Farewell to my Father (July 20-July 27)

Got terrible news from my brother on July 18, my father passed away in Southern Indiana at age 73. A great man who took care of me for many years, and gave me the tools that made my life was it has become. He loved trucks (worked for a number of truck lines) travel and adventure, and liked to laugh. His passing makes the world a less interesting place indeed. My wife Patty left from Carolina, while I drove from Richmond to Louisville. During my time there went to some of my favorite places in the city and remembered good times with him. As he took care of me, I took care of his final arrangements for his time to be spent with Mom, who went ahead of him a few years ago. Photo at left was taken at Cherokee Park in Louisville, a beautiful place in the "other" River City.
Went to a lot of places where I grew up, and thought of things we had done together. Felt strange as with most visits home I spent a lot of time with him, we would drive around (he was big on driving...liked to get out in the car and just look at things...guess that is where I get that from) and the Louisville and Southern Indiana area has a lot of interesting sites. Like with Richmond it is an area big on history, and keeps its history close and current. I will have a few more photos on my photo page shortly. This was taken in Jeffersonville, Indiana which is a very fine city there with a lot of historic sites to check out.
Last photo is the view of the Ohio River from the Indiana side, and the new "Yum Arena" which will be the new home of the Louisville Cardinals basketball team (the building that is getting the nickname "The Toaster at center). The visit was a time spent with my wonderful wife Patty, family from all over (we are all widely scattered), friends of mine, and many people I have not seen in years. He had quite the send off and would have been pleased at how many family and friends came to say goodbye to him. Sad, but also wonderful as well at how sad events bring so many people together. While it is sad that he is gone, I am left with many wonderful memories, and have tried to pass on the many things he taught to my family. He had a great impact on those who knew him, and the people he knew were the better for knowing him. I could not have asked for a better father and consider myself fortunate to have been his son.

Short Pump

Interesting day to say the least. Got out for a while today, and did a fine bit of exploring on a hot and humid Richmond, Virginia day. Actually this was the last stop on my journey today, the Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Va out on West Broad Street. I sort of came across this massive (and I do mean MASSIVE) mall during my explorations. It was quite the shopping center two levels, and I don't know how many stores. I am not a big mall freak, but I do know that I have going to have to have a walk with Patty around here when she gets back to Richmond. Plus, the mall has a Harley-Davidson store, so think there is something for everyone here.
What I went to West Broad Street to see was Quaker Steak and Lube. It opened here "not long ago", I actually found out about it while at Bike Night at the Quaker Steak and Lube in Concord, NC (have a few photos from that in a previous post). Bike Night there (on Wednesday nights) is a massive thing with something like 900 bikes being typical. They also have Bike Night here on the same day. Not sure when I will be going (bike in is NC, plus I work nights) but if Concord is any indication, Richmond might want to check out Wednesday nights here. I am told it is growing quickly and drawing quite the crowd. Know I have spent some fun nights in Concord there.

Not sure what it is that draws motorcycles to Quaker Steak and Lube. Course they do have a motorcycle themed bar, a nice range of hot wings, and good "beverage" specials on Bike Night. There tends to be a lot to see and do. This one in Richmond is on a smaller piece of land, so would be interesting to see what they can do with it. In Concord they have a lot of parking plus a number of bike themed booths along with a band at the events there. One thing I do know, like taking photos of my Nissan Versa with a group of Suzuki's in front.
Today was my first time in South Pump, told there was not much there of note. I tend to think after a short visit there, that I was told wrong.

Sunday in the Carolinas (July 11, 2010)

The long visit to Concord/Charlotte is winding down today. A most remarkable holiday/vacation is ending. Great time with the family, friends, and also enjoyed the fact that I had this long to-do list, and I did it all for a change. Weather was good other than the heat (one rainy night) and it was just nice to be in my own house, with my own family. This is a very interesting place. This morning enjoyed breakfast with Patty at Punchy's Diner in Concord. Good food, very reasonable prices (and a chance to try Liver Mush if you have never had it). They even have cars and bikes on display inside the restaurant. Harley out front is a customers bike, but I liked it. Seeing a lot of bikes with Ape-Hanger handlebars, to each their own.
During the morning dog walk, had a group of ultralight aircraft flying together "someplace". Could tell that from the noise of the engines, and the types of the planes. With my cousin also (this month) becoming a licensed pilot, and being an aviation nut myself, had planes on my mind, so rode the Vulcan out to Wilgrove Airport, a small private field just outside of Charlotte, NC off of NC 24/27. The fact it is a nice country ride out there also did not hurt. Classic field with grass parking for the planes, and one runway. Quiet on a nice Sunday morning, but was neat to get a look at it. A number of airports like this can be found in North Carolina.

