Kings Dominion (September 19, 2010)

Yesterday I experienced some great flying, today I got to experience some altitude and the sensation of flying at Kings Dominion, just up I-95 some 20 miles North of Richmond, VA. My first trip there, but sort of a sense of "been there/done that" with the fact that I have been to the sister parks of Kings Island in Ohio, and Carowinds in North Carolina. Of course some new things there this year, now that the parks are no longer owned by Paramount (though have lost all the cool Star Trek and Top Gun ride names) they have made up for it with some really neat new rides. This photo at left is not really a ride, it is the Eiffel Tower replica at the park (also have the same replica in Ohio) but a great view of the area. The tower is a 1/3 replica of the real deal in Paris, France and is somewhat over 300 feet. The observation deck is just a bit under 300 feet (according to the elevator guy, who gave us some neat information on the tower) which I believe was built back in 1975 after being constructed in Austria, shipped here and put together on the site.
Nothing like seeing a coaster as the birds see it. They had a lot of really good coasters at the park, including some really good wooden ones. No real lines, so getting on was pretty easy today..heck, getting another ride was really no problem either. I rode a few of them of a few times in a row. I like coaster and have always been a big fan of them. The steel coasters tend to be really smooth and really big, but wooden coasters tend to be really interesting too. I love the sound and the feel of a wooden roller coaster, the speed and the fury and the effects of a steel one. Along with motorcycling, I think few things give the effects of flying like a good steel roller coaster.
Course this bad boy at left is the biggest and baddest in the park, the Intimidator 305. This also gives a good idea of where the park is, out in the distance you can see...pretty much nothing. No cities were in view; pretty much just open countryside. Course its not just coasters there, there were rides for all people. In fact one ride I enjoyed a lot was a rather mild ride called "Flying Ace, which elevated to some 80 feet, and circled around a pole. Flew along pretty good, and I thought it was fun. Nice stores there to wander around (though pricey like the food, though the food was good) and just a neat place to be on a pleasant Virginia Sunday.
When it comes to big coasters though; this is the mack daddy at Kings Dominion. This is the view walking up to the big ride. It is relatively long but the ride up the big hill is quick as is the drop. Told it was 90 mph near the bottom of the 305 foot drop (I figure the reason you can look down at this ride from the Eiffel Tower replica which is either slightly shorter or a hair taller..not sure for sure...is an elevation difference in the land) but this is a big roller coaster. Thing that is remarkable is that there are bigger ones out there. Main park of the company that owns the three parks has some coasters at Cedar Point near Sandusky, Ohio that are staggering indeed. I am also aware that there are some even bigger coasters around the world (Japan seems to be in real competition in that regard).
At any case, a great ending to a really action packed weekend. Always fun to do some new things, and Richmond and the surrounding region still has after a year and a half a great many things to offer, and more to come.

To and from the Air Show (September 18, 2010)

As I noted in my previous post, visited Naval Air Station Oceana to see the 2010 Air Show held there (and can see some photos in my previous post). I enjoyed a most remarkable time at the event. This was my first visit to the area, and I liked it a great deal. It is always nice to be surrounded by heroes in the sky and on the ground of the US Navy, Marines, and the US Air Force of which I was once proud to be a member. Being by the sea, and unfortunately after getting out of the show short of daylight, I did stop off the highway and took this photo of sunset at a nearby beach near the tunnel just outside of Virginia Beach.
Photo at left is of two Navy aircraft carriers, and really put the "snap" in snapshot...took it real quick with my camera as I drove by what I believe was the Norfolk Navy base. I have been on that base (also on Oceana) "some years ago", and Norfolk Naval Station is still (I am pretty sure) the largest Navy base in the world. Navy pilots land multi-million dollar high performance aircraft on the ships pitching decks manned by thousands of US sailors and Marines who spend long periods of time working long hours far from home and family. It is a tough job, but they are the best in the world in what they do. They are a remarkable group of men and women!
One more quick shot from my dirty windshield. The tunnel on the way to Virginia Beach was a remarkable thing. For one thing, it was very long, and for under it went under the water. I was told to go early before the traffic got bad as it could back up (and as you can see, I took that advice). On the way back though, the tunnel was packed though moving heading toward Richmond. Heading back toward Virginia Beach, the tunnel traffic was at a virtual standstill for miles!!! Talk about a piece of luck, if I was heading in the other direction, I would probably not be writing this now, I would be trying to get back home to Richmond.
Certainly a very interesting area, I look forward to checking out Virginia Beach proper when I have more time in the very near future. As with the Carolina and their love of "The Beach" (usually, but not always they are talking about Myrtle Beach...though Folly Beach in Charleston, and Carolina Beach near Wilmington, NC are also visited often) Richmond likes to go to Virginia Beach. There is nothing like being near the ocean, and I enjoyed my time in the area today!

