Just as veins of coal lace through the Appalachian Mountains, coal dust flows through the veins of the men, women and children who live in the hollows and towns that dot those rolling hills.

NPR: Life in a Mining Town

They said the men had been training for the attack in the mountains of Pennsylvania and in rural New Jersey.

NPR: Six Held in Alleged Plot to Attack Fort Dix

Two men, they met in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina -- each had moved there to start a new life.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama on America's Great Outdoors Initiative

"Obama is winning men and women in Virginia, and is doing well across the state east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, " CNN polling director Keating Holland said.

CNN: Electoral Map: Obama would win if election held today

After a day carving the slopes in the French Alps, three middle-aged men settle in for tea in the lounge of Les Airelles, a luxurious inn at the top of the mountains in Courchevel, France.

FORBES: Emerging Market Gold