During the morning motorcycle ride, came across South 21. I have seen this place featured on "Diner's, Drive In's, and Dives" so stopped for a photo even though it was closed for vacation. I remember back in the day that there were many places like these, and in fact Sonic is sort of bringing that sort of thing back. I have been by here a few times, but never stopped in. Have been told by a number of people its pretty good though, so will be checking that out in a future visit. That is my motorcycle by the sign by the way at far left. Often go places and then drag Patty to them later on...motorcycles are great for exploring new areas.

Last photo was at Time Warner Arena in Uptown Charlotte. Nice place; the two spindles out front are supposed to be representative of Charlotte's textile history (lots of mills were in this region for a long time). I have been in there, it is a real nice arena, and in addition to concerts (such as the upcoming Paul McCartney) they also host the Charlotte Bobcats (now owned by Michael Jordan) and the Charlotte Checkers Hockey team. I also went by the Epicenter; sort of a food/bar area which was pretty cool. Been past it but have not walked around it. That is where "Whiskey River" is located, owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. of Nascar fame.
At any case, it has been a remarkable and fun 10 days in the Carolinas, but will be returning to Richmond in a few hours, and am looking forward to seeing what new (and at this point) what old favorite things I can explore there. Sure feel lucky to live in two remarkable places, and have a great deal of fun in both of them.

Thunderstorms and a Thundering Bike Ride (July 10, 2010)

Shot this photo out of my back door on Friday night July 9. Been a very dry time in the area, in fact officially the region is close to drought conditions, but that ended with this storm (at least for a while) Friday night. Was quite the light show and thunder boomed like cannon. No damage though a lot of people lost power and quite a few trees came down. It is amazing what nature can do; and this storm dropped close to an inch (according to local weather reports) in the Concord, NC area. It also scared my dogs a great deal, but I found it remarkable to watch the rain, wind and light show. This was the first rain I have seen since I have been home this trip.
Went motorcycle riding today, and had a fantastic time. The storm front last night brought cooler temperatures (lower 90's vs the 100+ of the last few days) and lower humidity. Went with Phil down some fantastic roads (he on his Yamaha, I on my Kawasaki). During the ride passed 20,000 miles on the odometer of my bike (purchased new in June 2005). Photo at left is at Lake Norman, of the McGuire Nuclear Power Plant there. The lake, man-made, was built to provide cooling water for this plant. I have seen the lake from the air, and it is quite a sight. There is a sort of visitor center/museum at the plant site, and I took this photo there.

This is Phil, checking out some of the sights on the lake. It is also a nature preserve, and of course fishing is real big on the lake. There are a lot of high dollar houses on the lake and it is the home to many of Charlotte's "movers and shakers" plus many of the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Bobcats, and many Nascar drivers have homes on Lake Norman.
Ride took us down some beautiful roads, and also through towns in the area such as Huntersville, Denver, and Mooresville. Amazed as always, and even in times such as these to see all the new construction and new businesses that have popped up since my last trip down those roads. Always fun to ride the motorcycle, and that is a very good area to take a cruise on a nice summer day.
This visit is winding down this weekend, but it has been a remarkable time, and great fun with family and friends. Still have the rest of Saturday and Sunday...so sure to have some more to do before it is time to take the drive back to Richmond on Monday morning.

Concord Bike Night (July 7, 2010)

Spent a few hours Wednesday night at Quaker Steak and Lube in Concord, NC at Bike Night. I don't get to do that very often at all because for one thing I work nights, and for another I am most days of the week located in Richmond, VA where I am working those nights. However, this week, I got the chance to make it. It would be on a night when the temperature was close to 100 degrees, and that kept the crowds down for a while, but they soon picked up; and got to see a number of interesting motorcycles. Another plus was seeing some good friends, including one from Richmond (who is also in the same boat I am work wise).
One of the things I enjoy about bike night is getting to see some unusual (or rare) motorcycles. This Triumph was rare enough that one friend commented "Triumph is making motorcycles again?" (actually have been for a few years now, and some real interesting ones such as this Daytona 650) but also some customs and just bikes you don't see all that often, or some older ones that you have not seen in a long time. All sorts of bikes and riders ride in for bike night and it makes for a very interesting evening. Usually also food and drink specials, and of course a band to liven things up. Often there are a number of booths and things on display to check out as well.
Crowd early on was light, but by the evening it had really picked up. Not uncommon to actually be a line to get in when it reaches "Capacity" and that point was close when I left. Bike Night here is one of the biggest ones in the region, and is always a lot of fun to visit. Much more fun was the ride back, the sun was down when I headed back to the house, and the temperature was much lower. Got back to spend a nice evening with the family. Looking forward to some more good rides as my vacation winds down in the next few days.

