Random thoughts from a busy week of being on the road and attending a regional tourism conference.

• The more time I spend in Alabama the more I like it. In addition to driving through much of the state, I have now spent time in Birmingham, Montgomery and Huntsville. The three cities are quite different from each other and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. If you have never been to Alabama you may be surprised to know that the northern part is very scenic with mountains, lakes and great outdoor recreation. One thing the entire state has in common from the mountains to the Gulf of Mexico is friendly people.

• It's great to see politicians who truly understand the importance of travel and tourism and how it works. The Governor of Georgia was at the conference I attended. He spoke enthusiastically about what tourism means to his state. He even referenced Movie & TV Tourism, which is a niche market that local DMOs are attuned to while most Governors are more interested in the bottom line. I like to think that our Governor here in Virginia is a true believer. After all, travel is the 5th largest private employer in Virginia.

• While at the Southeast Tourism Society Fall Forum, one of our wonderful clients won an award for Best Marketing. Actually, the Best Marketing category was divided into three awards based on the size of the budget. It's an eminently fair way to judge the work. A campaign for a rural county with a population of 5,000 should not be judged against the marketing campaign of Orlando or Nashville. Our client happened to be in the smallest of the three budget categories. I did, however, get an opportunity to see the work of the winners in the other two larger budget categories. It's great work to be sure. I still think that our work was just as good and that our creative team stacks up equally to the other winners. That makes me proud.

• Best news of all even though it has nothing to do with the conference I attended is that the great Warren Miller has published his autobiography. Who is Warren Miller, you ask? He is a godfather of action-sports movie making. He started filming skiers at Sun Valley, Idaho, in 1949. Since then he has filmed the world best (and craziest) skiers in every exotic location around the world. To me, the highlights of his movies are not the legends on skis or the cool venues that I will only see in the movies. It’s his dry wit, his passion for the sport, his unmistakable narration and some pretty crazy stories. Like the time he was skiing with former presidential candidate Jack Kemp and astronauts Alan Shepard and Scott Carpenter. A lift attendant asked one of those guys to take a photo of himself with the legendary Warren Miller. He’s 91 now and not skiing quite as much. I can’t wait to read his book.

Right now we are putting the final touches on a new case study to be posted within a couple of weeks. I think that the readers of this blog who work in tourism marketing, or marketing in general, will find it interesting. We'll share some research and conclusions and even the ad campaign that emerged. First, though, I would just like to take a moment to tell you about the place — not from the perspective of a researcher or an advertising guy but from the point of view of a visitor.

The destination is Hardy County, West Virginia. It's a quiet place in the eastern part of the state along the border with Virginia. As you would expect of the Mountaineer State, Hardy County has beautiful mountain scenery and much of the outdoor recreation that mountains tend to offer. The back roads are very popular with road cyclists. Several rivers and ponds offer great fishing and paddling, including the South Branch of the Potomac River, which winds through a six-mile long gorge known locally as "the Trough." Camping, hiking and horseback riding are all available at Lost River State Park on the eastern side of the county.

There are two incorporated towns and a handful of tiny unincorporated ones. Moorefield is the county seat and the larger of the two incorporated towns. The first time I visited Hardy County, I drove north along Route 220 all the way from the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia. It's not the most efficient route from Roanoke, but it is a beautiful drive. Upon entering Moorefield you immediately discover its current claim to fame. Two large poultry plants are visible from Main Street, giving the impression of a blue collar industrial town. While the plants are not exactly scenic, they are part of the town's personality and they employ a lot of people. Just past the plants is a nice downtown area with tree-lined streets, shops and historic buildings including the McCoy Grand Theatre. A 20-minute drive, which by the way happens to include some amazing mountain views, will take you into Wardensville, the county's other incorporated town. Wardensville is in the midst of a renaissance. Entrepreneurial energy is in the air, thanks in part to cool businesses like the Lost River Trading Post and the Lost River Brewing Company.

Speaking of the Lost River, Wardensville serves as a gateway community to an area of Hardy County known as the Lost River Valley. While the Lost River Valley is an unofficial name that does not appear on state maps, it is indeed a popular destination for visitors. Almost the entire length of the valley includes family farms, some of which have been in operation for generations. The fields, barns and farmhouses add charm to the scenic nature of the valley. There are several award-winning inns with hospitality so extraordinary that visitors return every year. Just driving through the Lost River Valley is like stepping back in time. George Washington surveyed the land on behalf of Lord Fairfax. He didn't have the benefit of cruising along Rt. 259 with the windows down enjoying an espresso from the Lost River Trading Post, but I imagine Washington enjoyed his time in the Lost River Valley just as much as I have.

I saw this list of the top 50 tourist attractions yesterday on Facebook. Everything about this fascinated me. There are places on this list that I've never heard of. The truth is, I'm not nearly as well-traveled as I'd like to think I am. I've only been to 10 of the places on the list. I have not been to any of the numerous Disney properties on the list. That's right, I've never been to Disney World. Are you feeling sorry for me yet? Please don't. I have been to the Sydney Opera House. I think that’s 10x better than Disney, not only because it’s one of the coolest buildings in the world but because it’s, well, it’s in Australia for crying out loud.

The methodology for compiling the list is nearly as interesting as the list itself. Travel & Leisure defined tourist attractions as “cultural and historic sites, natural landmarks and officially designated spaces” then proceeded to exclude roads like the Blue Ridge Parkway. Huh? It’s historic and it's a unit of the National Park Service (other parks made the list) that was visited by 13.9 million tourists in 2014. The list contains two piers (which is like a bridge to nowhere) yet it excludes bridges, which is the only reason I can figure why Humpback Bridge in the Alleghany Highlands didn’t make the cut. Exact visitation numbers are not available but it is the subject of a Telly-award-winning video.

I’m sure that every spot on the list is interesting in some way. They all draw millions of visitors, which is definitely impressive. I certainly enjoyed each of the 10 locations that I visited. However, I would only place two of the remaining forty destinations high on my priority list.

What about you? Have you visited many of these locations? Does this list of most visited attractions happen to coincide with your personal opinion of what makes destinations appealing? Let us know.

If you haven't yet picked up your free copy of the January Blue Ridge Outdoors, go get one right now. Seriously, right now. Not only does the magazine feature a special advertising section of Virginia destinations, it is also the annual Best of the Blue Ridge issue with the results of the votes of the readers.

The readers have spoken. It turns out that they really like our clients.

• Best Campground, Winner: Douthat State Park. The park actually straddles the border of Alleghany and Bath Counties, both of which are clients

• Best Triathlon, 3rd Place: Alleghany Highlands Tri.

• Best Kid-Friendly Destination, Winner: Virginia Creeper Trail. The western terminus is located in beautiful Abingdon, Virginia, which is ideal because after riding you'll be ready for some great food, which Abingdon certainly has plenty of.

• Best Marathon, Winner: Blue Ridge Marathon. That's no surprise. The scenic course goes up Mill Mountain, onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and then up Roanoke Mountain. The course is tough as Hell but the scenery is Heavenly.

• Best Biking Trail, Winner: The Gauntlet at Carvins Cove. I don't know how they chose one trail because all the trails are Carvins Cove kick butt.

There were also a slew of other events or businesses in the Virginia's Blue Ridge region that were runners up in their categories.

These results show that our clients are pretty cool places to go and have some fun. It also reminds me how fortunate I am to live in such a great place. All of these and so many more awesome outdoor opportunities are located within several hours. Don't you wish you were here. You can always come visit these places.