EWING, Va. — Highway 58 runs straight through Virginia’s heartland, going from one end of the state to the other. The famous highway runs its course across a wide scope of terrain, starting from the sandy beaches of Virginia Beach, to the peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains, ending at the bluegrass of Kentucky.

Author Joe Tennis was inspired by this stretch of road and wrote the book "Beach to Bluegrass: Places to Brake on Virginia's Longest Road." He will be selling and signing his book this Saturday at Wilderness Road State Park during the Heritage Festival, which is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“I wanted to tell the story of Virginia that hasn’t been done before,” said Tennis, in a phone interview. Telling it “by what lies along the highway.”

Along the way, Tennis's book — illustrated with more than 100 photos, including three showcasing Cumberland Gap and many pages featuring spots in Lee County — makes stops at the birthplace of R.J. Reynolds; Fairy Stone State Park; Mabry Millon on the Blue Ridge Parkway; Danville's "Wreck of the Old '97" and The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail. Tennis said he limited his stops to 20 miles off of the highway.

Tennis, who was born in Virginia Beach and now lives in Bristol, compared the Highway 58 to the famed Route 66. He said he’s traveled the road many times through the years.

“I started working on the book as far back as ‘93,” said Tennis. “I always had a love affair with Highway 58. I thought it was an interesting highway.”

Tennis limited the number of stories he found to 58 and designed the book so it could be read three different ways: from beginning to end, the stories individually, or for use as a road guide.

“If you read it, you would feel like you went on a journey,” said Tennis.

Tennis said he learned several interesting facts about Lee County and Cumberland Gap while doing research. He said he learned that Martinsville, Va. was named after Joseph Martin, who settled Martin’s Station near Rose Hill. He also learned interesting facts about the Ely Mound located in Ewing through the Lee County Historical Society.

“Lee County is such a big part of this book,” said Tennis. “I think... it’s a very unsung county because it’s so distantly located. It has such a beauty and diversity.”

Tennis, 40, is a feature writer for the Bristol Herald Courier. He has also written for Blue Ridge Country, Appalachian Voice and Virginia Living. Tennis is married with two kids. The book is dedicated to his son.

Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.