Five Forks and the Memorial Day Weekend

Blessed with a four day weekend away from work, took off from Virginia on a Friday morning after a long (9.5) hour night at work, and a bit of sleep. I rode to Five Forks Battlefield which was an important part of the Civil War. Petersburg and Richmond had been under siege which would be the longest in US history. Grant sent forces to take the Five Forks area which offered a route to the South Side Railroad; Lee's last supply line for his army. Grant's 22,000 troops faced 10,000 Confederate forces under George Pickett on April 1, 1865. The battle turned out to be a rout with 1/3 off the Confederates killed, injured or captured with a loss to the Union of some 800 troops. Petersburg was assaulted the next day, and the city fell with Richmond falling shortly after. Less than a week after that, Lee surrendered his army.
The battlefield is much changed over time; what was fields in 1865 is now mostly covered by trees, though this is the center of the Confederate line. I spent about an hour there, with some of the sites along the way to see, and also checked out the visitor center.
Got to Concord, NC later that afternoon. I-85 was backed up with race traffic, took an early exit and hit some of the back routes to get home. Got in a motorcycle ride to see some of the race track displays, and also visited some friends. At the end of the ride, got pounded in one of the weekend downpours; but it did a good job (after I dried it) of washing the bike, plus my jeans, shirt, shoes, and helmet. That is one of the "joys" of motorcycling. The rains prevented further rides, also greatly impacted the race which was cancelled for Sunday night, and shortened for the Monday running.
I did get oil changed on the car also a fantastic tire balance. For the ride back to Richmond, the car felt like it was on rails.....really good job at Sears in Concord, NC. Good to be back and I will be here till June 6. I also have a big day planned (hopefully the weather will change soon) at the Hog Happenin in Lincolnton, NC that day. That has been a favorite motorcycle event of mine for some years, but will save that for a future post.

Hollywood Cemetery/Monument Avenue

This is one amazing town; with a history to match. The more I explore it, the more I see that, and really enjoyed the journey today. First stop today was the Hollywood Cemetery which has a lot of history buried in its graves. Saw the graves of James Monroe, as well as President Tyler, also the graves of J.E.B Stewart, and George Pickett. Jefferson Davis is also buried there, plus a whole lot more of the people who made Richmond's history. Not to mention that its a beautiful place to explore with a great view of the James River thrown in at no charge. I could spend a lot more time there, and will again in the future.

As for Monument Avenue, sure its been photographed a few zillion times, but those statues are something to see, as are the buildings that are along the street. Place was alive with people, and some really interesting places to see along the roads. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon it made for a really nice walk. Richmond certainly did things in a big way, and seems to still think that way from the impression I have been getting of the city. All in all, an outstanding day!