NAS Oceana Air Show (September 18, 2010)

Been a while since I have had a "Virginia" post on this site (which is entitled "Richmond and Me") but I had a really remarkable day today. Went this morning to the Air Show at Naval Air Station Oceana. The Navy (and an aviation squadron) was a former employer a while back, and it was good to be on a Navy base again. Especially exciting was the Blue Angels flight demo, seen here at left; which I took during the show. I have seen them fly a few times before (like air shows and in fact this was my second one this month) but this one was one of the best I have ever seen, and the Blue Angels flying was the best I have seen from them hands down.
The show also had some other unique flights, such as matching planes from different eras (such as this F-16 Falcon currently flown by the Air Force with a pair of P-51 Mustangs from WWII. There were also other military planes such as the F-18 and the F-22 (the F-22 got to make only one pass before mechanical problems forced it to cut short its display) and some great civilian pilots doing some remarkable aerobatics. There were also a number of skydivers. There was something going on every second of the show from 10am-4pm when the Blue Angels parked their six blue and gold F-18's. The best part of the day was seeing the planes in the skies.
However, a number of planes were also on display. I picked this C-2 Grayhound (used to bring cargo and people to carriers at sea) because it is a plane we civilians do not often get to see. There was a great variety of aircraft up close and in the air, some interesting pilots to talk to and learn from, and lots of things both aviation related and not to entertain everyone. Speaking of everyone, it was a massive crowd on hand at the air show, and in fact it may have been a record for this event. The NAS Oceana Air Show was one of the best air shows I have ever attended, and that is saying a lot, as I have been to a great many air shows.
I have posted many more photos on my Photo Page, which you can see via the link to it on my page here. This was (after a year and a half in Richmond) my first visit to the Virginia Beach/Hampton area, but will certainly not be my last. Getting out of the show due to the crowd took a lot of time, but I spent it checking out the air park on the base. I doubt that can be accessed at any other time due to normal security levels at the base, but I might be mistaken. I do know that the camera got quite a workout during the event, and the grin on my face was day long!

Mt. Pleasant, NC (September 13, 2010)

Beautiful day in the Carolinas...enjoyed the late summer weather and the beautiful conditions there. Got in some nice motorcycling today, but enjoyed this visit to Mt. Pleasant, NC. Nice small community just down the road on NC-49 it is a nice area, and a typical small town in the Carolinas. This old mill is still in use, and a good friend of mine painted a very nice picture of it a few years ago. There are a number of old houses in the area many of which date to the 1800s and earlier. It is a quite small town, but also has a lot of newer developments. Like many of the towns in the area, the growth of Charlotte, NC has fueled much of its growth.
The buildings at right are currently the site of the Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society. The larger building was built in 1854-55, the smaller one in 1858-60. Once the North Carolina College, it suspended operation during the start of the Civil War. In fact, a number of students formed a unit there (according to the plaque at the site), which served in (among other places) the Richmond, Virginia area.
The photo at bottom is What-A-Burger #13 in Mt. Pleasant, NC. Sort of a local institution, those places are very popular throughout the region. I have noted that "What A Burger" is also in the Richmond area, but not sure if it is the same chain of restaurants, or just shares a common name. I have eaten at those stores though a number of times, like the local food where ever I am (when in Rome, do as the Romans do) and they have some very interesting and tasty burgers.
Had a very fine motorcycling day, and even got out later for a little night riding which was pretty cool. It has been a most wonderful weekend in the Carolinas, but some interesting days in Richmond are coming up in my next post. Looking forward to some great adventures there.

Big Hawk and the Great Wolf (September 11, 2010)

Went to Pat Rogers Harley Davidson to see the Cannonball Motorcycle Race which made a stop there, which I have on my motorcycle page (and photos on the Photo Page) but got a real kick out of this hawk which was on the sign there. I took two photos of him, he really did not seem to mind, though I believe he was watching me. Loved the bird on the sign, and thought it was really cool. He was a neat bird and later saw him fly off.
Had a great day on the 11th, the air show earlier was remarkable, and the motorcycle event was something I had never seen before. The bikes were also at Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, NC, and I had never been in it, but had wanted to see it; so Patty and I wandered in there, and got the photos below. Got the outside, the main lobby and the water park. An expensive place to stay but a lot to do there. Was fun checking it out and liked the things that I saw in there, looks like a very fun place to stay and enjoy. Might be worth a future weekend with the wife!

