Fun Adventures Going Off the Grid

  The store on Main Street, Marion I headed out down Interstate 81 recently to find out more about this moonshine I heard one man was making in Marion, Virginia.  A legal version of the stuff we all have heard was secretly made in the rural mountains of Appalachia.  And yup, right there in downtown Marion, we found the Mercantile and tasting room right in the middle of Main Street.  How cool is this? Inside this Mercantile & Stillhouse Store you can come in, taste their spirits and take a tour of the facility.  And that's just what we did.  And yes, it's made in the hills of rural Appalachia.  But this stuff -- is 100% legally because he pays federal taxes on everything he sells. We went inside and got to talk with the owner, Scott Schumaker, who told us that he accidentally made this moonshine when looking for a fuel source for his home.  He lives off the grid in Marion and when he asked for advice on making the perfect fuel to power his home, his buddies to

A Tradition That Lasts This winter was a brutal one for a lot of us on the east coast.  It just seemed like we couldn't get a break.  I especially felt bad for those living in Boston.  They got dumped on all winter long! Here in Southwest Virginia, we were spared much of the snow. We typically will get a good snow once or twice each winter. But it's short-lived and Spring starts showing signs around late March. And that's when I go away.  My girlfriends and I have made it a tradition to get together one weekend in March -- and we've been lucky so far with the weather. This year, however, Mother Nature was planning  to spoil all the fun with a major snowstorm a day before we were to leave.  But she didn't realize that 5 women were so determined. This is OUR weekend -- and come hell or high water - we're going!! The day before our trip, we all watched the weather forecast closely because it was looking like it was going to dump abou

When I arrived here in Greenbrier Valley, West Virginia I was a little taken back.  Not sure what I was expecting, but this cute little quaint town was not at all what I thought I was going to see.  We entered into the town of Lewisburg and it instantly reminded me of Abingdon, VA.  That is another town where you are traveling along one road, and all of a sudden, it opens up to a downtown area that is bustling with unique shops, restaurants and friendly people.  Watch our recent report on our visit, and be sure to make plans to go.  You can find out more here Be sure to stay for the weekend.  Of course there is The Greenbrier but there are plenty of options here.   I am sure you will not be disappointed!

My best friend and I haven't seen each other in years.  However, that hasn't hurt our friendship.  We've been best friends since elementary school.  Months can go by without us talking and we can pick up the phone and it's like no time has passed.  However, I get sad when I think about how long it's been since we've seen each other.  If I remember correctly, I think it's been four years.  Is that possible?  Where does the time go?  So, when she called and said she was going to be up the road in Nelson County, Virginia,  I jumped at the chance to meet her there.  She and her family wanted to do a little hiking, and I told her about one of my favorite hikes here in Virginia called Crabtree Falls.  We agreed we would meet up and do this one together! However, like the saying goes; "fail to plan, plan to fail".. that's exactly what happened. We set the date and time we would meet and off we went.  We decided to meet at the upper parking lot aroun