Charlotte "Spring" Ride in the Summer (July 3, 2010)

Nice day, after all the blazing heat and humidity of late, a July 3 day felt like May on the motorcycle in Charlotte. Got out and put in some nice miles exploring "my town" for a change. Passed the 4th of July Parade in Harrisburg, which was pretty neat actually. Not a big one, but a big crowd was there, plus floats and bands. Rode on up to UNCC where I got this photo of the main entrance. I also did some riding around; quiet at the school, but a very nice campus, and of course its the home of the Charlotte 49ers. They are adding a football team to the sports program, and that will be very interesting. Looking forward to going to some local games.
I rode out to North Davidson, aka "NoDa" which is a local art community. Over the years, it has grown from a rather run down area to a nice place with restaurants (such as Cabo Fish Taco), apartments and Condo's, and of course the art galleries. Nice to explore that area, it is also a great place to check out live music both at The Neighborhood Theater and The Evening Muse where national and regional acts play. I rode into Charlotte (which is just up the road) and there watched firemen answer a fire at a parking garage. I saw the smoke and thought it was a BBQ out of control, but turned out to be quite the blaze.
After that rode out to the "Shoppes at University" having traveled sort of a big loop today. Like that place, as the lake there is really nice (and often hosts free concerts there in the summer on Sunday's) plus got to stop in to "Boardwalk Billy's to check out some of the World Cup action, as well as to enjoy a frosty cold beverage. It was a really nice motorcycle ride on a wonderful day, and enjoyed it a great deal. I have more photos on my Photo Page, and some even on my "Racing with the Wind" motorcycle blog page. I have to say, it does not get much better, especially in July, than this!

Lynchburg, VA (June 27, 2010)

As noted earlier, visited Lynchburg, VA on June 27 to see my fantastic wife Patty who was there for her annual quilt retreat with members of the Cabarrus Quilt Guild. Toured the retreat site which was very pretty and met some of the ladies there.Patty and I headed out on a very hot day to check out Lynchburg. Noticed early on the hand of Jerry Falwell is all over the area after driving in on the Jerry Falwell highway and passing an airport named for him. Liberty University is also there, and in fact there a number of schools in the city. These is also (seen at left) Point of Honor built in 1815. Dr. Cabell, who built it, was Patrick Henry's doctor, also a friend of Thomas Jefferson.
Lynchburg sits on the James River and got a shot of it with a dam. Access to the river does not seem to be great, though I just may not have found it in my limited time in the city. I did enjoy the cobblestone/brick streets near the river. They are working in Lynchburg to develop that area with a riverwalk and the redevelopment of warehouses there to have office and other business space. Lynchburg is a very hilly city with a really good road system. Was easy to get from one end to the other. Mountains are very nearby, could see them in the distance, and know that the remarkable Blue Ridge Parkway is not far away. Time did not allow me a visit to that fantastic road and national treasure.
I did walk up the 130+ steps of the Monument Terrace. It is a War Memorial with monuments of various wars at various levels. It offered a good view of the city, an idea of the hills, and a look at the fountain (more of a waterspout actually) on the James. I will have more photos on my Photo Page of the city. Hard to get a feel for a place in less than a day, but I did enjoy the visit a great deal; though to be honest any day with Patty would be a good day! Like in Richmond, it was a very warm day; got word it had been 102 at the Harbor Inn Restaurant. Local seafood place, was good and the price was great, though do suggest that you bring a lot of hunger when you go there; serving portions are massive. Enjoyed seeing the area, and had a great time in Lynchburg, Va.

Appomattox Court House (June 27, 2010)

Today went on a road trip to Lynchburg, Va where my wife Patty was on a Quilt Retreat with the Cabarrus Quilt Guild from Concord, NC. Seeing as I have never been there, and its really close to Richmond, took the trip there. Nice drive (though watch for deer at the side of and on the road at night) but a surprise was the route took me right to Appomattox Court House. Did not expect to ever see it cause it is, after all, 105 miles from Richmond. I also did not expect it to be part of the route. What you are looking at on the left is the McLean House where on April 9, 1865 General Lee surrendered his army to General U.S. Grant.

This is the Parlor where the surrender was signed. Marble table is where General Lee sat, General Grant at the small wooden table at right. Lee's forces after the retreat from Petersburg and Richmond were chased by the Union Army which eventually got behind and in front of the Confederate forces. Unable to break out from the vise, Lee met with General Grant. Grant's terms were very generous, so much so that it was reported that General Lee would never allow anyone to speak ill of General Grant in his presence. The surrender was only of the Army of Northern Virginia, though other forces (most notably those in Carolina, soon followed.
This house is notable in that on this site during a battle the Army of Northern Virginia fired its cannon for the last time. Apparently after doing some research, all the buildings at the site date to the period. It was a remarkable stop on the days events, and a worthwhile place to visit when in the area. The drive to Lynchburg is very scenic; though the wildlife mentioned earlier adds a bit of excitement to the journey at night. I had a great time, will post more photos of the visit there to my Photo Page, and be looking for some photos of very interesting Lynchburg, Va in my next post.

