Back in the Saddle Again (March 27, 2010)

Hard to believe that it has been since January 18 when I last rode the motorcycle thanks to a dead battery (almost five years old...rest in peace), snow, rain, bitter cold, and a little bit of forced overtime in Virginia. However, all that ended actually yesterday when the battery I ordered earlier in the week came in, I put it in the bike, and today rode out. A beautiful Carolina day, if a bit on the chilly (around 60) side, but it was time to ride. Covered a fair amount of ground in a 3.5 hour ride; here the bike (and I) are at Dale Earnhardt, Inc just outside of Mooresville, NC. DEI was closed, but still nice to see the outside of the complex located on (natch) NC 3.
I rode into downtown Mooresville, NC. Got of the bike for a bit and walked around awhile. Always liked this old sign, and always enjoy the old buildings there. As I have often noted, Charlotte is not much for old buildings, but many of the outlying cities do have an appreciation of history. Some of the buildings in Mooresville are over 100 years old (and have the plaques to prove it). I liked walking around a bit, and enjoyed watching some kids having an easter egg hunt by the old train depot (now an art museum). They seemed to be having a great time and I enjoyed watching them have one. There are a few empty stores there, but also a number of new ones opening.
This is a photo at left of the downtown in Mooresville. After a bit of time well spent there, rode on down NC-115 to the college town of Davidson, NC. Nice town there as well, with a lot of old buildings. I did not stop, as I was meeting a friend from work (and a former riding buddy) for a short while in Concord, NC. We met and talked for a while, was good to see him (also not bad to warm up inside the restaurant). Back to my driveway at 1pm to my wife, son and dogs. All of us have had a fine time today. Have to say on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best today was a definite 11, perhaps even a 12.

March in Louisville, KY

Back from a visit to see family and friends in Louisville, KY and also have a few photos here of the "other" river city. Photo at left is of Louisville from the Indiana side of the Ohio River. Louisville is where this journey started from; a road that took me from Kentucky (actually Indiana right across the river) to North Carolina, and now to Richmond, VA. Louisville reminds me a great deal of Richmond...one reason being that it is a river town (nickname "The River City"). Home of the Kentucky Derby, in a few weeks the Kentucky Derby Festival will be in full swing. On these shores Thunder Over Louisville will happen; a massive air show and fireworks display.
Louisville is a big sports town; featuring mostly minor league sports and the University of Louisville. The building under construction at left is the new arena for U of L which will replace Freedom Hall (which was in use since 1956) at the Fairgrounds. The new Arena will be state of the art and is one massive building. Sure it will also have other uses such as concerts and other events, and I am looking forward to seeing the inside when it is completed sometime later this year (at least that is the plan). It is right at the foot of the Second Street Bridge, one of three that span the Ohio River from Indiana to Kentucky. More are planned, but still in the works.
Louisville like Richmond likes to rework buildings. Many buildings are put to other uses and these I believe are an example of that (though also could be planning to tear these down). Former warehouses, they were mostly restaurants and nightclubs. Spent many hours listening to music in The Soundstage, Eddie Donaldson's, and City Lights in these buildings which are also very old by the way. Unlike Charlotte, Louisville is a city which recycles the past, and that makes for a very interesting town.
I like how it has a history beyond a few years ago.

This ballpark is the home of the Louisville Bats, the AAA team. Some years ago they set a minor league attendance record with over a million when they were at the old ballpark at the fairground. Using the old front of the building that was there, they built a ballpark downtown, and this is a really nice place to catch a game in the spring or summer.

As I mentioned, Louisville recycles. This is the Humana office building, which was formerly the Belknap Hardware building (Belknap went out of business a few years ago) and Humana took it over. You see a lot of that as I have noted, many old buildings are converted to such uses as condos and new businesses. It is usually a fun town, with a lot of things going on both on the river, and downtown. I also enjoyed this trip visiting sights on the Indiana side, right across the Ohio River. Like with Louisville, Indiana is a good mix of old and new, with a lot of things to see and explore. It is a fun place to visit, a not bad place to live, and a great American town. I had a fantastic four days there, and am looking forward to my next visit.

Feeling Like Spring

Enjoying a fantastic day in Richmond, spring is just a few days away, and it was a good day to get out, get off the computer and take a walk. Walk...because I just got the heating bill from last month; and might be a good idea to save a little fuel cost. Sure the people at Columbia Gas are planning to take the boat out on the James this weekend...they are swimming in cash (ours!). Was a cold winter, and apartment living is more of a "shared heating" sort of thing; apartments are not real big on insulation. Much bigger house in North Carolina (my other place to live from time to time) was much cheaper this winter utility wise. Anyhow, back to happier things, did get out and saw this Super Bee on Midlothian Turnpike. A nice classic car and in pretty good shape. Never know what you will come across during a walk.
I also stopped into Ultimate Cycle on Midlothian Turnpike, kind of a motorcycle person (ride a Vulcan 1500...which like my family and house is also in North Carolina) but big on Vulcans. Got to think Kawasaki is kind of on a Star Trek roll; not just Vulcan line, but also has a big touring bike called the Voyager. At any case, liked this bike which I think is probably a 900 (but would not swear its not bigger...sometimes its hard to tell). Nice to get out and enjoy the day, great to get out and get moving a bit after being largely cooped up this winter. Spring officially starts this upcoming Saturday, but I think this "preview" has been super, and just what we all need. Looking forward to some fantastic spring weekends in both Richmond and Charlotte in the upcoming days and weeks. Get out and enjoy it!

