Hot Weekend in Concord, NC (August 8-10)

Got back to Carolina this weekend, the warmest of the year. Took an early morning motorcycle ride on Sunday, which is a great way to avoid traffic and the heat to a point, out to Harrisburg, NC. Rode mostly some backroads, though did roll down NC 24/27 (nice road that rolls into Charlotte later on) but went only as far as Harrisburg. There stopped and checked out the cabin at left. It is being restored, and is said to be a "Pre-Civil War" structure. Like Virginia, North Carolina is one of the original 13 colonies and dates way back in US History. One of the great things about both places is that I am a real history buff, and enjoy that part of the area(s).

Building at left was near the cabin, and also is an old restored building. There is a small train that apparently runs around the building. This old stuff is "sort of new", so I am not sure exactly what it will be (or what its like when its open) but enjoyed it.
At any case a good Sunday ride. I also rode on Monday with a buddy from work (Steve, who took early retirement from the job that brought me to Virginia) , but that was the warmest day of the year. Nice ride in the country, but we cut that one short. Partly due to the heat, also due to things I needed to do to get ready to come back to Virginia for two weeks. On top of everything, had some car issues to deal with while I was home, luckily that turned out well. I also got the required NC auto inspection, so good for another year with the state.
Getting back to Sunday, Patty and I did a little exploring. Went a number of places, including a first look at Ikea which is new to University City, NC just outside of Charlotte, NC. Ikea (for the few that do not know) sells furniture; and really enjoyed checking out the store. It is wildly popular and I could see why. Prices and many of the items they sell are creative, interesting and very inexpensive. Plan on spending a good amount of time there, as the crowd is huge at the store. They also have some interesting food there with (by the look of it) Swedish meatballs being very popular. The University area was very packed on Sunday, in addition to being the home of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (aka UNCC) it also has a great number of retail areas.
It was a very good trip home. Using a bank vacation day, made it a three day weekend. That makes it more worthwhile, but still a short visit to me. Enjoyed time with my wife, son and the two border collies who never fail to keep me laughing. Patty will be here at the end of the month in Richmond, looking forward to showing off some of the town sights I have seen so far, we are also going to explore the food choices here. I have found a few local places of interest, but looking for some more; and that is my project for this weekend. I think when you go to a town the more interesting places to eat are the local ones rather than the national chains. That search will be the focus of my next post!