Blog

Bedford: Small Town Virginia

Looking to explore some of Virginia’s small towns? Bedford is an easy drive from Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Smith Mountain Lake.

The Blue Ridge Parkway’s Mabry Mill

Mabry Mill construction began around 1903 by Edwin Mabry. Within a few short years, it was an operating gristmill. Today, the mill sits off of the Blue Ridge Parkway and is one of the most photographed mills with large numbers of people visiting it per year.

Mount Vernon: The Home of the First U.S. President

High on a bank looking eastward over the Potomac River sits Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home. The setting is so beautiful, it’s a wonder he was ever lured from there to engage in the founding of and leading a new country. Washington’s father owned the land, which had some smaller buildings on it. By 1758, Washington started building an expansion to the existing building and by 1774, he started adding the wings onto the house, the cupola, and other elements that define it today.

Antietam Battlefield: A Walk Through the Bloodiest Day of the Civil War

The Battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg? The battle is referred to both ways, and it’s not uncommon for Civil War battles to have two names, one named by the North, one by the South. Learn more about our trip to the site, how photography impacted our experience of the hiking trails we took, and why Antietam is known as the bloodiest day of the Civil War.

Waterford, VA: Traveling Back in Time

Due to the aligning of certain factors, Waterford ended up uniquely preserved with many homes and buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.

A California Honeymoon: 11 days in San Francisco, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, and Half Moon Bay

The eleven days of our trip were spent with a perfect variety of activities - hiking along the coast and picnicking on the beach at sunset, touring Napa and Sonoma valley wineries, exploring several Spanish Missions, visiting the Monterey Aquarium, and more. The best part was that feeling of familiarity that you only get in a place that reminds you of where you grew up - where the visage of the rocky coast and the smell and cushioned forest floor of pine needles on hikes just feel right.

What's the deal with these missions in California anyway?

In our California honeymoon blog series, we described visiting three missions: San Francisco Solano, San Juan Bautista, and Carmel. This blog explains a bit of the history that led to the building of the missions in California and what their impact was on the native and newly arrived communities there.