Air Force Museum Ride (April 27, 2019)

Part of an addition to the Racing with the Wind Motorcycle Page. Visited the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, mainly to see the new A-10 which is now on display at the outdoor portion of the museum, and is seen at left. It was a very nice day though a bit cooler than usual for this time of year. Considering though that the forcast is for days of rain in the weeks ahead it seemed like a really good idea and it was.
I like early morning rides as the traffic is usually pretty light and the air is really crisp. It was cool to see this plane. The A-10 is used for ground support and is not popular with the Air Force, but it is with the troops. 

 While there also got this photo of the C-17. I see a lot of those flying here in my area as they are based at nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The C-17 is a very popular transport aircraft and is in wide use.
The plane seen here is notable as it is the Prototype of the design. It was also noted reading the sign by the plane that this aircraft appeared in a number of movies including Transformers and Iron Man.
Fun at night and during the day to watch them flying and sure get a sense of joy and wonder watching them flying around.     

Last photo is a "Nissan Hut" which was brought over from England right after World War II. Toured that with a very excellent volunteer guide. Some amazing things inside from the war, there was even a (sadly non working) bar in there. They also had a part from a V-1 "Buzz Bomb" which was also brought over from England.
Right next to the hut is a replica Control Tower which is based on the ones in England during World War II. I have been inside the museum many times, but fewer times exploring what can be found outside. I really enjoyed this visit and looking forward to my next one at the museum soon.

Lexington, KY (April 3-4, 2019)

 On the way to Lexington we made a stop at the Harley Davidson store in Sevierville, Tennessee and toured it a bit. Have a lot of old classic motorcycles there such as this type (not the one) that Elvis rode back in the day. Nice drive to Lexington, Ky through the mountains and heading up to Lexington, Ky.
I was born in Louisville, Kentucky (where I visit from time to time) and was looking forward to my first overnight in Lexington.

We did not get to see much of the city. We did though have dinner at a very nice (and brand new) A+W. Been years and years since I had eaten at one, and it was very good.
Also very good was the hotel, in fact have to give a shout out to both the Country Inn and Suites we stayed at in both Asheville and Lexington. We had a great time at both places. In fact during this trip stayed at a variety of hotels and have zero complaints from any of them.
Got up the morning of the 4th and headed back up the highway. Destination was home just outside of Dayton, Ohio and it was a pretty good trip. Had to take alternative routes due to crashes on the highways but got there in good time.
It was good to be home after being gone so many days but it was a remarkable trip and one we will long remember . 

Asheville, NC (April 3-4, 2019)

 Kind of a flash tour of Asheville. We made a quick tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway with a stop at the Visitor Center there and the Folk Art Center. Used to ride my motorcycle there many times when I lived in North Carolina, and the Blue Ridge Parkway is literally a national treasure. Have spent countless hours riding that great road.
We had dinner at the Moose Cafe. It is one of my favorite places to eat anywhere and has lost nothing over the years. We had a great dinner there. Fantastic food and great views.

Got to enjoy some of the views while enjoying a beer from Highland Brewing of Asheville (and in fact brought a little bit home). It was wonderful weather to enjoy the mountains and my only regret was that we had so little time to spend there. We also made a stop at the Grove Park Inn which is remarkable as well.
I love the ocean but even more so I am a fan of the mountains and it was like homecoming being there. Asheville is a magical place and the downtown is really something to see as well. Though we only had a few hours during the overnight trip we had a great time there!

Near Charleston, SC (April 1-3, 2019)

 We were actually in Moncks Corner, SC which is just a few miles from Charleston, SC. As it was a weekend, to be honest we avoided Charleston as it gets amazingly busy.
Plus there was so much to do at Debbie's relatives house. For instance that is me, driving that old tractor. It is a 1936 John Deere and was a bunch of fun to do that. They have a bunch of animals there and had fun checking them out.
We did visit a restaurant in the area and it was some very good eats. Nice quiet small town with a lot to see and do.   

