National Air and Space Museum, Chantilly, VA

On Saturday April 28, got in the car and went rolling up I-95 to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, National Air and Space Museum at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va. I was inspired by seeing film of the landing of the Space Shuttle Discovery (and that is yours truly next to the shuttle at left). I have been close to them before-saw Atlantis a few years ago from a couple of miles away on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (but did not get to see the launch a few days later). I am a huge fan of aviation, and this was like a journey to Mecca for me-just a remarkable and amazing collection of air and spacecraft in this center. Many places make history come alive, but this was a place where these items made history-some of them were the only one of their kinds, and many of them took actual parts in the wars, or set the records that made them famous. Military craft, civilian craft and in some cases just some unusual craft were a part of what I saw.     

 Take this place for instance. Its the Aichi M6A Seiran, and the last remainder of a wild story. Near the end of World War II these planes were built. They could be folded up, and were carried on giant Japanese submarines. Near the Panama Canal, they were to be launched and the plan was they would bomb the locks of the canal, and shut it down. Later they changed the target to an American Pacific base to attack carriers of the US fleet. However, on the way to do that, they got word the war ended (partly due to the action of the B-29 Enola Gay which dropped the first atomic bomb, and that plane is also on display at the center). 

Or take this plane..the Me-163 Komet. You are looking at the only rocket powered fighter aircraft ever used in war. Not a very good fighter (it shot down a total of nine-sixteen aircraft aircraft) though some 300 were built, but it did have a top speed of around 698 mph. There was nothing else that could catch it. Very few remain, and this is the only one I have ever seen in person. A difficult plane to fly, it only had power for some seven minutes, and then would glide to a landing.  In the photo you can see the plane and the engine. The wheels dropped off at launch, and it landed on its belly skid (just above the wheels.  

The museum is not all military aircraft..for instance there is the Concorde airliner (this one was donated by Air France). It was also flown by the British and was for a long time the fastest way to cross the oceans with a top speed of 1,350 mph. The Russians built a SST, the TU-144, but it was not nearly as successful. One major crash in Paris, France (at takeoff) doomed the plane though, which was retired in 2003. One of the routes it flew was to Dulles International Airport which is where the museum is located. I liked the photo at left as you can see how many of the planes are shown. It is on three levels, and you can easily get a very good look at everything. Getting there is easy from Richmond, and the only cost is a $15 parking fee (there is no admission charge). There is an excellent web site with more information, and also information on the other part of the museum which is located at the National Mall in Washington, DC and that is where I will be heading in the very near future. I had a remarkable time at this amazing museum-and am sure while I am in Richmond I will be making a return visit to this one as well.  

To the Mountains (April 19-20, 2012)

Patty and I took a nice trip to the mountains starting on April 19. We made a stop to Lake Lure, NC, which is a beautiful place. There you can see amazing Lake Lure (which also has a beach) and Chimney Rock State Park. The area has been the site for filming a couple of very good movies-Dirty Dancing and The Last of the Mohicans. We have had some great times there, this visit was short as our ultimate destination was the Asheville, NC area, but great to stop in. Often have ridden my motorcycle to the area, noted that they are now enforcing sound laws on motorcycles-going to see more of that coming to more areas.  

Had a great time (as always) in Asheville, NC. This is a sight of some of this very interesting city. One of ours (and a favorite city for many)  it offers great food, interesting people, some fun sights and some outstanding music. If you like history, this town has it as well. Visited The Grove Arcade downtown (also the amazing Grove Park Inn, though we did not stay there), wandered downtown. Want to give a shout out to the Moose Cafe, which is part of the WNC Farmers Market-enjoyed a pair of outstanding meals there. Just a fun city to explore and to be in, and of course its the home of America's largest house, the epic Biltmore estate.

What we really came to see though are those remarkable mountain views and to drive my favorite road in North Carolina-The Blue Ridge Parkway. Did not go as far along it this trip (last trip we drove it from Asheville, NC to Blowing Rock, NC) but we marveled at the sights along its length. The road offers a lot of beauty, the chance to see all sorts of nature and wildlife, and some remarkable scenery at every twist and turn.
I always thought living in North Carolina and being a big fan of the sea (being a former employee of the US Navy some years ago) but its the mountains that have really captured my interest over the years here. There are few places in my opinion to visit with as much to offer as Asheville, NC has, though Chimney Rock and for the matter Blowing Rock, NC (which is still undergoing some serious road construction so we avoided that area for this trip) are also remarkable places to visit. More photos from the trip can be found on my Flickr Photo page. This trip made for the highlight of my vacation this week!    

Exploring "The Carolinas" (April 15-16, 2012)

Wanted to toss this in, you see things like this in the Concord area often thanks to the racetrack, in this case the DirecTV Blimp which was covering the drag races at Z-Max Dragway over the weekend. It was the Four Wide Nationals and while I did not go to the race, did enjoy the sound of it (awesome, even from a distance) and the sight of this air ship in the skies of Concord. There are three racetracks within walking distance of each other: Z-Max, The Dirt Track, and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Seems always to be something exciting going on at one of them at any given time.    

