One place that my wife, Fyllis, and I visited promised a “luxury boutique” that has won accolades as among the best resorts in the country. The other invited us to “experience the simple life.” These very different settings stretch along the Virginia–North Carolina border. Together, Patrick County, Virginia, and the Primland resort offer an inviting getaway with an eclectic appeal. Primland combines touches of elegance with a friendly, casual atmosphere and opportunities to enjoy activities not found at many resorts. The surrounding area of Patrick County offers an immersion in a locale where people cling proudly to their strong Appalachian heritage and colorful past. Much of the traffic in the region consists of trucks carrying freshly downed trees, horse trailers, and an occasional plow heading for a farm. Country stores left over from earlier times attracted our attention and in some cases our cash. We were experiencing the lure and …