Harrisburg, NC, Mid-March 2010

Another good long weekend to Concord and the local area is winding down. On Sunday March 14, 2010 visited the Harrisburg, NC area. Photo at left is of the Harrisburg Town Hall, and some of the shops in the Town Center. Kind of a neat thing in the region are these sort of developments with government services, shops and housing all in one area. There are a few of these in the local areas, and they make it real easy for a lot of people to get what they need in one local area. That is also the case in Huntersville, Davidson, and in Charlotte where these have become increasingly popular. I will show some more in future posts to this blog.
Went by Three Monkeys (also in the Harrisburg Town Center) where I watched Kentucky win the SEC (boo!) and Duke win the ACC (no comment). Nice place for a cold refreshing beverage of your choice, and some really good food. I like friendly comfortable places and in Harrisburg, NC you can not do a lot better than this one. For a long time, you could not find places like this as Harrisburg was "dry" when I first came there some 11 years ago. Of course, not only were there no bars, there was also no Harrisburg Town Center. It is amazing how fast this area has popped up over the years. As I remember this was a field, and you saw that happen a great deal around here.
Last photo is a Shelby Mustang, which is here just because...it is a Shelby Mustang. Not unusual here to see some really great cars and thought this one rated a place on my blog this week. Nearby Concord is one of the centers of the NASCAR universe, and it is fun to see some high performance vehicles racing around nearby Charlotte (formerly Lowe's) Motor Speedway. It is less than two months before the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600; be looking for some visits to the local race shops here in upcoming blog posts. Lots of interest to see in the local area, and I plan to bring as much of it as I can to you!

Seen While Walking around Shockoe Bottom

Like the previous post, more photos from Sunday, though these while walking around Shockoe Bottom. Certainly many interesting things to be around there. I did get a real kick out of the sign at left, for the really paranoid sure to be something you do not want to see. This sign is located near the farmers market. Fun place to explore and always see interesting things in that area. It was a real busy day there today. Made a short visit to Buffalo Wild Wings; had a large motorcycle group there (not a gang or anything just a bunch of riders) and I enjoyed that a great deal. As I have noted, though the bike is far away right now, fun to be around motorcycles and motorcyclists.
As for this building, saw a plaque on the side of the white building in this photo, which stated that it was the "oldest commercial building in Richmond" dating to 1817. As it noted, when it was built James Monroe was President. Had a long history over the years, and is now a restaurant (and by the look of it, draws a good crowd). Some great old buildings in that area, and also really enjoy the cobblestone streets to be found in certain places in the area. It is fun to be in a place with history, as I have noted before the fact that the Pre-Revolutionary church (St. John's) is still standing after all these years is remarkable, especially considering that it has been so long, and the church is made out of wood!

Malvern Hill Battlefield

A good weekend in Richmond with (finally) some remarkable weather. Saturday went to Hondahouse in Hull Street, checked out some of the new 2010 Honda Motorcycles. I am an avid motorcyclist, miss my Vulcan waiting for its next ride in North Carolina, but enjoyed that shop (2nd visit) and some fine people there. Worked Saturday, but on Sunday took a drive down VA Highway 5 to the Malvern Hill Battlefield. One of the many cool things about Richmond is that you can explore sights that were words in a history book many years and classes ago. Much of Civil War was centered in Richmond, and there is a lot to see here of interest.
Malvern "Hill" was not much of a hill but it was high ground. The Union Army had suffered a series of defeats and was heading for the James River in retreat, but stood at Malvern Hill behind a large number of massed guns. On June 1, 1862 the guns blasted Confederate attacks to take the position. Confederate losses were 5,300, Union losses were 3,214. The Union guns were largely loaded with cannister; cans filled with steel balls, making them basically giant shot guns. Charging across open fields, the Confederate forces took heavy losses, and "never gained an inch of ground". As one Confederate general said, it was not war, it was murder.

This is a sign on the battlefield. Lots of good information on the battle, both on the web, and via books. Very nice drive out there, and a very interesting place to visit. From there, drove to Shockoe Bottom where I wandered for a bit. Love going to Shockoe Bottom; it is a fun and interesting part of the city.
Coming back, noted a large number of police on I-95; they were pulling cars over like...well like shooting Confederates at Malvern Hill. Not a city to really be rolling flat out down the highway. Does not work so well in North Carolina where 20 over seems to be the norm when traveling.
Bottom line, a very fun day in Richmond, one of many I have enjoyed so far.