I enjoy Richmond a great deal, but lived in Concord, NC for 14 years. I also love Flat Track motorcycle racing so getting to see both at once was a no brainer. Up at 3AM on Saturday the 30th and down the road I went. Went in the car due to the rain forecast (mostly in Richmond) and the heat. It was toasty wandering around town. This is the Veterans Park Memorial in Kannapolis. I wandered around Kannapolis for a while, good to be back and to see the sights there in "formerly" Cannon Village. Said hello to the Dale Earnhardt Statue as well.
Went by RideNow Powersports. They had a number of the new motorcycles out in 2016. Nice place with a wide selection. They have Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Triumph, Victory and Indian. Of all the bikes the one I took most note of is this Kawasaki H2. It is a hell of a thing, and being the first in many years to be turbo charged. There is even a hotter non-street legal version to be had (limited quantities and something like 100k). Would of loved to take a quick test ride on this. Apparently they do have test rides there; some of the people were taking them on other motorcycles.
Went to downtown Concord and visited the Memorial Garden there. Beautiful cemetery there with some amazing flowers. I saw it last spring as I remember, with the lilly's They had a lot of work done during the last few months, was more beautiful then I can ever remember.
It was very warm and humid and I also made a stop downtown to Cabarrus Creamery. It is an old (though in a new location in its 80 years) but some damn fine ice cream. I have to say love my ice cream and this stuff is probably #1 on the list of the greats. Downtown has a lot of interesting stores and enjoyed wandering around the streets.
Anyhow, cooled off and with a bottle of water wandered around Concord and checked out some of the big houses there. Many of them are very old and on the national historic list.
This house was once owned by Mr. Cannon who founded Cannon Mills. He employed thousands of people and in fact that company was once one of the largest employers in the state. It later became Pillowtex and went out of business some years ago. People still speak fondly of working there.
On my "Racing with the Wind" page I posted some photos of the race, but here is another one. I just had a fantastic time there. Love this sort of racing and it was very exciting to watch.
I was grinning all day long but this really got me excited. Flat Track motorcycle racing is some of my favorite and certainly my favorite motorcycle racing. The races were quick and hats off to the people who made this happen.
This is a shot of the crowd and of the track. While cloudy never got a drop of rain all day (all weekend in fact) and frankly I thought the sunset was pretty impressive. Very nice bunch of people. I enjoyed talking with, laughing with, and just having fun there. The race signed a multi-year deal and will be back next year. I will also be back next year.
Getting out of the track was no problem, and traffic in the area (it was a bit after 10) was light. Made a quick stop to downtown Concord to see the lights, and got back to the hotel room for a good nights sleep.
Sunday went to the big Concord Mill Mall. When I say big, I mean big. It is laid out like a racetrack. As it was another hot day on Sunday, I was partial to air conditioning. They are remaking this huge outlet mall, but there are a number of stores and restaurants. Kind of sad in a way but Concord Mills I have read is the #1 tourist attraction in North Carolina. Whatever, it was fun to walk around.
Heading out saw that stores have expanded beyond it and I mean way beyond it. If you like shopping this is your place. Went to the nearby airport and that amazed me. There is a lot of building going on there, many new buildings and parking lots thanks to the non-stop Florida flights .
Brewing like in Richmond is getting big in Charlotte. Concord is also getting in on it. Went again to Cabarrus Brewing Company and enjoyed a couple of beers. They are good! There is another in Concord as well (right next door, will check it out next visit) and a number in Charlotte. That is new pretty much in both cases. After that, visited with a friend and then rolled for an early dinner at El Amigo in Kannapolis. After that, gas and go back to Richmond.
The drive back was pretty good. Did have to take a detour near the NC border which was either a crash or road construction. I got home during a raging thunderstorm right around 10PM. This was a fantastic trip and I enjoyed it a great deal. Most fun I have had in Concord in quite some time. Looking forward to the next visit and the next motorcycle race at the track.
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