond to comments and share your feedback on the show. Never miss a new episode. Sign up for my email newsletter and receive my listener resource guide with the top podcast episodes a Virginia outdoor bucket list and exclusive brand discounts for my listeners. Click on newsletter. Sign up in your show notes or visit virginiaoutdoor adventures.com thanks for listening until next time. Adventure on you.
