Amanda S. Creasey

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Home | Explore More | Back in the Saddle Again
Guided horseback trail rides in the Shenandoah Valley
June 2025
by Amanda S. Creasey, Outdoors Writer
The white barn is nestled at the foot of Graves Mountain in Syria, Va. When my husband and I walk up, we’re greeted at the gate by an exuberant dog, who we later learn is named Cinch. He has a merle coat. Another couple and a woman on her own are already here, wearing their helmets and milling around in the sun while our guides prepa...

Cooperative Focus
Home | Cooperative Focus | Becoming a Nature Hero
An inside look at wildlife rescue and rehabilitation
April 2025
by Amanda S. Creasey, Contributing Columnist
One of the greatest thrills of spending time outside is encountering wildlife. Whether it’s a box turtle or bird, fox or frog, rabbit or raccoon, seeing native wildlife in its natural habitat reminds us that we share this world with many creatures.
But what should you do if you encounter one of these wild animals in di...

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Home | Explore More | The Channels Challenge

A hike for the ages that’s worth the effort

October 2024

by Amanda S. Creasey, Outdoors Writer

Everyone told us how hard hiking to The Channels would be.

“The hike there is a slog.” “It’s uphill all the way there.” “It’s really, really hard.” These are just a few warnings we received before our adventure in The Channels Natural Area Preserve.

However, despite these warnings, no one who issued them said it wasn’t worth the work involved...

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Celebrating National Dog Month
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Stay cool with these canine-friendly adventures
August 2024
by Amanda Sue Creasey, Outdoors Writer
While traditionally associated with the hot, humid slog that begins at the end of July, the dog days of summer took on a fresh meaning in 2020 when August was officially designated as National Dog Month. This time of year, chilling out in the air conditioning might be tempting, but instead of...

A magical day with Daisey’s Island Cruises
June 2024
by Amanda S. Creasey, Outdoors Writer
As my alarm goes off at 6:45 a.m. on a Saturday, I question why I thought the morning tour time was a good idea. I had a 9 a.m. option, an 11 a.m. option and a 2:30 p.m. option. Why did 9 a.m. seem like the best choice? But I resist the temptation to snooze and get up. It’s pony time!
Although they’re known as the Chincoteague ponies, the 150 or so equines spend most of their time on Assateague, only vi...

Exploring Virginia State Parks by water
April 2024
by Amanda S. Creasey, Outdoors Writer
When Crystal Hughes of Norfolk, Va., finished the Virginia State Parks’ Trail Quest program last year, visiting all 42 state parks, she told herself she “wasn’t going to get all wrapped up in Paddle Quest.”
Not long after, she found herself on the water. “I just felt like I had to do it, even though I told myself I wouldn’t,” Hughes, the AmeriCorps program manager for the state parks, says.
Between May 20...

Abandoned presidential statues have a bright future in Williamsburg
January-February 2024
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by Amanda S. Creasey, Outdoors Writer
When people think of Williamsburg, Va., outlet shopping and Colonial history are likely what come to mind. What might not be at the forefront of most people’s thoughts is Presidents Park, a long-closed sculpture park featuring larger-than-life busts of 42 U.S.presidents. When the park closed roughly a decade ago, Howard Hankins was hired to remove and dispose of th...

Jackie McCool's first book, Beer Dogs Virginia, is a one-of-a-kind coffee table book that showcases portraits of dogs from more than 30 breweries around the state of Virginia. The collection of images is accompanied by charming biographies of each dog as well as essays from Virginia authors, dog lovers, celebrity chefs, and brewing experts. It is the perfect way to combine two of Virginia's greatest loves - craft beer and dogs!
To make this book even more exciting, Virginia artist Mike Zawesk...

Shenandoah Valley museum keeps parade memories afloat
August 2023
by Amanda S. Creasey, Contributing Writer
In 1946, when he was 18 years old, Earl Hargrove worked designing and building animated department store holiday window displays. In the true spirit of the American dream and work ethic, roughly four years later at age 22, he was on the phone with the White House discussing the possibility of creating floats for the upcoming Inauguration Day Parade. He earned the bid for President Harry...

June 2023
By Amanda S. Creasey, Outdoors Writer
We arrive at Civitan Park in Ewing, Va., at 10 a.m. on a Saturday. Including ours, five cars wait for their drivers to return from hiking to the Sand Cave in the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.
My friend Jamie, my dogs and I have been planning this trip for weeks. “Can you do this hike in those?” Jamie asks, nodding at my Uggs. “I guess we’ll find out,” I say. I forgot my hiking boots....

Virginia and Maryland state parks offer something for everyone, in every season
by Amanda S. Creasey, Outdoors Writer
In the summer of 2020, Cole Jensen’s friend, Matt Sullivan, approached him with an idea: He wanted to visit every state park in Virginia. “I was instantly on board and fully committed to the concept. It was totally impulsive and spontaneous,” Jensen, a Virginia native, says.
The challenge to visit every Virginia State Park, formally known as Trail Quest, is open to everyone. P...

Writing Through the Apocalypse, Pandemic Poetry and Prose, is a collection of sixty-three essays and poems written by writers from all over the world who have been writing together on Zoom every week since March 2020.

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EXPLORE MORE Getting Out There by Amanda Creasey, Outdoors Writer Virginia hiking club encourages women of color to explore the great outdoors D “Being able to hike with a group provides a sense of safety for women of color.” – Nicole Boyd espite growing up in urban New York City, Nicole Boyd remembers experiencing the great outdoors during her childhood. She recalls riding her bike, playing basketball and going to parks. “Hiking, or ‘walking in the woods’ as I called it as a kid, was so...

A whitewater rafting adventure in Harpers Ferry
SEPTEMBER 2022
by Amanda Creasey, Outdoors Writer
On a Monday morning in late July, I drive my friend Caitlyn, my husband and myself to River Riders Family Adventure Resort in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., with a forecast for severe thunderstorms looming over our heads.
But no one has contacted us to say our whitewater rafting excursion has been canceled or postponed, and, when we pull into the parking lot, River Riders is bustling with people preparing...

All parents want the best for their children, and typically share the common goal of preparing their kids to thrive as productive and capable adults. One of the most important skills parents can impart to their children is financial responsibility. Allowing kids to manage their own money before they leave home can help them understand not only how to save it, but also how to spend it responsibly. Providing the opportunity for children to earn their own money also allows them to feel proud of ...