Made a motorcycle ride to Kings Mountain Battlefield Park which is just across the border in South Carolina off of I-85 at Exit 2. The battle was held on October 9, 1780 and was a big victory over British forces (actually a lot of Tories if you are a student of history) lead by a British commander. This monument was put up by the local area. Each side had around 1,000 troops with the US forces coming from many places but especially Tennessee, Virginia and "Carolina". It was fought on the mountain with some very wooded, rugged and steep terrain, and was a very difficult battle for both sides.
The British forces had to face well protected forces which mainly shot behind trees.  
This monument was put up by local cities in the area, I believe if I remember right around 1890. Thought it was very cool, and that is my riding buddy Phil sitting on the base of it there. It was a hot day. 

 This is the US monument to Kings Mountain, kind of a small version of the Washington Monument. As I noted, though a paved trail runs around the battlefield, it is some rugged ground, with a lot of up and down hill sections.
Herbert Hoover was there for the dedication of the battlefield, and it brought a pretty massive crowd.
There is also a small museum there at the Visitor Center, which also has some weapons from the era, and even some uniforms (uniforms are replicas).
I like the ride there, also the fact it is free is pretty cool. Nice to have historic sites such as this, and especially going so far back o the early days of the US. Like Virginia, North and South Carolina have a long history.  

Finally, this is the gravesite of the British commander Col. Patrick Ferguson, who was killed during the battle on October 7, 1780 and is buried at this spot. He was wearing a bright red and white shirt and made a rather easy target according to accounts of the day.
South Carolina is a fun place to visit, and I enjoy my trips there. I don't get there as often as I would like due to my current living situation, but never have a bad time in that state.
South Carolina also has some of the lowest gasoline prices in the US. That is worth noting as well!

Countrytime (April 7-8)

Great Easter weekend at home, enjoyed some great time with the family, but also got in some serious rides. A little under 50 miles on Saturday (but just under) and skipped riding in Charlotte for some backroads riding. It is spring, and nothing like some country to check out such as this old building at left. In fact I have a lot of good photos from the rides at my photo site (there is a link to that on this page, near the top). Beautiful weather, and it included a ride to Goose Creek Airport where I spent some time via curvy and scenic Lawyers Road watching planes take off and land.   

One of my stops on Easter Sunday was at left, that being China Grove, NC. During this ride (which was a bit over 50 miles) I went to Concord, Kannapolis, Landis, and China Grove, NC. Being Easter the traffic was real light and things were pretty quiet in the downtowns as I rode though them (though some were quieter than others). Just a great ride which on top of the previous days ride made for a great weekend out on the bike. Weather has been nothing short of remarkable both temperature wise and rain wise (though to be honest we are around 3 inches below normal rain fall in NC, and could use a little...hopefully while I am in Richmond for the next few days). Got some great rides coming up soon-this is going to be a very exciting month to ride, and I am looking forward to it.
Got some great adventures coming up in the next few weeks, going to a very exciting place, and will also be visiting some places in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for visiting my page!

April 1 at Maymont

 A remarkable day at Maymont, the place is just flat out a treasure, but especially in the Spring (also a lot of fun touring the house during Christmas time, but that was the subject of a previous post). Thought the gardens would be in full bloom, for a change I was right on the money. This is the Italian Garden at Maymont, and it was remarkable. All the flowers were in full bloom, and being an early Sunday morning the crowds were not (but really built up around noon). Before seeing this remarkable sight, I checked out some of the old carriages on display, and walked by the house on the land. 

 Down a large stone stairway, went to the Japanese Gardens. Got a lot of great photos (which many can be seen on my Flickr Page, and there is a link to that on this page) but this one was really the Photo of the Day in my book. It is the kind of place, on a day like this, that you never want to leave. I was amazed at the sights I saw there. It also is notable that this is the 100th anniversary of the Japanese Gardens at Maymont, there are a lot of special events going on around that.
While at Maymont, also went out and checked out some of the amazing birds (among which I saw some Hawks, Owls, Bald Eagles, and even some Vultures) as well as a bear (sleeping, but he probably had a bear of a night!) and a bison. There is even more there, just a whole lot to see and do. Of course it is a good place just to relax and check out what nature has to offer. After the blandness of a very mild Winter, nice to see so much in bloom at Spring time, and this one is really a remarkable sight indeed!  

I stopped at Hollywood Cemetery which has some great views of Belle Island and the James River rapids (which due to the rain of late, were running very rapid indeed!) and made a stop at Legend's Brewing Company for a "legendary beverage" (well, actually two legendary beverages) and checked out the view of Richmond from the deck there. Nice place, and I do enjoy the beer there.
It was a nice day to enjoy a fine morning and early afternoon in this very interesting city of Richmond, VA. If you get the chance soon, be sure to get out to Maymont and check out some of what it has to offer, its just a remarkable place!