Giles County, on the western edge of the state, is an outdoor sanctuary featuring the New River, the Jefferson National Forest and a few stunning natural landmarks, including the palisades at Eggleston. JOE TENNIS jumped into a raft to check out the summer splendors of what one local outfitter calls “the motherland.” By Joe Tennis | Photography by Jeff Greenough

     “I call it the motherland,” Hash says. “It’s just small-town America, but with an outdoor inventory that rivals anywhere else in the United States.”

Hash’s afternoon excursion ends at Eggleston, an isolated village near two of the best-known natural landmarks in the state. Until the 1930s, Eggleston was the site of a spring-water resort. Even earlier, in the early 1800s, the place was called “Gunpowder Springs,” reportedly because the area’s spring water tasted, or smelled, like gunpowder. Nowadays, it attracts visitors who want to see the palisades of Eggleston—a series of ancient spires of dolomite that stand like statues along the river and are called names like Caesar’s Arch and Eye of the Needle. The best way to see these giant rock cliffs, not to mention many other spots in the county, is from the river; not far below the Va. 730 bridge, they pop dramatically into view. “At sunset,” Hash says, “the orange reflection from the river to the cliffs is magnificent.”

The Palisades is also the name of Shaena Muldoon’s restaurant on Eg­gleston’s Village Street. There, head chef James Moore cooks up pork chops stuffed with rosemary and apples, as well as gourmet pizza and spicy shrimp. Muldoon, an affable woman who grew up in Eggleston, opened the business in March 2009 after her brother, Patrick, bought the building, once the home of an old-time general store. Before that, she’d traveled the world as a special events coordinator for various organizations, including the World’s Fair. Now, after a 27-year absence, she is excited to reconnect with her roots. “I always thought this was one of the most beautiful places on Earth,” says Muldoon, 45. “And I still believe it. The mountains, the rivers, the creeks—no matter where you drive, it’s just breathtaking.”

Paul Moody would agree. He’s a 55-year-old river guide and entrepreneur who owns a home and garden center in nearby Pembroke, along with a rustic, capacious cabin that he rents out to visitors (through his firm New River’s Edge). Just beyond the Pembroke boat ramp, Moody’s A-frame cabin pokes out of the tree line, offering rustic quaintness for upwards of 10 people. The rattle and hum of passing cargo trains can be heard nearby. Moody notes that the largest communities in Giles are stretched along the parallel paths of U.S. 460 and the New River, which Moody calls the county’s silent common denominator. “Whenever the ferries came in,” Moody says, “towns or trading posts cropped up.”