Star Trek and RVA Blogs

Joined with a few million people today, and checked out the new Star Trek movie. I am a movie fan, and in times like these its a nice getaway for a while to visit a universe where the problems are so big that they make the ones here pale in comparison (which of late is no small feat). Watched the shows for years, and have groaned through some real Star Trek stinkers (Insurrection, Generations, and Nemesis) and some I really enjoyed such as First Contact, Wrath of Khan, and The Voyage Home. Was pleased to find today that the new movie is very good, and enjoyed the direction that the director is taking the old show. He made some interesting changes which added I think to the direction of what I am pretty sure will be a continuing series of movies. It moved along really well; clocked in at 2 hours and six minutes but did not seem at all that long. It also passed my big movie test, "Will you see this movie again", and I would have to answer, "Oh yeah!". Watched it at "Regal Winchester Commons 16"; nice theater down on Midlothian Turnpike. Pretty new and in fact the whole Winchester Commons is mostly still empty with many stores coming but not yet open.
Enjoyed reading some of the Star Trek posts on RVA blogs. Haven't (yet) seen a negative post, thouogh sure to be some eventually, but so far everyone seemed to like it locally that has seen it. I like getting that local viewpoint. When I was in Charlotte, moving to Richmond with the job transfer, came across RVA blogs. I like getting the point of view on a city from people who live there rather then people paid to present it. The blogs have certainly been informative, and I read them often. Many of them have been a big help in finding things in Richmond to check out from the local point of view. "All Things Richmond" covers some items of interest locally, and I like to look at that blog. "Bacons Rebellion" has been interesting and I have also been following of late "Setting Myself on Fire" which is one man's quest to get back to the world of work. I also follow "Jack Goes Forth" with some interest. Thanks to my work schedule "nightlife" is pretty well impossible (as I am pretty much working the same hours Jack does) but did (and on the rare occasion still do) enjoy a good night out, and enjoy his posts. Those are just a few of the many blogs that I read on the site. It is actually quite a long list those being just a few examples.
Did want to mention though that the blogs I have read gave me a good, and frankly positive impression of the city, and for that I am grateful. To be honest, there is not a lot of buzz about Richmond, VA...when I found I would be coming here what I knew about it was very little. So the internet was a great resource as were the blogs here.
Tomorrow going to be heading downtown for a while, supposed to be a break from the rains of late, and still doing a lot of looking around. Richmond has a lot of things to see, and I intend to see it!

North Carolina and the Bike Show (May 1-4)

Was back in Concord for a four day weekend. Previous post showed Petersburg (actually Old Petersburg) during an early stop on the way back to Carolina. Good weather going back, and got home in the early afternoon.
Great weekend with the family. I also took a ride with a friend to the 2009 Classic Motorcycle Show in Spencer, NC on May 2 on my motorcycle. Many great bikes there (have some of them posted on my Flickr Page) such as these BSA's seen here. No longer in production, BSA was formerly a gun manufacturer (British Small Arms, aka BSA) that made some great motorcycles. Lots of classic German, Italian, and Japanese bikes were at the free show. In fact the museum is a real treasure; formerly a working rail yard donated to the state and now a aircraft, motorcycle, automobile, and train museum. Most of the trains are in working condition, and for $6 you could have ridden the train in the background on a three mile route.
May 2 was wild. Formerly from Louisville, KY watched the Kentucky Derby, and then watched the Nascar race in Richmond (had to be Kyle winning didn't it?). Great time around the area and at the house with my family. Though it was four days, seemed to pass in a flash. Weather was pretty good, some evening rain, but got in two good motorcycle rides during the visit, and Patty and I got to do some yard work. I do not have had yardwork at the apartment here, so nice to get out to do that there.
Rainy trip back though from Concord to Richmond, and raining now as I write this. Will be staying in Richmond this weekend, looking forward to some more exploring here as there is still a great many interesting things to see here. Have been having a great time in this town and have seen some remarkable sights in the few months that I have been here. Looking forward to a great weekend!

A short visit to Petersburg, VA

On my trips past it, heading to North Carolina, have seen Petersburg from the highway. On Friday, having time to make a easy drive for a change, I stopped to take a look. While there just an hour, got a good interesting look at some of the city, and liked what I saw. For instance the Courthouse at left dated to the Civil War, and the clock tower was used to track time both by Confederate and Union Soldiers. When the American flag was raised over the city on April 3, 1865 it signaled the end of the battle for Petersburg.


I also wandered around the old section of Petersburg. I saw many interesting stores there, and enjoyed checking out the old buildings. Seems to be a lot of history to be found in that area, as well as many shops, places to eat, and things to explore. I have been told that it can be a rather dangerous town, but did not have any problems in the area, rather as with most of Virginia found the people I encountered to be very friendly and in fact did not see a great many people at all on what was a very quiet Friday morning.