On the 2nd we went to Summerville, SC. Last year we went to the Azalia Festival, this year we were a week early. However, they were in bloom. Here my wife and I stand in front of a landmark.
We had a great time there, though much of the town was closed on a Sunday some of the restaurants were open. It is a fun town to explore and we had a great time there.
On the 3rd we said our good byes and headed up the road. Our destination this time was Asheville, NC which is one of my favorite towns.   

Jacksonville, Florida (March 31-April 1, 2019)

Went to Jacksonville mainly to see friends there. Some of mine have moved there from other places in the US, some of Debbie's remained there from Navy days.
Both Debbie and I were there during our Navy tours..me as a visitor, and Debbie during her service.
This helicopter is a Navy aircraft which I took while near Mayport. It is a nice Navy base there. The city of Mayport has changed and grown since the time we were there but we had a great time there.   

We did stop at Singletons for lunch, had last eaten there...well a long time ago...and have to say it was still pretty damn good. Loved the food, and seeing the boats rolling around there. There was also a number of birds and enjoyed seeing them flying around and just relaxing.
If you are in the area, I can highly recommend the food.
Jacksonville has a lot to offer. Before the trip to Mayport we explored some of the beaches and a few of the sights to be seen there. Jacksonville is a big city. In area it is one of the largest in the US. 

After lunch we took the ferry across the St. John's river. That is Debbie in our car. Used to ride the ferry when I lived in Richmond, VA at Jamestown so this was an experience I have had before but not in Florida.
From there we headed up the state and later that afternoon left Florida for South Carolina and our next adventure.
Stayed a couple of days with some relatives near Charleston, SC and had a wonderful time   

St Augustine, Florida (March 29-30)

Left Ormond Beach on the 29th and headed up to St. Augustine. Weather took a definite turn, in what was called a "Noreaster" (normally a winter time weather condition) which brought high winds and impressive waves to the coast. We drove to St. Augustine along A1A and really enjoyed the ride there.
Did make a few stops including this one where I snapped this photo. We got to St. Augustine relatively early and toured the old fort there (seen in the bottom photo also). That was a remarkable structure with over 300 years of history and enjoyed that a great deal.   

It was better there on the 30th, and I took a quick walking tour of the city. Nice early in the morning in that there were no people out and the stores were not open, so basically had the run of the town.
It is a remarkable town, with an amazing amount of history and some wonderful sights to see. It is both very old and very beautiful and was fun to wander and explore.
Many of the buildings date back to the early days of the city and are enjoyable to wander.   

This is a long view of the fort, which also has a long history. Built by the Spanish, it was also used for a time by the British (treaty change, as far as I know was never captured but was attacked a few times), the Americans, the Confederates. Sadly, it was a prison for Indian's captured during its history.
St. Augustine was a fun town and I had a great time there with Debbie.   

Country Ride (April 5, 2019)

 Been awhile since my last ride, partly due to vacation (being posted on my "Ohio and Me blog which is also part of this site) and partly due to the remains of winter. However, Spring is finally starting to pop here and we are getting some fantastic weather here in Ohio.
Finally with temperatures in the Upper 60's I got the motorcycle out for an early evening ride. Not exactly a cloudless late afternoon but I took the chance and got the motorcycle out for a ride. Being late afternoon I wanted to avoid the late afternoon traffic so headed out for the country.
Photo at left was taken on one of those country roads near the house. As you can note the speedometer is sitting on zero..no way would I take photos while moving unless I had a special camera (which I don't). Anyhow rode past as number of farms up highway 571 toward the city of Troy. While a city its a small one but a very interesting place. Was there last winter in the car, and have been there on a previous ride on a friend's motorcycle.   

As with much of the area there is a aviation history to Troy. One of the sights in the Waco Aviation Museum which is a small aviation museum to the factory that was once there somewhere in the town. I say somewhere because I have not seen it...yet. Its on the list though.
Waco planes were biplanes which were also considered by many aviation experts some of the most beautiful ever built.
At any case, rode around the town a bit checking out the sites before heading back to my house. This time took another nice highway again past a number of farms before heading to the house. Drove though the town of New Carlisle and got a little fuel before getting home. It was a short ride of 45 miles but I was smiling though every mile of it. 

