Now here is the really amazing thing: Fayetteville, our little town, has been on top 10 lists of all kinds— climbing towns, rafting towns, coolest towns, best small towns. Here are just a few: Best Adventure Town- National Geographic Top 10 Mountain Towns- North American Hunting Club Top 10 Paddling Town- Paddler Magazine Best River […]
How to Bridge Day
How to Bridge Day: Get here early to beat the crowds so you can eat! Friday is Taste of Bridge Day. It is legendary, and for a good cause. You buy tickets, and these tickets get you sample-sized bites of all the local restaurants’ best stuff! There is a full bar, and our local brewery […]
Fungi Fairy
The fungus fairy is very busy this time of year here in The New River Gorge National River Area. The grounds around Opossum Creek Retreat are rich with mushrooms. Big or small, I like them all— from dull, plain old toadstools to the dazzling, even other-worldly. Fungus and Mushrooms have always had the power to […]
Why do we see so many Logo Vehicles in the Gorge?
Why do we see lots of vehicles all logo’d up here in The New River Gorge? Well… first, we are lucky enough to be part of the National Park Service— more than 70,000 acres. The law of natural attraction: like attracts like. Everyone knows that. World-class talent is drawn to a world-class area. It’s contagious. […]
Harm’s Way
On some level, we all ride in this space at all times. As humans, we seek it. Some seek more, much more. Others push as far as they can toward the safe end of the spectrum. We all should know it is there. This is not a USA thing. It is a human thing. It’s […]
What Niche are You?
We hosted a beginner bird banding class last week, limited to 8 people, and sold out early. These folks spent an intensive week learning how to net, identify, band and release birds safely. Some birds are well-named. This is one. Many have names that have nothing to do with the bird, but that is its own rant […]
Spring Flowers? Fall Leaves? Nope. Here’s nature’s REAL Beauty.
Gone are the berries. ‘Tis the season. It’s all the rage. All the cool states have ‘em: WEEDS. The weeds are coming, and we love ‘em. They are inevitable and it’s going to be huge! It is futile to fight it. Even the names are huge: iron weed, pokeweed, goldenrod, boneseed, Queen Ann’s lace! […]
Learn Beginner Bird Banding in the Gorge!
Birds and Opossum Creek Retreat have a long history. For twelve years now, Opossum Creek has hosted the New River Birding and Nature Festival,which has evolved into an event that has a wonderful “back porch” kind of feel— like a family reunion with a family you would hand pick for yourself. From the very beginning, bird banding has […]
The B__________ are coming!
The B__________ are coming! The B__________ are coming! Well, that is very patriotic of you, and yes, it is that time of year, too. But I am talking BLUEBERRIES! Yes, it is Blueberry Month! I prefer mine small, tart and wild, like the ones from my youth. (Yes, still talking blueberries.) I can recall stopping on […]