This third photo was the old railyard. During the Civil War,Union troops burned the trains that were there. Petersburg was an important supply and communications depot for Richmond, and with its fall the door to Richmond was open, and the end of the war was just days away. The battlefield is nearby and I will in a future trip to the area explore that as well, and am looking forward to it. All in all, it was a most remarkable visit, and a very pleasant one as well. I have been amazed at all the sights that I have seen so far, and pleased at the things that I have come across in my travels. This is certainly a most remarkable state.
Writing this from my home in North Carolina, where I had a very enjoyable motorcycle ride today with a good friend, and am looking forward to sharing some of that in my next post.

A Wonderful Weekend in Concord (April 25-27)

Headed out from Richmond on Saturday Morning April 25, down I-95 to I-85 and into Concord in the early afternoon. Nice to be home with my wife, son, and dogs.....a great visit. Lunch was at the Little Dooey near the giant Concord Mill shopping center; good BBQ and blues music in there. It is a limited chain based out of Mississippi, not really NC BBQ (no slaw on the food) but good stuff and the music is great. Spent the weekend with family and friends, what you see of the skies is the photo was how it was there, with highs in the upper 80s. Got to do some work around the house, cleaned up the cars (and happily the Neon did just fine on the road up and back), and got in a fine motorcycle ride during my visit.
Will be going back on this upcoming Friday, this time for four days! On the way down Friday plan to check out Old downtown Petersburg, VA as I will have time. Will be a leasurely trip down as Patty works till 6pm; so no huge rush to get there, and plan to take advantage with a bit of Virginia sightseeing.

GIve me the lunch, with a side order of towing...

Know how when a airliner lands on the runway, and the thrust reversers kick in and you feel like you are going backwards? Well, sort of had that feeling on I-95 this weekend.

In the context of the start of this post, lunch is of interest on Sunday April 19 which started out better than it ended. Noted in a previous visit that there was quite a crowd at the Chesterfield County Airport for the buffet. I was also told during a haircut while talking about the area that a great place to eat was at the Chesterfield County Airport. So I went back on Sunday April 19 and checked it out. Got a lot of good food for $9.75, all you can eat and beverages included. They had salads, breakfast or lunch type food (chicken, North Carolina and Virginia style BBQ) on the buffet, and it was really good. I enjoyed a few plates, also the view. I am an aircraft fan (which is how I ended up at the airport in the first place a few weeks ago) and enjoyed watching the planes land and take off. I will be coming back there again. Also enjoyed the people, was an older church sort of crowd but a lot of fun and very nice to the guy from North Carolina in the motorcycle shirt with shorts on.
After lunch headed to Chester, NC. I was headed to the City Point Unit site (was a Union supply depot in the Civil War, and General Grants HQ during the Petersburg campaign) when all hell broke loose just short of Exit 61A. All of a sudden a very loud BOOM, check engine light and it felt like that airliner landing as power dropped off. Also of concern was the continuing noise. I got the car into a nearby hotel lot on 10, and raised the hood. The spark plug wire and plug was attached still to the motor. Problem was it was on top of the motor. I attemped to repair the car, but could tell it was stripped out. Got plugs changed over a year ago, but apparently it had blown out. Found out this week again from friends at work, that this is relatively common and has happened to a few people.
Anyhow AAA towed me to a shop near my apartment, at the Firestone Auto Center at 7303 Midlothian Turnpike. Talked to Store Manager John Tate, and they got started on repairs. Required some major work to the engine, the head had to be taken off and a helicoil put in. They also did some work to the engine while the head was off. It was an expensive repair, but have to say I am well pleased with how the car runs. While wish this had not happened, the work was first rate, and the car felt like it had a new motor in it (John said they cleaned off all the 100,000 mile gunk). Sort of like lunch, would use these guys again, and appreciate the fine service given to a guy from "out of town". Got the car back on Tuesday.
Will be giving it a good test this weekend, driving back to Carolina for the weekend. Still plan to make it out to see the HQ of General Grant in a few days. Have really enjoyed exploring the sights and history of Richmond, VA over the last couple of months. I am always impressed with the people I have met amid my travels and problems here in my "part time" city.