Concord....So Far

Got out this morning a bit before noon, taking the motorcycle for a ride. Been a great visit so far, even the bike seemed happy to see me (started right up) on Thursday, and again today. Went for a good long ride on a chilly North Carolina day under blue skies with light white clouds. Photo at left is Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Nice race shop, kind of shoots down the image of these little shops building race cars (instead they are multi-million dollar operations). DEI was closed today, but it was fun to ride by there. The road its on (believe it or not, its NC-3...and yeah got that number for Dale Sr.) is a very nice road out of Kannapolis, NC.
I rode on into Huntersville, NC on NC-115, another nice Carolina rode. Huntersville, like Concord is home to quite a few race teams, as well as this Christmas tree display downtown. Many of the houses in the area spent the weekend taking their Christmas lights down, but still a lot of displays (and quite a few houses...including mine) with the lights still on, and the Christmas trees still up. Christmas, and in fact the entire visit so far with family and friends has been fantastic. Having a very good time to this point so far. Everything has been going well, and looking forward to the next few days.
Have been following the news from Richmond while I have been here. Seems to have been a pretty good holiday in Richmond for most people and over the weekend. I assume (due to lack of mention) that the remains of the great snowfall are gone at last. Will be back there in a few days, but in the meantime, nothing could be finer, than to be in Carolina (as the song goes).

Slipping in the Snow

Having come from Carolina where a fraction of this amount of snow is enough to shut down the region (and start a mad dash to the grocery for those staples of life: Milk and Bread) this December 18 and 19 storm really brought some adventure into my life. Some eleven years ago I was living in Louisville, Kentucky where snow like this was common, so I do enjoy it. However, as I saw on the drive home from work Friday night, it will be a big month for area body shops. For them, this will be a real Christmas gift! Driving from work down VA-150 took well over an hour to cover the 10 mile distance. I was impressed that people were not going fast (not that it would have done much good to do so) but kept a slow steady pace largely single file. Got the car back to the apartment complex in one piece, where it sits awaiting the thaw. Took this photo today during a walk to see what it looks like. Winter is a beautiful time, and I have seen some very fine looking photos. I guess the timing could not better in some cases, though I am sure this will put a crimp on some late Christmas shopping. Traffic (took this around 2pm) was almost nothing. This will be a good night to enjoy the Christmas tree, a good movie and a hot bowl or two of homemade chili. Enjoy the snow, above all be safe!

A December Night of Tacky Lights

Armed with printed directions, and with a general knowledge of where I was going, took to the streets of Richmond in search of the Tacky Light Tour. It is a bit of an adventure in the dark, but was able to find what I was looking for. Actually the first place I went to was not lit and I thought "this is off to a rousing start" but I continued on. Came to Asbury Ct where two adjoining houses were lit to a degree that could probably be seen from space. I actually knew I was close as I could see the houses from some distance away. It was a remarkable sight to behold. I am told the two houses have a total of some 4,000,000 lights; and I can believe that!
These are the two Asbury Ct houses from a distance. One has to wonder how they got the lights in the trees like that, pretty tall order and a whole lot of lights around them. It was also fun to see all the displays around the yard, I had parked up the street and walked around to the houses, and was glad I did that. Lots of eye candy around the yard; everwhere you looked there was something amazing to see. There were also some limos there, some tour buses, and a lot of cars. Those houses alone were worth going out for tonight. However, found a few more to check out in the course of the drive. Back to the car and back on the road...I came across more!
A little out of order, before coming to Asbury Ct, came across this house on a creek (or river...whatever) and took this photo from the bridge. Again a really impressive bit of work went into this house, and liked the way it was reflected on the water. I had actually seen a few other places; Richmond really does a fine job of lighting up the city. Passed quite a few places on the road and had many oh wow moments driving around. Not quite as great as it would have been if Patty was there, but will get her up here before Christmas is over. In fact we did see some of the Tour last year when we came down to check out work and some of the city.

When I left Asbury Ct, followed one of the tour buses, and came across this house just a few blocks away. Again, another impressive display of lights! Lost the bus, but rolled on in what I thought was the general direction of Richmond. Luckily, I was right and via I-64 and I-95 got to The Boulevard and rolled on to Cary Street. Last stop of the night was The James Center which had a nice display. I also enjoyed the way the skyscrapers were lined out in lights, and there was a small band playing Christmas music. From, there it was back to the apartment. Got to say though, my two experiences checking out the Tacky Light Tour were really remarkable. You guys really put on quite a Christmas light show!

