6. Virginia

The first quick jaunt into Virginia came with a visit to Hungry Mother State Park with mom and dad, aunt, uncle, and cousins. This would begin a tradition of trips with this group that spanned the years through high school. 

Hungry Mother State Park is a beautiful place, despite the sad folklore behind the name. From the park website:

The Legend of Hungry Mother

Legend has it that when the Native Americans destroyed several settlements on the New River south of the park, Molly Marley and her small child were among the survivors taken to the raiders’ base north of the park. They eventually escaped, wandering through the wilderness eating berries. Molly finally collapsed, and her child wandered down a creek until the child found help. The only words the child could utter were "Hungry Mother." The search party arrived at the foot of the mountain where Molly collapsed to find the child's mother dead. Today that mountain is Molly’s Knob, and the stream is Hungry Mother Creek.

The 108 acre lake with a sandy beach was a delight the day we visited. I thought we WERE at the beach!