My first time in Bristol

My two hours of driving southward today through Virginia did end up taking me into both parts of the border town called Bristol: the half in Virginia to the north and the half in Tennessee to the south, divided at State Street. Hey, what else would you logically call it?

While I was on the Virginia side, I popped into the Mountain Music Museum and bought some appropriately priced postcards, along with some cheap CD/DVD mailing envelopes purchased elsewhere at the Bristol Mall. And next, I'm headed to one of the two restaurants on the Tennessee side I researched; they'll have live music tonight, or so I've read on the Internet.

Today has been my first time hanging out in Bristol. All I remember from before -- and I remember this clearly -- are some road markers and billboards extolling the status of Bristol as the birthplace of country music, a giant guitar-shaped building that used to be a museum, and also one other particular oddity.

It's the sign that's a tribute to John Bonham. Well, it is to me, probably to few others. As you're nearing the city limits, you're greeted by not one but two signs referring to "Bonham Rd." It was so inspiring to me the first time I drove through that I took a picture of this "Bonham Rd" sign. Driving me at the time was by Zeppelin buddy Brad, who was traveling with me some of the farthest we've ever gone from home to attend a concert. And that concert was Robert Plant, who was John Bonham's frontman and friend for longer than anybody else ever was to him.

Nearing the city limits, I remembered the "Bonham Rd" signs would be coming up. And they were. I saw the first one 10 seconds later -- and the other shortly after that. It was good mental exercise to drag that memory out of the trenches.

What one might otherwise characterize as an forgettable town midway between Roanoke and Knoxville actually turns out to be a surprisingly inspiring place. And not just because of, in my case, that sign bearing a name I admire. Not even because of some guitar-shaped fire hazard either. It's because there's much more to Bristol than meets the passing eye, beginning first and foremost with the Mountain Music Museum, and continuing right now with where I'm headed for dinner and entertainment. Maybe I'll post something about the meal or the band later on.