Christmas Lights in North Carolina

Spent a good four day weekend in North Carolina with family and friends. Always good to be back home, and especially nice to be there for four days. Great food and a wonderful time over Thanksgiving; plus good traveling weather up and back. Got the lights up at my house, and the "Santa on the Motorcycle" yard display (have that on my motorcycle blog). Sunday night Patty and I got some coffee, and took a ride to see some of the light displays. The one at left is the lights at Cannon Village in Kannapolis, NC. Sadly, many of the stores there (due to the economy) are closed, but they still have it all lit up. Not a great many houses were decorated, but enough to make it an interesting drive around the area.
In Downtown Concord, this is the city Christmas Tree. They have a big event lighting it with all sorts of food, music, stores opened up, and even a fireworks display after the tree is lit (and last year it was a pretty good one). This year for the lighting I was in Richmond (which also does a really good job of Christmas displays as I have seen so far) so missed it, but the tree was nice to see.
For the upcoming weekend, hope to see if I can find any of the famous "Tacky Light Houses" in the Richmond area. Patty and I got to take a bus tour of the lights in the area, and it was remarkable. There are a few houses in the Charlotte/Concord area that would qualify for Tacky Light status, but not on the scale here! To me this is one of the best times of the year, and am looking forward to a fun Christmas in both cities this year.

Stony Point/Shockoe Bottom (Nov 21-22, 2009)

Saturday night went to Stony Point Fashion Park to see the Christmas Tree Lighting. Surprisingly, there was quite a crowd there; must have come across a really good idea due to sheer luck. I like Christmas, and especially enjoy the lights and sounds of the season. This was a nice event; they had people handing out antlers (lighted) to kids, had Santa there, and even had an ice skating rink open...all free too. Dodging the masses of people with their stroller and well bundled kids I wandered around the stores for a while, and then at 7pm sharp they lit the tree seen at the left. They even made snow and blew it from the roofs of the stores and you can also see that in the photo. It was a very nice touch. Met a couple of people due to a Jeff Gordon t-shirt I was wearing, they were NASCAR fans, and were surprised to find I was from Concord, NC. Talked some about racing, also a bit about (of all things) Christmas at the Biltmore in Asheville. They asked if I had ever been ("yes") and if I thought it was worthwhile to go to ("hell yes!").

Forgot to mention they also had the band "The Kings of Swing" playing. I think I heard from the stage that they have been together since 1974; was a nice tight unit though. So far I have not been able to do much exploring of the local Richmond music scene, but have quite a bit of time left for that. To me though, there is nothing like live music, and did enjoy that part of the night a great deal. Played a lot of old classic music. I really did not expect last night to be all that much, but it was a good time for a couple of hours. What really surprises me in Richmond are the things that I come across out of the blue that turn out to be really fun.

Today, on Sunday, got out in the car and rolled down a part of the Midlothian Turnpike that was new to me. Sign off of 150 says "Richmond" to via that route to Richmond I was bound! Somewhat of a gritty area; with a lot of older neighborhoods, old factories, empty storefronts, and rolled straight into Shockoe Bottom. Been there a few times, but like that a great deal. Got out of the car and wandered around. I have seen this entrance which I would guess is an old sort of mall idea that (apparently) did not pan out. Never have seen it get any use, or anyone go in and out, but looks like it was one someones bright idea.

Probably will be again I would guess, for Richmond certainly recycles buildings. This building in Shockoe Bottom looks to be in the process of being re-worked into something else. Warehouses, old tobacco factories, buildings of all sorts...Richmond turns them into something new. Not that much different from my old hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Not so in Charlotte, NC..there an old building is 20 years old, and its torn down and turned into a new mall or apartment complex. Charlotte is constantly changing to an amazing degree (though with the economy that has slowed down a great deal in the last few months).
Good couple of interesting days in Richmond though. Fun to do things completely for the first time, and to see things that I have never seen. Was eleven years ago that I rolled into Charlotte thinking "man, how did I get into this?" while exploring that town. It is fun to be here, and doing it all again!

