Virginia's rail trails range from the popular path of the Washington and Old Dominion Trail to wilderness walks with wispy waterfalls. These lines pass scenes once viewed only by the eyes of train engineers or a few lucky passengers. Now those trails can be enjoyed by anyone looking for a scenic hike or relaxing bike ride or even those saddling up horses. From the sunrise side of the Eastern Shore to the setting sun at the Cumberland Gap, each trail, like the Virginia Creeper" or the "Dick & Willie," has a personality and grandeur all its own. Join author Joe Tennis as he explores restored train stations, discovers a railroad's lost island graveyard and crosses the commonwealth on its idyllic paths." A bibliography is included along with 26 maps, index, 84 black-and-white photos and illustrations plus a 16-page spread with 32 original color photographs. "You do not need to be a railroad buff to enjoy the railway histories he weaves in his narrative, along with some personal tales, local humor, background details, photographs, maps, and trail access information - including how to get on and off segments of trails that have not yet been connected. A middle section of the book is loaded with color photos." -- Lynn Davis, The Roanoke Star , November 2014 "Tennis includes 45 Virginia rail-trails in his book, some (including tiny rail-trails in Ashland and Chester) that don't even reach a mile in length." - Bill Lohmann, Richmond Times-Dispatch , November 2015 "In the book, he writes about those trails that have been created along the corridors of old railway lines that once ferried passengers, coal and other goods through communities ... He also writes about some of the controversies that accompanied the founding of some trails, which include early opposition to the Virginia Creeper and the property rights fights that plagued the construction of the New River Trail well into the 1990s." -- Ralph Berrier, The Roanoke Times, December 2014 "Come to know pretty much all that came before you along the pathway ... There's enough detail and spirit-of-the-rails in its pages that you may well hear an ancient whistle reaching out to you from another century." - Kurt Rheinheimer, Blue Ridge Country , January 2015 "A delightful hybrid of history and utility, the 272-page book, which includes 142 maps and photographs, contains information about more than 45 converted former rail trails from the Eastern Shore's Cape Charles to the coal-mining town of Pound in Wise County and even further west." - Erin Parkhurst, Virginia Living , August 2015 Author Interview  with Joe Tennis What makes the format of your book unique?      It's both a history book and a guide. It's meant to be read, chapter by chapter, as it tells a continuous story of Virginia. Yet it's also a book that can be read one chapter at a time.     It is also loaded with anecdotes, war stories, folklore and what's to see around each bend or rock. And, yet, it can also be taken on the road as a guide.     It is illustrated with a blend of more than 140 illustrations - trail maps, historic maps, historic photos and contemporary photos.     Each of the forty-five trails contains an essay to follow the stories of the old trains. The book also contains road directions to access the trails plus trail descriptions. What maps are in the book?      This book contains a wide variety of 26 maps, including a trail-locator map showing the locations of all trails in the book, across Virginia, so that you can pinpoint even the tiniest and still-developing trails at Cape Charles, Fredericksburg, Boydton, Victoria and New Castle, and match those to the table of contents. You can also use that Virginia map to find the location of the longer trails that all have maps of their own to guide you on your way.    You'll find the official map of the Virginia Creeper Trail Club, which is considered the most accurate of all trail maps for the 34-mile-long Virginia Creeper Trail. This is actually two maps - one showing the east side of the trail from Whitetop Station to Damascus and the other running from Abingdon to Damascus. That trail is diverse, and it's like two trails on either side, so it is presented quite like two different trails.    Likewise, the book features two maps of the 45-mile-long Washington and Old Dominion Trail in Northern Virginia, since it, too, is like two different trails - with the western side at Leesburg and Purcellville more for recreation while the eastern half is more for commuters. The maps included come from the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.    The book also contains a map of the 57-mile-long New River Trail State Park at Galax, Foster Falls, Austinville and Draper.    Other maps include Virginia Beach depicted on a 1919 topographic map with its trail on Norfolk Avenue while still a railroad leading to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes the official map of the Elizabeth River Trail in downtown Norfolk, provided by the