April 10, 2008 issue

Discover Watauga County on Two Wheels

Biking the Country Roads of Watauga With Ole Gade and Roni Ellis Hits Shelves This Week

Story by Sam Calhoun

Blame it on a spin class.

Featuring the cover art of Anne Hardin, Biking the Country Roads of Watauga With Ole Gade and Roni Ellis will be available this week at stores in Watauga County. The authors are also hosting a book signing at The Inn at the Taylor House in Valle Crucis this Sunday, April 13, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. For more than a decade, Ole Gade, Roni Ellis and a core group of friends have enjoyed the weekly ritual of taking Gwen Honeycutt’s spin classes at various gyms around Boone. While most of the group’s riding took place at the gym, Gade regularly asked the group to join him on leisure biking trips around Watauga County. At first, it was a tough sell, but finally Ellis and a few others buckled, agreeing to join Gade on biking trips he carefully planned with the help of topographic maps. Before long, Gade was showing up at the spin classes with printed materials for his friends outlining what they could look forward to during that week’s bike trip.

“I finally turned to him and said, ‘You need to write a book,’” said Ellis.

Gade thought that was a great idea and now the High Country has a new book that outlines the wealth of leisure biking opportunities in Watauga County. Written by Gade and Ellis with contributions from Shaw Brown, Ane Gade, Anne Hardin, Karen Gade Pulido and Sara Mayhew, Biking the Country Roads of Watauga With Ole Gade and Roni Ellis hits the bookshelves at Footsloggers, Boone Bike and Touring and the Mast General Store in Boone and Valle Crucis this week. Gade and Ellis are also hosting a free book signing this Sunday, April 13, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at The Inn at the Taylor House in Valle Crucis, hosted by Tessa and Bernard Rosso. The book’s retail price is $12.

The book is a colorful and in-depth synopsis of leisure biking opportunities throughout Watauga County. Chronicling 270 miles of bike rides on 24 routes, the book includes color maps, photos by Gade, expected weather conditions, mileage, elevation profiles and total gain, architectural history of the respective areas, commentaries from a variety of different riders, notes on topography, comments on flora and fauna and historical notes.

As explained in the book’s introduction, “We, the authors of the book, are convinced that bikers of the ‘boomer’ generation and beyond, plus biking families will appreciate these opportunities, not only for their recreational and leisure biking in very attractive rural environments, but also for an introduction to the rich tapestries of cultural history of this mountain community.”

The book’s aim is leisure biking, so the toughest route in the book, according to Ellis, is the Old Turnpike Loop near Shull’s Mill Road that is rated at a 5. Most of the rides are much easier than the Old Turnpike Loop and are geared toward people who want to “do something enjoyable for an afternoon and not 100 miles in a day,” said Ellis. “This book is geared toward families and people like us who are over 50 years old—for people who are beginning to ride or want to ride but don’t know how to get started. We’re leisure bikers; we’re not the ones doing Blood, Sweat and Gears,” she laughed.

The book divides Watauga County into five regions, each supported by a general location map showing individual bike routes and a comprehensive introduction. A former geography professor at ASU and author of multiple geography books, Gade created precise and easy-to-read maps for each of the routes, often connecting pictures and text to exact points on the maps.

Each route has a one- to two-page spread. The routes vary from 7 to 20 miles, with elevation gains from negligible to just over 2,000 feet. Route pages include color photos, descriptions of conditions along the way, notes on road aspects, view prospects, reference to historic venues, as well as the best time of the day, week and season to venture out given expected automotive traffic and weather. Each route also carries a suggested challenge rating Gade and Ellis created. The two traveled each of the routes together to write the book.

But these bike rides aren’t just about the scenery.

“You can stop anywhere and talk to anyone and they will tell you stories and none is like the other. We tried to capture the essence of each region—what we went through,” said Gade, 71. “[With this book], we want people to descend on Watauga County and absorb the history of Watauga County. It’s a whole new thing for an older age group.”

Each route also includes comments on flora and fauna from Sara Mayhew, as well as notes on topography, landscape settlement history and economic development. Contributor Shaw Brown offers biking fundamentals in the book, and contributor Karen Gade Pulido outlines proper personal health conditions for riders.

The book is the result of seven months of writing, biking and research.

“It’s been quite an endeavor but now it’s here and it will be the first book of its kind,” said Ellis.

For more information, click to www.wataugaleisurebiking.com, the website Jack Ellis designed for the book.