Around Town (Post Museum) November 14, 2009

In what is now yesterday, following the tour of the Science Museum of Virginia (previous post) wanted to do a little more exploring. There were some monuments on Monument Avenue that I have not seen; the one of Matthew Fontaine Maury ("Pathfinder of the Seas") and the tennis great Arthur Ashe (seen at left). Of course the Richmond Marathon was going on at this time, so traffic was a bit wild. Still, even on a gloomy, misty and gray day, Monument Avenue is a beautiful street. Some say it is one of the most beautiful roads in the US; I would be hard pressed to name many if any that could top it (and I have been a few places over the years).
Due to the race traffic I took a few detours and ended up in Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom (thanks to previous visits). I made a quick visit to Buffalo Wild Wings there. The place was filled with Virginia Tech fans watching the game, and that was fun. I got out for a bit, taking a walk around the area. Liked this photo of Canal Walk that I took with a hint of fall color still. I have been on Canal Walk down near Belle Isle, but had not seen much of this end of it. Due to the weather it was pretty quiet (though normally seems to be that way in visits I have made to the other end) but nice to walk around. The water is really brown due to all the rain of late around here. That has really had a big impact on water levels.
Nothing much shows that more than the last photo here. I took this from a very neat old bridge near Shockoe Slip (the name escapes me) that I walked to. That is the James River, and it is well up over normal. Tried to get to it from some other vantage points that I knew, but many of the roads were closed due to the river level. It was nice today to see the winds less, and the rain reduced to a drizzle, but still a gray day. The last time I have seen the sun at all, was last Monday morning before the motorcycle ride in North Carolina. However, while heading out tonight for a quick dinner and a visit to Barnes and Noble saw something else I have not seen in some time....stars in the sky. That goes to show, that sometimes it pays to look up! Hopefully, that is a positive sign for the upcoming Sunday. It would be nice if the day lives up to its name!

Science Museum of Virginia

After days of rain, and an overcast Saturday, had to get out for a while. Where I work, I get free admission to the Science Museum of Virginia and considering it was a really dank and dark day weather wise again, seemed like a good idea. The museum is at 2500 West Broad Street; had been past it before but this time took a walk around the displays. The museum was the former Broad Street Train Station (and is on the National Register of Historic Places). This photo at left is of the Christmas tree in the main lobby. Above that is a very impressive dome. There are actually displays on four levels, and an IMAX theater inside the museum.
They had a nice display of space items. Most of the museum was geared toward children, but did like seeing the small sliver of moon rock (top part of photo at left) and the small Virginia flag both of which were brought back from the moon by Apollo 17 (least I believe it was Apollo 17). There were many interesting items. The museum had a nice shark display of small tiger sharks and I got to touch one of them in the water which is unique to me anyhow. Liked the people in the museum, they liked to show off what they had on display. Had a few nice dinosaur bones as well; found enough to keep me interested, and was fun to walk around and see what they had.

I really liked the Aluminaut; this ship was used by both the US Navy and Jacques Cousteau in research. Read that it could go down to 17,000 feet; was built in 1964 and retired in 1970. It was once used to find an atomic bomb lost off the coast of Spain in 1966 when a B-52 and a KC-135 collided while refueling. I spent some time in the Navy hunting Russian submarines from a P-3 Orion, nice to find this one so easily. I was also impressed with a locomotive on display outside, they have kept a lot of the train station items (the passenger loading area and tracks are still on the site).It was a nice place to visit on a very gloomy day in Richmond. I also got to spend a bit more time in Richmond this afternoon doing some exploring; will save that for my next post here.

Aerial Visits in VA and NC

On the way back to Carolina on November 7, being an aviation fan (former Navy squadron service) and being that many of the rest stops are closed in Virginia, stopped at the Dinwiddie County Airport. The terminal is seen to the left. Nice and relatively new airport with a C-130 to view in the area (though from behind a fence). Did some checking, found it was built in 1943 as a Navy aircraft ferry airport (built in three months
with barracks, fuel storage and trucks, maintenance, restrooms and a Red Cross canteen. Nice modern airport and was nice to look around. Had some old hangars on the site, and a lot of aircraft parked in the area.

