Meet Dan Traveling. If you have never seen him before let me fill you in a little bit. Dan Traveling is a fella I like to follow on Twitter. He has a YouTube station and blog and identifies himself on Twitter @DanTraveling Southeast as "One man's very public ramblings on travel and explorations."

a handful of fairy stones

Ramblings on travel and explorations is about it in a nutshell, but sometimes we see a lot of ourselves in another's ramblings, and road trips gone awry. I too, was determined to find these fairy stones of which Fairy Stone State Park is named, and in the end was rewarded with a handful of treasures! I bought some leather cord to hang the fairy stones and gave them to my sisters, my daughters and nieces in Ireland and Washington State. 

You can stay overnight in the cabins or campground and make it a multiple day hunting expedition, or come out for the day and bring a picnic. The thing to remember is no digging tools are allowed, you can use your hands and keep what you find!

GENERAL INFO: Fairy Stone State Park, the largest of Virginia's six original state parks, is home to its namesake "fairy stones." These rare mineral crosses and the park's scenic beauty, rich history and ample recreational opportunities make it a local and regional favorite. The 4,639 acres that make up the park were donated by Junius B. Fishburn, former owner of the Roanoke Times, in 1933. The Civilian Conservation Corps originally built the park, its lake and many structures still in use there.

The Legend of the Fairy Stone: Many hundreds of years before Chief Powhatan’s reign, fairies were dancing around a spring of water, playing with naiads and wood nymphs, when an elfin messenger arrived from a city far away. He brought news of the death of Christ. When these creatures of the forest heard the story of the crucifixion, they wept. As their tears fell upon the earth, they crystallized to form beautiful crosses.

For many years people held these little crosses in superstitious awe, firm in the belief that they protected the wearer against witchcraft, sickness, accidents and disaster. Fairy stones are staurolite, a combination of silica, iron and aluminum. Staurolite crystallizes at 60 or 90 degree angles, hence the stone's cross-like structure. Found only in rocks once subjected to great heat and pressure, the mineral was formed long, long ago, during the rise of the Appalachian Mountains. The stones are most commonly shaped like St. Andrew’s cross, an "X," but "T" shaped Roman crosses and square Maltese crosses are the most sought-after. The rare staurolite stones are found elsewhere but not in such abundance as at Fairy Stone State Park.

Drive Time : Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., six hours (from Washington, DC); Richmond, four hours; Tidewater/ Norfolk/Virginia Beach, five hours; Roanoke, one hour.

Contact Info: Fairy Stone State Park, 967 Fairystone Lake Drive, Stuart, VA 24171-9588; Phone: (276) 930-2424; Email: fairystone. Learn more about park offerings by calling 1-800-933-PARK or email resvs. Be sure to specify the park of interest.

Ride along with Dan Traveling in his video-logue as he tries to locate the elusive Fairy Stones in Virginia. Tongue-in-cheek comments lighten the load and make this road trip fun!

Happy hunting everyone!