Exploring Kannapolis, China Grove, and Landis, NC (July 5, 2010)

At times feel like a stranger in the area that has been my home for the past eleven years. Living both in Richmond, VA and Concord, NC will do that. However, been getting back in touch the last few days. Photo here is the NC Research Center in Kannapolis, NC. That was a big hope of the area; promise was that the bio-tech industry would employ thousands who have lost jobs due to the closing of the textile mills, and the tobacco factory, but, so far at least, the promise has been pretty empty. However, they are some impressive buildings, this being the main lab building, and there are some others. Kannapolis is an interesting town to explore.

I rode next into China Grove, NC. Nice town, and due to the holiday, largely closed for the day. It is an older town, but the ride to it is a very good motorcycle ride and its fun to see the old buildings there. Likewise, the train station at Landis (single building with the chimneys) is a neat thing to see. Not much there, both were at one time "Mill Towns" close to Kannapolis and also tied to Cannon Mills (later Pillowtex). Still nice and interesting places to visit, explore and probably also to live. In fact I know quite a few people who live in those places.

The Charlotte Museum of History (July 4, 2010)

Patty and I have never been here to the museum, but had heard about it, and as it was a Free Admission Day, figured it was worth a look. The Museum is located at 3500 Shamrock Drive in Charlotte, NC...and yes has a fine web site at http://www.charlottemuseum.com if you would like more information than I have here. Building is very nice, seen here is the front. Had some nice displays inside, including a good Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police display that rated some photos on my motorcycle blog. I will also be posting some photos on my photo page soon, but some of the best ones you can see here. It was a very interesting place to visit.
The "American Freedom Bell" was donated by the Belk Foundation (Belk is a big name in the Charlotte area). The bell is also big, being some seven times bigger than the Liberty Bell. I also read that it is "the largest cast bell in the world viewed at eye level" (from the museum handout). Had a nice recorded presentation with it, and then they rang the bell (quite a few times in fact during the course of the visit). Had a nice tone, and unlike the Liberty Bell, no cracks appeared in the bell. Thought it was a very cool thing to hear and see, plus considering the date that I saw it, thought it was a perfect place to visit.


As for the house here, this is the oldest house in Charlotte; the Hezekiah Alexander Homesite which is also known as "The Rock House" and was built in 1774. Mr Alexander was an important local figure in the Revolutionary War and the house was restored some years ago, and the museum is built on the original land. There is also a period kitchen, and a barn, but they are not original to the property. Another building that is original to the property is the Spring House. It was a building built over a spring which kept items like milk and butter cool for a time. Always around 50 in the Spring House...better than nothing prior to the age of refrigeration. Got to explore the various buildings there and toured the house as well (though the second floor was not open for tours) but was pretty cool considering the age and condition of the house (which would be old in the first case, excellent in the second case). I think the museum was well worth the road trip today!

Charlotte "Spring" Ride in the Summer (July 3, 2010)

Nice day, after all the blazing heat and humidity of late, a July 3 day felt like May on the motorcycle in Charlotte. Got out and put in some nice miles exploring "my town" for a change. Passed the 4th of July Parade in Harrisburg, which was pretty neat actually. Not a big one, but a big crowd was there, plus floats and bands. Rode on up to UNCC where I got this photo of the main entrance. I also did some riding around; quiet at the school, but a very nice campus, and of course its the home of the Charlotte 49ers. They are adding a football team to the sports program, and that will be very interesting. Looking forward to going to some local games.
I rode out to North Davidson, aka "NoDa" which is a local art community. Over the years, it has grown from a rather run down area to a nice place with restaurants (such as Cabo Fish Taco), apartments and Condo's, and of course the art galleries. Nice to explore that area, it is also a great place to check out live music both at The Neighborhood Theater and The Evening Muse where national and regional acts play. I rode into Charlotte (which is just up the road) and there watched firemen answer a fire at a parking garage. I saw the smoke and thought it was a BBQ out of control, but turned out to be quite the blaze.
After that rode out to the "Shoppes at University" having traveled sort of a big loop today. Like that place, as the lake there is really nice (and often hosts free concerts there in the summer on Sunday's) plus got to stop in to "Boardwalk Billy's to check out some of the World Cup action, as well as to enjoy a frosty cold beverage. It was a really nice motorcycle ride on a wonderful day, and enjoyed it a great deal. I have more photos on my Photo Page, and some even on my "Racing with the Wind" motorcycle blog page. I have to say, it does not get much better, especially in July, than this!