Government Operations You May Not Know AboutY

Taking a break from the endless debate on the "Socialist take over of President Obama" which is being lead by the party of big business.....The GOP, aka The Gulf Oil Party?...could be, who else would tell BP they are sorry).
As a pause/break/relief from the mindless ranting in the political world , was thinking about the trip back to Richmond last weekend. On the North Carolina side, I drove past oceans of flowers planted in the medians, along the side of the road, a number of colorful island amid the miles of boredom on I-85. I believe the government planted the flowers there; sure it cost some money, but sure brightened the trip both there and back. I took this at an I-85 rest stop. I like rest stops, as they make those necessary "nature calls" fast....being right off the road. Course, its nice from time to time to stop and smell the flowers.
However, at the state line is the big Virginia rest stop (also one much like it at the North Carolina line). Hot tip in case you did not know; these are a great place to get information on what the state of Virginia (and North Carolina in the other direction) have to offer. Sure you can punch up info on the internet (and I do) but nice sometimes to have a hard copy of places both for the information but to also know they exist. Have found a lot of "did not know that place was here" things to check out at the information centers at this location. Another good place at times are some of the blogs in RVA blogs (yeah, a plug for some of the sites, but what the heck). Today for instance found that the Science Museum of Virginia is going to offer $5 Sunday movies at the IMAX there. Big fan of the IMAX at Discovery Place in Charlotte (one very fine science museum in Charlotte which is re-opening after a multi-million dollar remake...its free to enter this Sunday June 27 by the way) and look forward to checking some movies out this Summer (offer at Science Museum of Virginia goes on till September 5, 2010).
Know I am rambling a bit here, but its what I do...and tomorrow have an interesting road trip planned in the Virginia area. More on that in the next post!

Harrisburg SummerFest, June 19, 2010

Good time at the SummerFest in Harrisburg, NC. Held on the grounds of the town hall, Harrisburg is one of the bedroom communities of Charlotte, NC. The town hall area is pretty interesting; around is government offices (as seen in the photo at left) apartments, and a number of businesses such as restaurants, child care, grocery stores, coffee shops, bars, medical offices, etc. Those are getting pretty common in the region, and have proven to be interesting places to live, and to visit as well. The band that played yesterday was pretty good; enjoyed them a great deal. Was a good crowd on hand though many were wandering around the booths on the site, and seeking what shade there was on a hot and humid Carolina June day.

Course as with any event, there was a car show. I think that in Carolina, most events are an excuse to show off the cars that people have restored. That said, they do have some remarkable restorations and some amazing cars from the past have been known to come back to life. Due to the fact that winters tend to be mild, and the use of salt on the roads is light (along with snowfalls as a rule) you don't see the damage from that on many of the cars here. There may also be the fact that there are some really good mechanics in this area, and when you combine all that, you get some pretty good rides to check out at these events.
This is a view of some of the booths that were there,also games for the kids, and you can also see some of the apartments I mentioned in the earlier paragraph. My wife Patty was working one of the booths, so I came out to be with her, but had a really good time. Events such as these are common in the area, and tend to be a pretty good time. Other than the heat and humidity, it was a really good day for it, at least the rains held off, and made for a nice day out in Harrisburg, NC.

Salisbury and Area (June 19, 2010)

Back in the Carolinas after a few weeks in Richmond, and have been enjoying it a great deal. Rode the motorcycle today to check out Salisbury, NC, a favorite town with some real fine roads and interesting sights. Checked out the Confederate Monument, and the old Courthouse. The Courthouse survived the occupation of the city by Union Forces during the late days of the Civil War. They came to free Union Prisoners held at the Confederate Prison there. Many thousands of those who died there are buried in the nearby National Cemetery. They also have cemeteries, including some holding troops which served with British General Cornwallis in the city.

I also made a stop at Dan Nicholas Park, where I visited some of the sights there, which included this Merry Go Round, and the zoo there with a number of interesting animals and birds. I have some of those photos on my Photo Page which you can check out. Though a hot and humid day, had a great time on the motorcycle, and enjoyed the sights, the wind in my face, and being out on the bike today. I will have more photos from the visit home on my next post here.

Chester, VA

Not a huge day of exploring; had been to lunch a while back in Chester, VA with a group of us from work, and got sort of lost and came across some sights. Thought it would be fun to go back, so I give it a quick visit today. It is down on I-95 at Exit 61 (A+B). During my first visit to the Richmond area we stayed at a hotel there, and ate at a local Chili's. Seemed like a nice town, with quite a few stores and strip malls; a bedroom community for Richmond, VA. Came across what I believe was Chester Village Green, a mixed used community which is where I took the photo at left. Got quite a few of those in the Charlotte area, so I stopped to check it out.

This is another view of the Chester Village Green, which is a mix of retail, a library, and apartments. Often go to Huntersville, NC when I am home and visit Birkdale Village there; which is also a mix of apartments, business, and other services (though Birkdale also has a movie theater) and is a nice place to wander and hang out. Charlotte is also making the light rain a sort of giant mixed used development of sorts with the train being the access to the housing and places along the line. Would be nice I would think to not need to travel further then a short walk to get all the things, or most of them at least, that you would need.

While in Chester, visited a Civil War site I had not seen; Battery Dantzer. It was part of the Richmond defenses during the War. Typical of most of the "forts" it was largely an earth work fortress. Both sides in siege warfare used the main material at hand...which was dirt. The battery had a number of troops there, and a number of large guns, and traded fire with nearby Union forces and forts across the James River. It played a role in protecting Confederate Naval Forces after an unsuccessful attack on the Union Supply base at City Point. Many bases such as this running from Richmond to Petersburg and beyond held off the Union Army.
Below is Ft. Drewry/Ft. Darling (called by different names) which is located just off the Jefferson Davis Highway. There on May 15, 1862 guns from the heights there (such as the one seen at left) drove off a fleet of Union gunboats which included the ironclad USS Monitor. The US Navy plan was to shell Richmond from the sea. I have been there before, noticed since the last visit that the gun platform had been painted. It is a good half mile walk to the earthworks which make up the fort, and I could not hardly have picked a hotter or more humid day to visit, but enjoyed my return to it nonetheless. Richmond certainly has a lot of history in the region. I should also note while out in the car today, a blue bird flew real close to the windshield. Apparently, this scared him a great deal, as he left a white gift on the hood of my car! I am told that this is good luck, though a bucket of water removed that lucky sign from the car when I got back to the apartment.