Over the Christmas holidays, many families will be taking road trips to see friends and relatives and – no doubt – there will be food involved in the travel plans. Cold food means ice and heavy coolers – or maybe not! Your daily newspaper can help eliminate much of the need for ice. Years ago, I was hosting a Fourth of July pig roast and I had to pick up the pig the day before. This was about a … [Read more...]

It’s autumn. The leaves are changing, wineries are offering outside entertainment and Virginians are flocking to the countryside to enjoy our accommodating weather and beautiful scenery. Always a fun way to spend an autumn afternoon is a visit to Virginia’s Largest Corn Maze at Liberty Mills Farm in Somerset. Say the folks at Liberty Mills: Our 2016 Maze is challenging and fun! Come visit … [Read more...]

Cowboys used to ride off into the sunset. Don’t know where they were heading, west I suppose. That’s where the sun sets on most afternoons. I know of a place where the sunset is to the east. East, as on the Eastern Shore. It’s Sunset Beach Inn near Cape Charles on the Virginia’s Pristine Eastern Shore. It has become a favored mini-vacation destination for Nancy and me. If we’ve got a couple, … [Read more...]

There are literally hundreds of vineyards in Virginia, and many are putting out high quality and highly rated wines. Most of the vineyards are also serving as destination sites for special occasions, music and good food. The past year or so, my wife Nancy and I have made numerous “road trips” to CrossKeys, a sprawling vineyard near Bridgewater. We really enjoy their wines, especially their … [Read more...]

Sherman Shifflett   If you have never been to Mountain Lake Lodge (where "Dirty Dancing" was filmed), it is worth a visit. Ava and I spent last Thursday night there. Mountain Lake is seven miles up a mountain off Rt. 460, west of Blacksburg, in Giles County. The lake sprung a leak and doesn't have much water in it now. I understand that it drains about every hundred years or so. … [Read more...]

This was a road trip I have looked forward to for several months. The temperature was 65 degrees, it was warm and sunny and my garden had dried out enough from the snowmelt that I could plant - and it was my day off. I hopped in my Jeep and headed north on Rt. 29 to Southern States. It wasn’t a very long road trip, just 3 miles, but it was a necessary trip before planted my garden. I always … [Read more...]

A road trip to Fishersville? Really? Yep, but your timing needs to be accurate. This road trip should take place between Feb. 26-28, to coincide with the 29th Annual Western Virginia Sport Show at the Augusta Expo in Fishersville. This show offers one of the best opportunities to hook up with a guide and enjoy that hunt of a lifetime. Everything from a South Dakota Pheasant hunt to an Elk Safari … [Read more...]