Winston-Salem Air Show (September 11, 2010

After a hard night at work, and very little sleep (but enough) headed back to Concord, NC. On the way though, as I did last year, made a stop at the Winston-Salem Air Show in Winston-Salem, NC. It is what I hope will be one of two air shows (hope to go to the Virginia Beach Air Show next weekend) this month. I had hoped to see a Mig-21 fly which was scheduled for the show. It was NOT there, but that happens with old and unique aircraft (hard to just go to the repair shop for Russian made aircraft, but some good stuff on the ground and in the air made it very worthwhile. I love aviation, and had a fun time wandering the grounds and looking up.
There were four Harriers, flown by the USMC (and famous in British aviation...being a British design), with one seen here. The Harrier can fly straight up (vertical take off and landing) also can make regular takeoffs. A very unique and noisy aircraft, they also did overflights of the nearby Wake Forest Football game. That made for difficult traffic conditions getting in as the stadium was one exit from the air show. It was the same case last year, but I expected it; which is why I got rolling from Richmond at 6am!Nice to get to see these and a number of other military aircraft on display, some remarkable planes took to the air.

It was not just about military aircraft. I did also see a number of civilian planes including this DC-3 which is part of the collection of planes from the Carolina Aviation Museum in Charlotte, NC. Many of their planes fly, and this one is a past award winner at the big Oshkosh air show in Wisconsin (one of the largest air shows in the world). The DC-3 also served in WWII as a very important military transport; the C-47. There were a number of civilian planes of many types at the air show. There was also a Mustang car show, and a really neat police dog display which is also seen here. The guy (with a padded arm by the way) played the part of a bank robber, he ran and the dog did what police dogs do as seen in the photo.
Quite a few planes took to the air such as this C-17 Globemaster air force transport. I also got to see some other military aircraft and also a civilian display team before the rains came. It began to rain about an hour into the show, and wanted to get back to Concord anyhow (where my family is!) so left during that time. I do have a number of photos on my Flickr site, which I have a link to. I will also have photos there of the Cannonball Motorcycle Race; some really unique Pre-1916 motorcycles racing from Kitty Hawk, NC to California. They made a stop in Concord overnight, and that was a very fun event as well. It was a really fun and remarkable Saturday, which I enjoyed a great deal!

Huntersville and Beyond (September 6, 2010)

This post and the previous two posts document a motorcycle ride on September 6 in an area along NC-115 which is known collectively as "North Meck" and includes the towns of Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson, NC. I enjoy visiting this area, and one of the sights of the ride can be seen at left. I like that old store just across the railroad tracks. The railroad was an early engine of growth for the town which grew from the cotton and brick making industries. Early the town was the site of The Battle of Cowan's Ford on February 1, 1781 during the Revolutionary War. Of the three towns in the area Huntersville is the largest both in population of 24,960 (2000 census) and in area of 31.2 square miles.
This house is one of those in Huntersville, NC, and is home to a guitar school (being a fan of the instrument, I liked this photo). As with Davidson and Cornelius being close to Lake Norman has fueled growth. It has a number of shopping centers as well as many fine local businesses. Among the businesses that call Huntersville home is the NASCAR racing team of Joe Gibbs Racing which is located in Huntersville. In fact nearby Mooresville, and especially Concord which is also not far away are the homes to most of the race teams in the NASCAR circuit. The sport is a big deal in the region; three races are hosted yearly at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Due to the town being relatively small, and being close to both Lake Norman and Charlotte NC (with easy highway access) the town has been a popular "bedroom community" for county residents. Many new buildings (which the one at left would be one of) have gone up in the last few years. There are also a number of large businesses along NC-115 which provide jobs to some of the local residents.
I enjoy riding in this area with its interesting towns, the nearby lake (which I have been to in previous posts to this blog if you care to see some of the sights there), but I also enjoy the ride along NC-115. A nice mix of small towns, farms, and growing developments, North Meck (named for the county it and Charlotte are part of) is a very nice and interesting area to explore; a nice mix of the past and changes over a short period of time.