Affordable Vacations in Recession America? Try Virginia parks and Cabin Journals, a travelogue fit for fireside and porch reading at a cabin.

Book: Cabin Journals: From Lowlands to Highlands to Heart, by Corinna Craft

Norfolk, VA—Dec. 23, 2015: The need for vacation is perennial. But where to go on budget? How about Virginia’s backwoods and creative nonfiction for a parallel journey of the feet and heart?

Cabin Journals celebrates nature as an outdoor cathedral and tonic for the soul in the setting of Virginia’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built Depression-era parks. The book was inspired by the tradition of placing a journal for guest entries on the fireplace mantel or kitchen table of a full-amenity rental cabin that still costs less than most motels. The tradition has been in place since 1936 when the CCC completed six state parks under FDR’s work relief program. The program conserved nature, young men, and their dependent families and gave Americans access to the great American wilderness. 

Outdoor recreation is one business that continues to grow steadily in spite of the recession, judging by Virginia park attendance numbers, which exceeded 8.8 million visitors in 2013. In fact, Tim Vest, Area Director of six parks in south central Virginia says, “The parks have benefited from the recession as people seek economical alternatives, including stay-cations.” More than ever, day visitors, campers, RV’ers, and cabin guests seek a quality getaway for less stress. Cabin Journals is the perfect reading companion for such a trip, matching the honest humor, cozy sentiments, and lofty convictions found in traditional cabin journals.

What about those who can’t break away? “Cabin Journals is a great substitute. It’s very cinematic,” says Lee Porter, interior designer, who was surprised by the historical elements in the book that materialized before his visionary eyes. “The book is also a great people watcher, too. There’s a lot of thought provoking dialogue with rangers and docents and park staff and outdoor enthusiasts.” Jeannett Torrens, a Coast Guard employee in North Carolina, agrees. “The book was a nature immersion experience, a great way for me to reconnect with the outdoors in my den.” Jeanette studied outdoor recreation in college but is now too busy running her farm to go on trips.

Soft frontiersmen are not the only ones who will find the book appealing. With elements of Virginia history and culture, women’s issues, the faith, and brief forays into magical realism and Southern burlesque, Cabin Journals will be favored by a broad audience.

A video trailer is viewable by Googling “Cabin Journals, Corinna Craft, YouTube.” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqwevp-o-5g

The book is available in paperback and ebook through major online distribution channels, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple I Books, as well as Xulon Press, the publisher.

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Cabin-Journals-Lowlands-Highlands-Heart-ebook/dp/B00K1KNPBU

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cabin-journals-corinna-craft/1119388233?ean=9781629522913

Xulon Press:

http://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781629522913

For further interest in nature vacations see the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) web pages: 

Find a State Park

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/find-a-park.shtml

History of Virginia Parks

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/history.shtml

Cabins at Virginia Parks

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/cabin-rentals.shtml

Facts and figures are based on attendance and revenue spreadsheets supplied by the VA DCR, including:

• Virginia State Parks Historical Attendance, 1936-2007
• DCR Total Attendance 2000 through 2012 by Park
• Attendance by Park Summaries from 2008-2013
• Economic Impact Summaries from 2008-2013