36 22 AUTHOR'S COLLECTION THE SPA AT OLD EDWARDS FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 22 35 MOUNTAIN TREASURES FOR THE COLD SEASON Plus, is Wytheville, Virginia a museum capital? BY ANGELA MINOR 32 BETWEEN BEAUTFUL SEASONS: A PHOTO ESSAY Our contributing photographers capture fall-winter magic. 36 OTTO WOOD, THE BANDIT A brief life of crime inspired ballads and now a book. BY TREVOR MCKENZIE 40 DENROARCHAEOLOGY STRIKES! How to know where the wood in the old barn came from, and when. BY GINNY NEIL 44 A LIFE OF WATCHING EAGLES A boy's fascination with the big birds has grown to full love. BY RYAN RICE 49 A GRANDSON'S PROMISE KEPT, DECADES LATER The loss of family land broke a heart; a regaining brings pride. BY BRUCE INGRAM 51 UPCOUNTRY SOUTH CAROLINA QUICK GUIDE We have the see/do/play/dine/sleep guide to the region. BY ANGELA MINOR ON THE COVER Pre-dawn image looks onto the Linn Cove Viaduct at Milepost 294.6 of the North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway, with " the best autumn color in over a decade, " according to the photographer, who scouted the area for three years to get the shot. Early morning glows on the horizon above cloud inversions in the valleys below. PHOTO BY MIKE KOENIG 5 Letters/Contributors 10 6 From the Editor 8 Mill Creek Stories Creature Feature 12 The Good Walk 14 Our Blue Ridge Towns 16 Festivals & Events 18 Country Roads 62 Flavors 64 Singing in the Garden 66 Guest Column NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 3