Labor Day in Concord, NC (Sept 3, 2012)

 Went for a ride on the motorcycle on Labor Day, before heading back to Richmond later (which is where I am writing this now). Enjoyed a great six days back in North Carolina, but on my last day (which again was blessed with some great weather) took a ride around the Concord area. Made a number of stops, but got this photo of Z-Max Dragway. Interesting in that it is being used as a center for police cars and buses, certainly for the Democratic National Convention which starts on Tuesday. There were a lot of events going on this Labor Day for it, but I could not make those today. 

Rode here down Union Street (for those who wonder, I stopped the bike before taking this photo, as you can see, it was a light traffic day on this Labor Day). Union Street is a very old street, but then again Concord is a very old town , settled in 1750, and established in 1806. There are a number of really neat old houses there, and its a fun place to drive (or especially ride a motorcycle) down. I love the big trees and the old houses are always interesting. There is an old mill converted to apartments at the far end (well behind me) and there is a "Forest Hill" section of the street (which is neat, as I live in Forest Hill in Richmond now). 

This is the downtown of Concord, though as with many places the "downtown" has moved (for Concord it is probably the massive Concord Mills complex and the surrounding area), but downtown has a lot of history, plus some really cool businesses. A few places were open (visited the guitar shop located there during this visit) but many closed for the holiday.
I have to say, its been a good time. A number of photos from around the region can be found on these pages as well as on my "Racing with the Wind" page. I had a fun and remarkable visit during the Labor Day holiday.