Ormond Beach, Florida (March 26-28, 2019)

From Titusville, we rolled into Ormond Beach, which is just up the road from Daytona. We did make a stop at the racetrack there, being pretty big NASCAR fans. Had been to Daytona but Ormond Beach was a new thing to see.
We had a wonderful time there and enjoyed the beaches. Not quite as hectic as Daytona and a great time at the Chateau Mar Beach Resort there. Older hotel but very nice and right on the beach.       

Went to Birthplace of Speed Park. Being a fan of motorcycles enjoyed this monument to Glenn Curtiss. The motorcycle he set the record on is on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Ormond Beach was used for many years for speed records, motorcycle races and even early NASCAR races.
Lots of good and interesting places to eat including some new ones. A favorite of ours though was just outside of town and down A1A called "Lagerheads". It was outstanding.
More of a quiet place to visit but saw a lot of interesting sights....   

...such as these pelicans in flight. Took a chance on Ormond Beach and it really paid off with a wonderful time and some experiences that Debbie and I will never forget.
The journey in Florida was not over though, as we had more sights to see in Florida, and more places to explore before returning to Ohio.   

Titusville, Florida (March 24-25, 2019)

After Orlando we headed to Titusville, Florida. There we saw some of the sights of the Space Program. One nice bonus was visiting the Merritt Island National Seashore. Great visitor center there and was well worth a look. That is a beautiful area.
What I got a photo of, thanks to my zoom lens was the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. Actually took this at some distance because we did not tour KSC (though I have in the past). After some days of long walking at Universal we did not want to make another hike. This building though was used during Apollo and Shuttle missions.     

I took the VAB photo from Space View Park. Cool and free attraction in Titusville with a lot of monuments to the Space Program. One cool thing was that they have hand prints from many of the Astronauts including this one of Neil Armstrong who was the first man to walk on the moon.
Lots of really good displays could be found there... 

...such as this one seen here. It was well worth a visit and we had a great time.
Made a dinner stop at Dixie Crossroads for some of their famous fish. I ate there a few years ago and it was very, very good. Ate there on the 24th and....it was still very, very good. Highly recommend that restaurant if you are in the area. Titusville has a lot of things to offer and not just for the fans of spaceflight. We had a wonderful time and will be returning to this area in the future! 

Universal Orlando (March 18-24, 2019)

 Long road trip to Florida from Ohio on a wonderful journey. We made an overnight stop in Chattanooga, Tennessee and a night stop in Gainesville, Florida before arriving in Orlando on the 20th.
We stayed at Aventura on the grounds of Universal and had a wonderful time there. New and very nice hotel with some very good restaurants. While very good, its a good idea to bring more money than you think you might need as things can get really expensive really fast. To be honest a few years ago found the same thing at Disney...its just part of the whole park thing. 
 There is a nice night club on the roof and some great views can be seen from up there. It was fun to look around and into the park. 

My wife was really interested in the Harry Potter areas of the park. There are three parks there and two of them have Harry Potter areas. One night we saw this remarkable light show at Hogwarts. If you look on You Tube you will be able to see the entire show. They have a Harry Potter themed ride plus another one opening in a few weeks.
In addition to Harry Potter they have a number of other rides and attractions. The park is really a great deal of fun and we had a wonderful time just exploring the sights, riding the rides and enjoying the attractions to be found there.   

One area that was a lot of fun was City Walk which features restaurants, a number of shows and many other sights. It was also fun to wander around there and see what could be seen. It was great fun to explore and enjoyed the area during the four days we were there.
One thing we liked doing was to take the boat from the hotel (actually the hotel over) which was a lot more fun as well as faster to ride than the bus over to Universal.
This was our first time to be there and will be making another trip in the future. Just had a wonderful time and was blessed with some beautiful weather as well. Not too hot, not too crowded and no rain!