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From The Editor

CURRENT From The Editor

From The Editor: Channeling Elizabeth Hunter – Time Flies, Monarchs Should Too

Our former columnist’s lifelong love of the magical migrating butterflies is, well, an inspiration.

From The Editor: The Day the Tulip Poplar Came Down

We were too late in giving the tree the respect and attention my father had modeled so well.

From The Editor: Remembering Audie Murphy

A Monument that Continues to Grow. On Brush Mountain west of Roanoke, Virginia, people place rocks and leave pieces of their lives in honor of a World War II hero and actor.

Our States Dominate A.T. Backpacker Dining Favorites

Eat where the thru-hikers do!

From the Editor: New Life for a Downtown – Mast General Store is Coming!

Our town of Roanoke, Virginia has not had a downtown retail anchor for nearly a quarter century. That will change—and gloriously so—come next year.

Current Issue

"Monarch Butterflies in various flying, basking and standing positions."

From The Editor: Channeling Elizabeth Hunter – Time Flies, Monarchs Should Too

Our former columnist’s lifelong love of the magical migrating butterflies is, well, an inspiration.
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From The Editor: The Day the Tulip Poplar Came Down

We were too late in giving the tree the respect and attention my father had modeled so well.
The Murphy monument atop Virginia’s Brush Mountain. Inset: Audie Murphy as Tom Smith from the TV program “Whispering Smith.”

From The Editor: Remembering Audie Murphy

A Monument that Continues to Grow. On Brush Mountain west of Roanoke, Virginia, people place rocks and leave pieces of their lives in honor of a World War II hero and actor.
Proprietors Joe and Sonya Miller don’t consider themselves “owners” so much as caretakers of the legendary restaurant.

Our States Dominate A.T. Backpacker Dining Favorites

Eat where the thru-hikers do!
The old Heironimus building in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, will get new life when Mast General Store arrives next year.

From the Editor: New Life for a Downtown – Mast General Store is Coming!

Our town of Roanoke, Virginia has not had a downtown retail anchor for nearly a quarter century. That will change—and gloriously so—come next year.
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Departments

At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes.
Country Roads

Even Closer to Almost Heaven

New Stargazer cabins at Coopers Rock State Forest offer a skyward escape in the mountains of West Virginia.

June 29, 2026
©Duncan Seaman
Country Roads

A Mountain Tradition Turns 90 

Visitors flock to Galax, Virginia, each summer for the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, a days-long celebration of Appalachian music.

June 29, 2026
Synchronous Fireflies
Creature Feature

The Light Fantastic

Fireflies are struggling with the effects of artificial light.

June 29, 2026

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