OUTDOOR+TRAVEL
Let’s be honest. A lot of tiny houses look like they were thrown together from Home Depot remnants. But the folks at Getaway, a vacation rental company with 16 outposts nationwide, take a different approach. They build style-forward structures that are more MOMA than modular home.
In their location outside Charlottesville, buildings are clad with blackened wood, which is both chic and cozy. Inside, an enormous picture window defines the space, bringing the outdoors indoors. Getaway cabins are finished with neutral tones and amenities like crisp white linens, micro-kitchens, heat/AC, and their own wee libraries.
This Virginia outpost is special, said Getaway spokesperson Jordan Sweat, because it is located just 30 minutes from Shenandoah National Park. And nothing has been overlooked. From a simple self check-in to doggy bowls, Getaway covers details so visitors can clear their minds and reconnect with nature in a beautiful space.
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It’s really hard to stop peeing.
Even when you realize a timber rattler is slithering just inches from your bare buttocks, it takes some real restraint to pause the stream and pull up your muggy trousers. I know firsthand.
Last July, my wife and I had a random Saturday off. She’s a chef, so we almost never get a free weekend together. When we do get time to explore, it’s usually a random weekday when most 9-to-5’ers are in the office. All this to say, we had yet to witness the pandemic-driven outdoor boom until we pulled up to find a historically overlooked trailhead in North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest teeming with long-haired brahs and fetid summer campers. We let out a collective grunt.
Intent on squeezing all the life we could out of the day, we started hiking anyway. But as soon as we gained momentum, 20-somethings in sandals and couples with toddling kiddos would round the corner, forcing us to step off the trail. The hike continued like a UPS delivery route—stop and start, stop and start—and as the miles dragged on, I could feel my bladder squirm.
As crisp autumn air starts settling in on late-September afternoons, leaf peepers begin hitting Virginia's stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Cloudless skies set an ethereal backdrop for clusters of crimson, burnt orange, and golden leaves lining the curvy two-lane highway, a bright runway for the smoky blue mountains peeking over the horizon. Carloads of tourists embark on the scenic drive every fall to take in Virginia's striking foliage. This year, escape the crowds, and pull off the parkway to explore a few mountain towns with their own front-row seats to the seasonal show. Hot Springs, with the historic Omni Homestead Resort surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains; Lexington, a charming college town in the Shenandoah Valley; and Roanoke, a buzzy city for both foodies and outdoor enthusiasts in the eponymous valley.
Many of us have great memories of watching and catching fireflies on warm summer nights. Remember sitting out on the patio and watching them light up the back yard? One would call, and another would answer, all via light. But lately, especially here in Maine, you may have noticed the numbers are declining. You’ll maybe see one or two. Are fireflies disappearing? Will the magic they bring to our warm evenings soon be gone forever?
Turns out, firefly numbers are decreasing all over the country and all over the world. According to Ben Pfeiffer of Firefly.org, most of us are seeing a decline in numbers of the Big Dipper firefly (Photinus pyralis) due to several factors: light pollution, pesticide use, and loss of habitat from development.
Fireflies are picky about where they live and many are not able to recover when their habitats are destroyed or rearranged. So what can you do to help fireflies make a comeback?
Help Fireflies Make A Comeback
Here are a few things you can do to help fireflies in your area...
Story by Susan Higgins
The outdoor is open.
That’s the phrase we heard in March, as the novel coronavirus began its march across the country. It reminded people that, while school, hugs, and public spaces were suddenly ticking time bombs, there was still peace—and adventure—to be found in the great outdoors.
But as the pandemic worsened, the phrase no longer held true. Trails shut down, campgrounds closed, national, state, and local parks locked their gates, and for the first time in recent memory, the outdoors wasn’t open any longer.
Two months later, the outdoors is opening again—with precautions.
On the western edge of the D.C. metro, elusive bobcats roam the darkness in the hills of West Virginia. Just how many, state biologists would like to know.
They’re enlisting the help of trappers in the state’s eastern panhandle and its Allegheny Mountains region, asking trappers to release the cats back into the wild with tracking collars, according to Gary Foster, assistant chief of the wildlife-management section for the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources.
Mostly active during twilight, the cats are rarely seen and more often heard and may inhabit most every county in the Mountain State, the most forested state per square mile in the contiguous U.S.
Deep in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, about 50 miles south of Knoxville, sits an American wonder 140 feet below ground.
Inside, a narrow tunnel leads to an intricate cave system drenched in history. Cherokee Indians used it as a shelter in the 1820s. And during the Civil War, Confederate soldiers used the cave's minerals to make gunpowder.
Tour guide Savannah Dalton is part of that rich history. Her grandmother and great aunt played down here as children.
"I was actually six years old the first time I came down here with my grandmother and older brother," Dalton said.
Few places encapsulate Appalachia like The Great Smoky Mountains. From the stunning views at Cades Cove to the rich history found in Cherokee, this unique range also represents the nation’s most visited national park.Here’s your chance to tour the Smokies on your own terms. The folks at RVshare have this terrific contest—The Smokies Summer Giveaway.
The grand prize winner receives a free RV rental for four-days, a free three-night campground stay in the Smokies, and $1,000 in cash for spending money. The prize package would give you the flexibility to go where you want and see what you want, all while bringing your lodging with you!
But be sure to enter soon. The contest ends July 1, 2019.
And once you enter, don’t forget to increase your chance of winning by taking some of these social media actions:
Finally, we want to hear about your Smoky Mountain experiences and aspirations. Be sure to leave a comment below and tell us—what’s your favorite spot in the Smokies or what spot do you most want to visit?
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