Went by Concord Regional Airport during my visit home on a motorcycle ride in Concord, NC. The terminal there is all decked out for the upcoming Christmas holiday. Concord Regional is the home to many NASCAR teams aircraft (Hendrick has a big hanger there) and is constantly expanding. It is either the fourth or fifth (not sure exact number) busiest airport in North Carolina, and is located just a few minutes from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Fun to be there, can see a lot of planes takeoff and land from that airport. Day I was there the parking lot was packed, took a bit to find a place to park the motorcycle.

Speaking of flying, this is Mollie waiting for me to fly the frisee in front of a fall colored bush. Was a nice visit, had a birthday this trip. Last birthday dinner was held on November 8 during Patty and my first visit to Richmond (at the Chili's in Chester, VA) , this year was at Chili's in Concord, NC (no real reason, just worked out that way). Enjoyed great weather there with blue skies and 70s all weekend (Richmond also had a fine weekend as well I heard). Patty, Robby, Cassie, Mollie and a couple of great motorcycle rides; can't ask for anything better. Looking forward to a couple of interesting weekends in Richmond, VA next, and some exploring around the area.

Gaines Mill/Cold Harbor (October 31, 2009)

On a gray Richmond weekend with drizzle, went on a drive to check out a little more Civil War history. Near Mechanicsville, VA are two battlefields of note. The first is seen to the left; Gaines Mill. Part of the 1862 Campaign to defend/capture Richmond (depending on your point of view) the battle here was part of the Seven Days Campaign. The battles were the first in which General Robert E. Lee commanded the Confederate Army in a series of battles with the Union Army under General George B. McClellan. Gaines Mill was fought on June 27, 1862 about one mile from the Mill.


The house seen here was the headquarters of one of the Union commanders at the battle (General Fitz John Porter). It was built in 1820 and was a plantation house for the Watt family. The battle at this site was the heaviest of the Seven Days; by nightfall of June 27, some 15,000 soldiers of both sides were killed or wounded. The defeat of the Union Army here soon lead to the retreat of the Union Army north, and the Confederate invasion of Maryland later in the war. General Lee lead the Army of Northern Virginia to the end of the war. The battlefield had a nice trail, and covered a relatively small area but with a lot of information signs.
Second site I visited was Cold Harbor, just up the road a short distance (1-2 miles) from Gaines Mill. The cannon seen here is part of the Confederate lines. Cold Harbor was a series of battles from June 1-3, 1864 against entrenched Confederate defenses. General Grant said after the battle that he regretted the attacks at Cold Harbor. It was a different period in the war, as the Confederates were behind defensive positions some six miles long. Few of the trees seen in the photo were there in 1864, the Union Army attacked across open fields. Some 16,000 soldiers of both sides were killed or wounded in the battles there June 1-3, 1864.

The defenses at Cold Harbor some 140 years later do not look like much seen here. They did though to the Union troops told they would be attacking them; they pinned their names to their shirts so they could be identified when killed. On June 3, they went against the Confederate lines at 4:30 am, and an hour later some 6,000 were dead or dying in front of them. Something like 1,000 Confederate soldiers were killed or wounded in the fighting. The war around Petersburg and Richmond turned into virtual siege warfare from that point on. Eventually the Union forces broke the lines that defended the two cities, and the war came to an end.
It is amazing how much history there is to be seen in this area, the Civil War being just a part (though a big part) of what happened in the region. This being the Confederate capital city, much of the war both early on and especially later was centered around Richmond. It is amazing to see places that I just read about in the history books in school many years ago. It is great to see the respect and preservation that exists for these places, which were a part of a dark and bloody period in US history. The visits today were interesting and informative, and it was sobering to walk where so many brave men on both sides fought and died.

