A Visit to Virginia

Last July, two of our very close friends moved to Virginia to try their hand at farming. They moved into an old renovated bank in the small town of Newport, and have since been raising sheep, goats, and cattle on some land shared by local farmers. We finally made the ten hour drive up to visit, and had a great time.

The area is very quaint and rural. Everything had this unmistakable small-town feel, and the scenery was just beautiful. It had snowed just a few days before our visit, so there were still little piles collected and melting on the ground.

The first day, Cole and Stephanie just showed us around, and brought us to the outdoor store where Stephanie works to rent skis. Taylor and I had tried our hand at skiing in January, but failed miserably.

This time was much better! The visibility was great, there were some more beginner-oriented slopes, and we had a slight idea about what we were supposed to do. I absolutely loved skiing, and can't wait to head back to Snowshoe next year. 

On our last day in Virginia, we went on an awesome hike along a short portion of the Appalachian Trail. Midway through the hike, we found ourselves at this awesome overlook where we ate lunch. The view was just gorgeous.

We warmed up on our hike, but it was chilly up at the top--- windy, and just look at those little piles of snow.

Our last stop was a visit to the farm. Cole and Stephanie had tons of baby goats wandering around. I kept teasing that I was going to smuggle one home under my jacket.

There were literally dozens of them just wandering around, and they were pretty cool with being picked up and held.

Taylor almost got this one to fall asleep in his arms.

They're currently keeping the goats and sheep in this clear-cut pasture until the grass starts really growing elsewhere on the farm. It looked kind of nasty, but after a few years of rotational grazing, it should turn into beautiful, green pasture.

We had a wonderful trip, and hopefully we can stay longer next time.