On the Rack Now - June 2010

If you haven't already picked up your free copy of the June 2010 issue of Bella Magazine, then you need to today! It can be found at any of Bella's carefully selected locations throughout Southwest and Central Virginia (look for copies at places like salons, restaurants & cafes, boutiques, and other local businesses!). What are the must-reads for this issue? Everything, of course! But be sure to check out:

• Hot Fashion Trends for Summer
• Chef John's recipe for summer soda pops and sorbet
• Simple Steps to Summer Skin
• The Fresh Air Fund: An article on an incredible organization that provides NYC children from low income families free summer vacations outside the city
• Coffee with an Agenda: Parkway Wesleyan Church's, The Bridge Cafe and Bookstore, where menu and bookstore item proceeds go to support Ebenezer Farms in Nairobi, Kenya
• Bella on a Budget's, Staycate This Summer: Fun tips on how to blend a vacation and staying close to home
• The Bella Shopping Guide
• All of our wonderful columns contributed by writers from the area
• And MUCH more!

Find your copy today and enjoy:)!

Outdoor Adventures

Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing
800.782.0779

We did some research and found a fantastic facility called Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing. After checking out the website we felt confident that we could endure the bugs, sweat, and tears for one day. We weren't exactly sure what to expect, but zip lining through the trees and canoeing under the sun sounded pretty exciting. They also offer camping (from a simple tent to a fabulous rustic lounge), fishing, hiking, mountain biking, high ropes courses, kayaking, rock climbing, caving and more! (They provide all the equipment too.) They are able to accommodate youth groups, families, corporate team-building events, weddings (!!)... You name it, they can make just about anything happen!

Founded in 1990, Wilderness Adventure was to be an "all-outdoor wilderness summer youth program" but today it has become one of the premier year-round adventure programs available. It was recently named as one of the Top 50 Places to Work by Outside Magazine. (And once you meet the staff and see the facilities you'll know why!) To date there have been 22 weddings (another coming up this Fall) between individuals working there, so it's also a great matchmaking service for wilderness enthusiasts!

Their modern facilities are situated on 500 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, approximately 35 miles northwest of Roanoke (click for directions). The property borders beautiful Craig Creek and hundred of square miles of wilderness in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Their facilities include a beautiful main log cabin lodge; another slightly smaller lodge, a small rustic cabin, a pavilion, a sauna, miles of hiking and biking trails, a picturesque gazebo on the water in one of their two fishing ponds, a lighted sand volleyball court, a horseshoe pit, fields for soccer, Frisbee, and football, adventure trails, and the scenic Craig Creek for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. 

After taking a tour, we made our way to the zipline. Now standing at the bottom of the mountain looking up, it really didn't seem that scary. But as we started hiking up towards the drop platform, we realized that: A) Our gear was super heavy; and B) We were going to be a lot higher than we thought. Once you're strapped up and harnessed in, you step to the edge of the platform and basically lean forward. (And don't think for one minute you can "change your mind." Once it starts you can't "wait" as Joey thought she'd be able to to!) You fly in the air at about 40 mph for 900 feet. It's one of the fastest zip lines around. (Funny poses and squealing are optional). Joey went first, because Amy wanted to make sure that the cables were working properly! We'll admit there were some second guesses in our minds right before we stepped out into mid air, but the flight was exhilarating and if we weren't so exhausted from the hike up the mountain, we would have done it again in a heartbeat!

We wanted to try out canoeing, but knew that if were were alone, in a boat, with paddles... one or both of us would end up in the water. So the Wilderness Adventure accompanied us down Craig Creek. To our surprise, we had a blast! Luckily we weren't the ones guiding the canoe, (we'd still be stuck if that was the case) but we did learn the tricks of the trade and got a pretty good upper body workout too! We learned how to spot rocks and low levels of the creek (look for the V in the water) and the proper way to row. Although, most of the time we were gossiping with the girls more than concentrating on our form. After about an hour, we made it back to the camp; but truth be told, we could have enjoyed the sun shining through the trees along the creek all afternoon. 

June Cover Sneak Peek

The June 2010 issue is set to come out this week. Enjoy this sneak peek of the cover (designed by Heidi Pierson of Lynchburg)!