Three Days in Carolina, with Mountain Views and Detours

A great weekend in Carolina, started with a driving rain most of the trip home, but a smooth drive. Did skip the Lexington Barbecue Festival; finding that plans tend to be difficult to pull off so far from home. One plan that did not was the Monday motorcycle ride to the mountains. Patty was at work, and five of us planned to ride to check out the views. A rather cool and overcast day (but a great forecast from WSOC Channel 9 that was dead on) got Steve and me to ride. Left at 10am from Concord, rode up NC115 through Wilkesboro, NC and up NC 421 to Blowing Rock. Finding the Daniel Boone Inn packed, we stopped at The Canyons for lunch. Great food and reasonable prices (always surprising in the mountains) and a view to die for from the deck. On the way in we also rode through Boone, NC and past the campus of ASU; beautiful school and a really good football team (usually anyhow).
I was a sailor years ago, and always thought when we came to Carolina that the beach would be the main spot to visit. For sure, have made a few trips there. However, it has been the mountains that I most look forward to. Maybe its the people, or the views, or the great roads (such as this photo taken on the Blue Ridge Parkway; which is a national treasure) but there is something compelling about being in the high country. Even without the amazing fall colors, there is just a huge number of "oh wow, look at that" moments. A strangely peaceful place which you can't wait to get to, and find hard to leave. Great part of a Monday visit, is that the crowds are a whole lot less than you find on the weekends. I have found that to be true often, and that is when we head for the hills!

The Grandview Overlook is a favorite spot to just stand, pause and reflect. Due to time, did not get to ride as much as usual on The Parkway, but it was sure good to be back there. A person could spend years exploring that road. In fact it runs into Virginia, and a dream some day would be to go to the beginning (hopefully on the bike) and ride it to the very end. As for us, our ride ended at 5pm back in Concord. We rode back via the same route. Often like to take NC-321, but its under heavy construction; often (usually Tuesday and Thursday) its closed for blasting in one of those long time on going projects. Thankfully North Carolina is full of great alternative routes.
The many alternative routes really paid off Tuesday on the way back to Richmond. Started in Concord at Exit 58, where a cattle truck had turned over. Sadly the driver was killed, and a number of cows got out having survived the crash. In fact rounding them up took all of the day, and some of the night. A detour to Copperfield Road was backed up for miles; so I rode up Old Concord/Salisbury Road to Lane Street where I easily got on I-85. So far so good; I'm rolling, and work is a few hours away. Along comes Exit 113; a gas truck had crashed and I-85 was CLOSED. Detour to NC-64 and NC-220 (220 was actually a pretty nice road) to Greensboro. Always wondered what would happen in this "long distance commute" if I came across problems on the road; found I could handle two in one day. Made it in time to have a few minutes before heading to work from 3-11pm.
So....back in the apartment waiting to see what adventures await me over the next few days in Richmond, VA.

Main Street Station and Buffalo Wild Wings (October 18, 2009)

After exploring Church Hill (in what is now yesterday) wandered to nearby Shockoe Bottom. I have been a few times past Main Street Station, which is quite the landmark from nearby I-95. It opened in 1901, and is listed as a National Historic Landmark. It has been restored due to damage from hurricanes in 1972 and 1985, and a fire did heavy damage I read in 1983. Back in the day though when trains were the primary method of long distance travel it was quite a place to leave from. Even today, it is very impressive and can see what an experience that must have been. It even had restaurants inside back in WWII into the 1980's.

This is a view of the concourse, which is just in front of the waiting room. As many as a million passengers per year passed through here when trains were king. Most of the columns were destroyed in the fire in 1983 (two survived) and are reproductions of the original. The train platform is beyond the waiting room, but you have to have a ticket to get out there, and I was not traveling today unfortunately. I did have some good views of the train tracks which are elevated; you get up to the concourse and the waiting room by stairs or elevator. There are also some display cases filled with old items from the days of train travel. This station though is still used and still hauls passengers to desitations. It was a very nice place to visit.
Following that visit, I did do a little wandering around Shockoe Bottom. This being Sunday, Buffalo Wild Wings was packed with football fans; this being a sight common to many places in the US during game day. I have been here a few times, and also to Bottoms Up; plan to check out some of the other places in the Bottom, lots of interesting businesses to check out.
Enjoyed my explorations of the area, and had a very good few hours in Richmond. Like Saturday and Sunday visits to Richmond; traffic tends to be a lot lighter and its easier to get around than it would tend to be during the week.

