Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 28, 1993 TAG: 9309280059
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Michael Stowe
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Huh? No, it couldn't be," I thought before pulling the pillow over my head and rolling over in bed.
"Mooooo." The sound seeped longer and louder through my window.
No doubt about it. I was awakened by a cow.
Might not be big news to New River Valley natives, but for someone who last lived in Richmond it's pretty odd.
Not that I'm a city boy or anything. I'm proud to say I grew up in Ridgeway, Va., population 11.
There are cows aplenty in Ridgeway, but I can't ever remember one imitating my alarm clock.
Of course, after moving to the state's capital it was commonplace to be awakened by gunshots, deafening shrieks and roaring sirens - but not livestock.
It's a nice change.
Just over a year ago I loaded up my Ford LTD and moved to Montgomery County, at the time not realizing the natural beauty and allure of the area.
My childhood memories of the New River Valley can be described in one word: dreary.
Every time I visited Virginia Tech it was rainy and usually cold. The only time I came to Radford the roads were covered in snow.
Obviously, I wasn't getting the full picture.
In the last 12 months I've enjoyed visiting some of the area's most popular attractions.
I've been to the Cascades. Seen both Claytor and Mountain lakes. Hiked part of the Appalachian Trail, and just this month made my first trip to the New River.
But those are the obvious hot spots of the area, often crowded with tourists.
I want to know the hidden treasures of Southwest Virginia. Places that only longtime residents know about.
And don't limit responses to the outdoors. Tell me a about a favorite restaurant out of the mainstream, an old-time drug store that hasn't been changed by the fast-paced 1990s.
Remember, I've done the popular joints . . .
Hadn't been in town two weeks before I tasted the down-home cuisine at Country Kitchen in Christiansburg.
I've had burgers at Mike's Grill in Blacksburg, calzones at The Cellar, tostados at Taco Inn in Radford and pizza from the Mountain View Market and Italian Kitchen in Ironto.
One of my favorite outings was to Floyd where I had hamburger steak at the Blue Ridge Restaurant in Floyd and heard bluegrass music at Cockram's store. What a slice of life.
Right behind that was an assignment at George Johnson's old country store out "in the suburbs of Allisonia." Lots of nice folks eating moon pies and Mississippi Mud ice cream bars.
I also have a short list of things I want to do, but haven't gotten to yet.
Pulaski County High School football leads the way. From what I've heard there's nothing like it. I also haven't visited the Palette Art Gallery or seen "The Long Way Home in Radford."
Other than that, I'm out of ideas. Please help.
I am a lowly paid reporter, though, so the cheaper the better.
I'll visit as many as I can and maybe even write about a few of the best ones.
Readers who made it this far in the column, please send suggestions to: P.O. Box 540; Christiansburg, Va. 24073.
Michael Stowe is a staff writer for the New River Valley bureau of the Roanoke Times & World-News.
by CNB