Staunton to Bristol, Virginia

Created on Tuesday, 12 October 2010 01:25

Published on Tuesday, 12 October 2010 01:25

Written by Randy Garbin

Rough Draft Roadtrip — Day 2

The end of this leg couldn’t have worked out better. Approaching city limits, I came across a Starbucks — yes, a Starbucks — which worked out well because I used the bathroom and the wifi, which allowed me to research where I’d stay and what I’d do after I checked in. The Crest Motel couldn’t offer a better rate: $32 plus tax. $36 total. That gets you a bed, a bathroom, a TV and a fold out couch. Wifi? Don’t push your luck pal. For that, I headed downtown, where I found the perfect place to set up shop and write this: Java J’s. Free wifi, great food, and though I’d never buy anything by the band bluegrass band playing here, perfect music for the setting.

Started out the morning from Staunton and had breakfast at Mrs. Rowe’s, a plance highly recommended by a number of sources for its breakfast and for its pies. I liked the breakfast, but I caught the waitress in a little white lie. I saw corned beef hash on the menu, but I asked if they made it there or if it came from a can. They told me they made it. They don’t. Never mind. I liked the eggs, and even though I didn’t eat them all, I did like the fried apples.

General note: Lots, and I mean LOTS of Mexican restaurants down this corridor, continuing a trend I spotted ten years ago seeing this in what I thought were unlikely places such as Milwaukee, Chicagoland, and elsewhere. I see this as the natural effect of all the migration, and I can’t say that it bothers me much. I love Mexican food, but unfortunately even the Mexicans over-​cater to American tastes and turn their restaurants into just more burritio-​villes. Having had the good fortune to have real Mexican cuisine, I could use a little more variety than the usual taco/​burrito/​enchilada repertoire. I’ve had actual home cooked Mexican meals, and they will transform your molecular structure.

Goofiest find today: Foamhenge. Just south of Lexington in Natural Bridge someone constructed a styrofoam replica of Stonehenge. So, so far I’ve seen two, maybe three such replicas: Carhenge, “America’s” Stonehenge in New Hampshire, and now this. Most amazing aspect of this is the location. The “stones” stand atop a prominent rise in the topography. Obviously, the guy that set this up is a real joker. The “theory’s” behind this attraction are almost worth the visit by themselves. Go and read them youselves (or look at the nice pictures I took). This makes it hard to get a good encompassing photograph, but it sure stops you dead in your tracks when you see it from at least a half-​mile away traveling south.

Most amazing find today: The Fountain at Ransone’s in Buchanan. A perfectly preserved 1940s era soda fountain and pharmacy, but again, sadly, I found it closed. Sundays, too, but I wouldn’t care if they served me worms swimming in vaseline. I’d go and just be happy the place still exisited. I think I might pay for a first-​hand report on this place.

Happiest find: Toss-​up between my two lunches, both in Roanoke. Either the Smokehouse Bar-​BQ or the Texas Tavern. Ironically, the man behind the Smokehouse, Gerald, comes from Texas, which is where he honed his craft. Gerald tells me it was just something he picked up and when he and his wife saved the money, he put together a mobile rig that he drives to a spot he rents on Route 11 north of downtown. Chopped pork sandwich, smoked with real wood — of course — is only $5 and comes with a small side of slaw. We apparently misunderstood each other because he also gave me another small tub of it. I liked the barbecue, but the sides need work — or rather they need their own recipe. Gerald doctors up the beans pretty good, but he also should do a little research and develop a better sauce to pour on the sandwich. I don’t know for sure, and because I genuinely liked the guy, I’d rather not disparage his efforts one bit, but he practices in the Texas style, which is sauce based, so it matters.

I have no doubt that everyone from hacks Jane & Michael Stern to John Mariani to half a billion other road trekkers out there have discovered the Texas Tavern. I just found it today, so shoot me. Few hot dogs will taste better than what you will get there. Don’t wimp out. Get one with everything. The flavors explode in your mouth, and the dogs are much better than the sliders they serve here. I learned years ago from none other than Bill Brown at the Miss Albany Diner that hamburgers one should NEVER press a burger on the grill. All that does is squeeze out the juices and give you a dry puck. The TT commits this error and compounds it by not serving ketchup, so you get a fun, interesting, but in the end, a bland tasteless slider. Whatever. What do you want for $1.25 and a timeless atmosphere hosted by two guys who’d probably punch you if you asked for ketchup or asked for change for the meter (which you won’t actually see on the street there).

Again, the drive revealed still more amazing scenery — at least once you got out of the new and old versions of Miracle Miles that stretch out from the mostly intact and historic towns. All in all, however, the scarring from that brand of development hardly compares to what you’ll see closer to the major metro areas. You tend to pass through them pretty quickly.

Oh, and I found a diner today — another Denny’s built by Starlite just north of Christianburg. Passed by around one in the afternoon and saw two cars in the parking lot.

Also in downtown, the stunning Paramount Theater and one of the most sparkling gateways you’ll ever see to any city in the world. Passing through to Tennessee will be like going to heaven. Can’t wait.