HighlandCounty-150728_0032_3_4_5-EditFoggy sunrise in Highland County, Va

Getting away, I mean really getting away, seems to be getting harder and harder these days.  Luckily there are still places that one can go to get completely off the grid.  Some may think that these places are just behind the times or worse yet “backwards”.  But for a few days in the Virginia highlands I find myself not looking at my phone every 30 minutes for texts or emails.  My kids go outside to create games and adventures on their own.  We spend time talking, going for hikes and enjoying the mountain air.  I find it to be a great way to recharge and really focus on things that matter: family, friends, conversations, laughter, adventure, the outdoors.  No computer or electronic device will ever take the place of hiking to a rocky outcrop to view the valley below, coming face to face with a timber rattlesnake, or watching a black bear cross a field as you have a beer around a fire.  Sure, I know that when we get back to “civilization” I will get back to doing all the things that the internet affords me to do.  I understand that you being able to read this IS because of the power of the internet.  But for now, as I type this, I have no internet access or mobile phone service and it feels great!