Getting to Rugby, Virginia is not the easiest roadtrip in the world. There’s no airport nearby; there’s no hotel where you can crash, either. Heck, your cell phone even cuts out about 45 minutes before you reach the little hamlet. But each year, hundreds of guitar fanatics drive the Crooked Road to Rugby to watch Wayne Henderson at work. After all, his guitars are some of the most coveted acoustic instruments available (and command some of the highest resale prices of any individual luthier). Beyond that, you never know who you’ll run into at his home workshop. Doc Watson, for one, is a frequent guest.

Wayne’s daughter, Elizabeth, has recently started building guitars, trying to learn as much as she can from her old man. That in itself is pretty cool, but what’s even better is that she started a blog called the Luthier’s Apprentice, where she documents whatever she learns, whatever her dad is working on and all the characters who pass through his shop. It’s only a few posts old, but it already makes for fascinating reading.

Check it out here. It may very well convince you to take a pilgrimage to Rugby yourself. If you do, consider visiting during Wayne’s annual music festival. You’ll be guaranteed to see some great picking and you’ll be sure to meet some new friends.