Church Hill Revisited (October 18, 2009)

A really cold and gloomy day in Richmond, felt like taking a drive downtown to do a little sightseeing. Church Hill was suggested by a reader of my blog (Gypsy), and having been there before thought it was a great idea on a day like this. Very interesting part of the city, and also was interested in finding this (now sealed) tunnel. This was the old railroad tunnel (built in the 1870's). In 1925 they wanted to reopen it, sent a work train in with 10 flat cars and four men. On October 2, 1925 it collapsed killing all four. Two of the men were dug out, but due to the collapsing tunnel the other two and the train were sealed inside where they remain to this day.
This is one of the landmarks of Church Hill, the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Richmond is a real city of monuments with the great Washington monument at the state capital downtown, and the big monuments on (well named) Monument Avenue. This one sits on a high hill in Church Hill, surrounded by a really nice looking neighborhood of older classic houses. Many of the houses are converted to apartments from the signs I saw, and there are also a number of businesses in the area. It is also not far from the St. John's Church where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech "Give me Liberty, or Give me Death" prior to the Revolutionary War. I have visited that church on two previous visits. The monument seen here sits in a small park which has some fantastic views of the James River and also into downtown. I also got a good look from the hill at the Lucky Strike Condos. Being new to the city, I am not absolutely sure, but think that is an old tobacco factory judging by the name.

Anyhow this is the view of the James from the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument. According to information on the park there, Richmond got its name from a like view in England of the Thames River at what I assume is a place called Richmond. At any case, a nice view even on a cold, dreary, rainy day.
Enjoyed driving and walking around that area some, and appreciated the info that made me take a second look at this part of the city.
After some time spent in Church Hill, wandered down to Shockoe Bottom for a visit, but that will be detailed in my next post!

My Other River City: Louisville (October 11-15)

Spent a few days in Louisville this month, it is my hometown, and a very interesting town as well. Enjoyed visiting family and friends and also wandering around interesting places. Louisville and Richmond have a great deal in common, both being older cities (though Richmond is much older by far), but both being cities that keep a connection to the past. Louisville though has been through a number of hard times. It was once an industrial city, but many of the old industries have gone South or to other countries. It often works to re-invent itself. One such re-invention was the creation of the entertainment complex called "Fourth Street Live". It was created out of a downtown shopping complex called "The Galleria" which failed to catch on.
Louisville is the home of the Louisville Slugger and this is the factory where they are made. They used to be made just a few years ago in nearby Jeffersonville, Indiana after being moved from Louisville some years prior to that. The bat outside the factory is actually made of steel, but its pretty impressive and can be seen from a great distance (including from Indiana). The factory offers tours and has many historical items there. Louisville is also the home of the Louisville RiverBats AAA baseball team. What REALLY is the most important sport in Louisville though is basketball; though it can be either the Louisville Cardinals of U of L, or the Kentucky Wildcats of U of K. Basketball talk is a year round event in the city. Hockey was popular for a while, and so was Arena football, but for now both are gone. Horse racing especially around the first Saturday in May is also a major event of "some" local importance. For two weeks around that event, Louisville celebrates the Kentucky Derby, and that is a great time to visit with a host of events.

Much like Richmond, Louisville celebrates the old. These buildings on Main Street are used, and date to the late 1800's-early 1900's. Louisville likes to find new uses for old buildings (unlike Charlotte which likes to tear down even not so old buildings....Charlotte is constantly changing with very few buildings older than 1950). Old factories are condo developments, new businesses, or even nightclubs. At this corner is a very interesting hotel which features art as a draw inside. Many small and interesting places to eat can be found along Main Street, as well as a number of museums: the Louisville Science Center, an Arms Museum, the Kentucky Center for the Arts, and further down the road many newer buildings. Louisville is a mix of the past and the present; without neglecting either. It is a home to many interesting bands, and has a very lively music scene. NRBQ, My Morning Jacket, and Days of the New are among the bands that have called the Louisville area home.


Above all, like Richmond, Louisville is a River City. This is Louisville from the Indiana side of the Ohio River. From here you can see downtown Louisville. At the far left under the cranes is the new Arena going up (which will be the home of the Louisville Cardinals) and you can see the Belle of Louisville steamboat docked in front. Many events are held along the riverfront from air shows to concerts, to festivals of all types. Some changes do not come easy. Louisville has three bridges that run from Indiana to Kentucky and has been trying for almost 30 years to build two new ones. Lawsuits have kept that just a dream. Change is often difficult in the city. Though I have been gone for some 11 years, it still is easy for me to find my way around with very little change. (Unlike the Charlotte region where when I have not visited areas for just a couple of months find myself marveling "when did they build that?"). Louisville is a city where the old adage "the more things change, the more they stay the same" is really true. One thing for certain though, its a great place to visit, and I look forward to my twice yearly wanderings around the town.

Panthers Game Day and Charlotte, NC (October 11,2009)

My son Robby and I went to the Carolina Panthers/Washington Redskins game on Sunday October 11 in Charlotte, NC. For me, it was a short drive from my home in Concord, NC though did run into a lot of Virginia based Redskin fans who had made the drive I make every couple of weeks from my "other home" in Richmond. Photo at left is a view of the city taken from the walk from the parking lot. Charlotte is a pretty neat town, and has a number of new buildings going up (th0ugh read one of them is "on hold" and only partly completed due to the economy). Big thing in Charlotte last few years has been condos, and there are a great many there.

Walking on up, got this photo of Bank of America Stadium. I have been to football games when I lived in Kentucky; saw the Bears, Bengals, and Colts on various road (and in the case of Chicago by air) games. Bank of America stadium is very nice and a first class facility (though have not seen the new ones in Indy and Cincinnati) and a very nice place to see a game. The stadium is right at the end of NC29 (which also runs through Concord). One of the neat things about the area is the road system; can take I-85 to downtown, or the "backroad" route of NC-29 to the stadium. Parking is pretty wild though; we paid $10 around a mile from the stadium, up close it was running $35 (but the lots were packed even at that price).

I like the big cats at the entrance(s) pretty neat statues; two on each side of the (four) ways in. There was some things going on outside, saw the Top Cats perform, and a local radio host was working the crowd. There were some parties going on in the parking lots, and some of them were pretty remarkable. One group had a very large screen tv under a tent, and a grill they had towed in for the game. Lots of music playing of all types, and some huge crowds for the game. Weather looked bad all day long, but the forecast held and we never got a drop of rain.


Got this photo of the team coming out for the game. As for the game itself, got to say that neither team (have seen the Panthers play on tv during a few visits home, Washington play on tv when I spend weekends here) that if either team is planning to go to the Super Bowl they had better get tickets soon (heard it tends to sell out early). I don't see either one getting into the playoffs at this point in the season. Enjoyed the game though, and it was the first win for Carolina in 2009. It was a strange game in a lot of ways, but enjoyed being there. The Redskins have a lot of local fans from the days when Charlotte did not have a football team, also that so many people in Charlotte have other teams from their days in other parts of the country. Had a good group as noted earlier from Virginia and enjoyed visiting with them. Mostly good natured bantering during the game, though I did see a couple of fights in my section, which is unusual for a football game (though not for NASCAR races). As some of us noted, kind of strange considering the record of both teams at this point.
Great thing was that we got back home in less than an hour; again the highway was pretty backed up (judging from the slow movement up the ramp) so we rolled down NC-29 and had no problems getting back. Plus, enjoy seeing University City and that was a treat as well. It was a very nice day in Charlotte, NC.

Virginia Drizzle Drive (September 26, 2009)

Spending another weekend in Richmond, and this one has been gray and overcast, with bits of spitting rain. However, figured it was a good day to get in a little morning exploring. I started out with a drive to Colonial Harley-Davidson and nearby Burcham Cycles in Prince George, VA. I am a motorcycle fan, and enjoyed visiting those shops. Colonial sells (duh) Harley-Davidson (but also Buell Motorcycles...many HD dealers have dropped the Buell line) and Burcham sells Kawasaki (I have a Vulcan Classic waiting for me in Concord, NC), Suzuki and Yamaha motorcycles. It was a nice quick drive out to the shops; Burcham was a nice surprise.
As for the photo above, that is the library at Hopewell, VA. I have been to Hopewell on a previous visit, but liked the town and wanted to give it a "second look" to see some of what I missed last time. Library building is striking on the outside, but really liked the inside as well.
Not far from the library is the Beacon Theater. I read someplace that it has been fixed up on the inside, and is used. I like old buildings, and Hopewell had quite a few. Kannapolis, NC has a great old theater (The Gem, previously featured on these pages) which is used to show first run movies, and is a great place to see films thanks to its great old balconies. Not sure what The Beacon is used for, but nice to see it in use and not in ruins. Charlotte, NC does not keep old places, they tear them down and build new ones; and I do miss the history there that can be found here.
In fact, I really got a feel for that at City Point. Wandered around the area there looking at many of the old houses. Many dated to the Civil War period when City Point was a major Union supply depot, and had roles to play in the war. Some of the houses were used by Union troops and the river was filled with tents, cabins, ships, horses pulling wagons, and thousands of Union troops.


Among those troops was General Grant, and this was the cabin he stayed in as City Point was also his headquarters during the Battle for Petersburg. I had another photo of it during my earlier visit, but this is another view. The cabin has been on display (moved from another site to where it was) for over 100 years, so only 10% of the wood is "original", but the design is the same. City Point also has the big house nearby to tour, and best of all, its all free. It also has great views of the river, and was a nice place to wander on a cool gray Virginia day.


It was a very enjoyable morning and early afternoon in Prince George, Hopewell and City Point, Va. I got to see more of Hopewell than I planned, as I got a little lost during the drive; but that is part of the fun of exploring. It was a very good day!

"Publick Days" (Henricus Historical Park)

This afternoon, on a gray Saturday, fired up the car (praying it would start) and rolled out to Henricus Historical Park for Publick Days. A big attraction was the replica ship "Godspeed" which made a visit to the park. Got to walk out on that ship, which was very interesting. Many of the crew were on there, and had a lot of good information on the voyage to Virginia (which I am told took 144 days!) and other voyages of the time. The ship was built according to the original plans. I was surprised to learn the ship was steered with a tiller rather than a ship's wheel. It was a beautiful replica of a long lost part of history.
The village was a sort of living history museum. Many of the people there played the roles of people of the time. Scene at left was a reenactment of a "Call to Arms". There were also blacksmiths, musicians, women doing laundry over kettles with boiling water (the Maytag of the day as one woman referred to it) and even people playing games of the time. I enjoyed the period buildings of the time, and the various crops such as tobacco, and the animals which all would have been part of daily life in 1611. In that year, 300 people lead by Sir Thomas Dale founded the settlement called "The Citie of Henricus" which was named for King James I eldest son.
I also enjoyed the Indian settlement which is "right next door". There was again much of the events which would have gone on in a village, as well as living areas, and cooking as seen in the photo at left.
The event was free (always good at times like these) with shuttle buses from the lots nearby. Best of all, if you have missed it today, there is another day to check it out tomorrow on Sunday September 20 from 10-5. Take Exit 61A near Chester and follow the signs to the park.
As I have often noted, the history to be found in Richmond and the surrounding region is nothing short of amazing. I had a great time today!

Weekend in North Carolina (September 12-15)

Enjoyed a fine visit to my family in North Carolina over the weekend. As noted in my previous post, had a good time at the Winston-Salem Air Show, and a nice Saturday night. One of the things Patty and I did was to watch the NASCAR race in Richmond.
Sunday got out on the motorcycle for a while after washing it, and we watched some football. Local game was the Panthers/Eagles; that got off to a good start, but then went rapidly downhill. After that, did a bit of running around with Patty, played frisbee with the dogs. It was a good weekend by the way, weather was really nice. A bit warmer than last weekend, but still not very humid. Monday took a motorcycle ride again, this time around Charlotte (which is easy to do, as the city covers a lot of area; believe its one of the larger cities area wise though not population wise) but made a stop at Hendrick Motorsports in Concord where, among other things, saw this technician working on one of Dale Earnhardt, Jr's cars. There are many buildings at Hendrick; Dale Jr's and Mark Martin's teams are in the same building.
I headed back to Richmond on Tuesday morning, with work the same day. I had car trouble, was was able to limp the Neon into Richmond. I took it (after dropping off some things at the apartment) to Firestone, but they felt it was a cruise control problem and could not tackle it. I was able to get a ride to work from a coworker, and a ride home while Firestone said it was ok to leave the car overnight. I called AAA who suggested Cloverleaf Tire and Auto, and that is where their tow truck took the car. Good people there, and was very happy with the service and the price....car was fixed later that afternoon in time for me to drive it to work.
Will be in Richmond this weekend, and have some fun things to check out on tap here this weekend!