Labor Day in Concord, NC (Sept 3, 2012)

 Went for a ride on the motorcycle on Labor Day, before heading back to Richmond later (which is where I am writing this now). Enjoyed a great six days back in North Carolina, but on my last day (which again was blessed with some great weather) took a ride around the Concord area. Made a number of stops, but got this photo of Z-Max Dragway. Interesting in that it is being used as a center for police cars and buses, certainly for the Democratic National Convention which starts on Tuesday. There were a lot of events going on this Labor Day for it, but I could not make those today. 

Rode here down Union Street (for those who wonder, I stopped the bike before taking this photo, as you can see, it was a light traffic day on this Labor Day). Union Street is a very old street, but then again Concord is a very old town , settled in 1750, and established in 1806. There are a number of really neat old houses there, and its a fun place to drive (or especially ride a motorcycle) down. I love the big trees and the old houses are always interesting. There is an old mill converted to apartments at the far end (well behind me) and there is a "Forest Hill" section of the street (which is neat, as I live in Forest Hill in Richmond now). 

This is the downtown of Concord, though as with many places the "downtown" has moved (for Concord it is probably the massive Concord Mills complex and the surrounding area), but downtown has a lot of history, plus some really cool businesses. A few places were open (visited the guitar shop located there during this visit) but many closed for the holiday.
I have to say, its been a good time. A number of photos from around the region can be found on these pages as well as on my "Racing with the Wind" page. I had a fun and remarkable visit during the Labor Day holiday. 

Sunday Ride (September 2, 2012)

I went out for a ride on the motorcycle on September 2, and have a few more photos on my Racing with the Wind blog, but this photo at left I took in Davidson, NC. Its a great town, like the fact that they are trying to limit development, and to keep it a "small college town". It is not far from the Lake Norman area, and has a number of small shops, and a really tight (and you need to pay attention to it) speed limit. You normally see a lot of people jogging, and riding bicycles, and walking, it is a quiet sort of place. It also has a lot of places to eat and drink, great book stores, that sort of thing.   

 Davidson is the home to Davidson College, a very old school, in fact President Woodrow Wilson spent some time going to school there (was US President during World War One). I like the very old buildings there, such as this church, it is a beautiful school, and a very respected school as well. It has a first rate football and basketball team there - in fact the basketball team went real far in the NCAA tournament a few years ago.
Davidson is a very nice area to ride in, with a lot of history and some really big and fine houses. It is not far from Lake Norman, and also has some first rate entertainment both of the kind that charges admission and also for free as well in the centrally located park in Downtown Davidson.
It is well worth a visit, easy to get to, and a fun ride. If you are a motorcyclist, you will find some of the best roads in the area. 

This is Michael Waltrip Racing, one of the big(er) race shops in the area. I like Michael, as he is a real hoot as a person, but is doing really good in NASCAR as a team owner. Of course there are a lot of race shops in the area, the Charlotte area (Huntersville, Concord, Charlotte itself, and Cornelius where this shop is located) is home to the vast majority of teams in the circuit. Neat to live in two cities where there are major NASCAR tracks (Richmond, VA and Concord, NC) . Richmond races next weekend, Concord's last races of 2012 are coming up in October of this year.    

Finally, I was going back to the area from the motorcycle ride yesterday to get a photo of the lake. I made a turn down a neighborhood in Cornelius and came across some houses like this, and had to get a photo of one of them. I see some amazing houses in Richmond, but the Lake Norman area has some really "nice" neighborhoods as well. Of course though you can't see it here, the back yard of these houses are the amazing Lake Norman (and I have a few photos of the lake all though this blog, its a favorite riding area of mine). I have to say, its fun living in this area, though seriously doubt I will ever see myself in any sort of house like this....ever.  

Riding on the South Side (August 31, 2012)

 Got out on the motorcycle, put some photos from this shop on my bike page, but worth a photo here. Motorcycles of Charlotte sells Ducati, Triumph, BMW and MV Agusta, rare bikes on the roads, but some of the most interesting ones out there. A very nice motorcycle shop, located near South Carolina (at NC Exit 1, I-77) and just a stones throw from South Carolina. Enjoyed my visit there, because none (as in nada, zip) are sold in the Richmond area, so these are some bikes I have not seen in a while, but hard to see when I am in Virginia. Not to say they are not great bikes though, some of the most innovative out there.   

 Took a few minutes and rode into South Carolina where gas is much cheaper than just about anyplace (and I took advantage gassing up the Vulcan) but also is the home to Carowinds. This is the "sister park" of Kings Dominion which is near Richmond (in Doswell I believe). Carowinds is partly in North Carolina, and partly in South Carolina. It also has many of the same rides, this for instance is The Intimidator which can also be found at Kings Dominion. Big roller coaster fan, and loved riding this one in Virginia. I have been to this park in the past and am sure to return to it in the future.  

 I am a big fan of planes, and while cruising down NC-49 toward Charlotte seemed to have been along one of the active runways, so got this photo overhead (you can get photos like this on a motorcycle at a red light). Charlotte-Douglas is the hub airport for US Airways and one of the busiest airports in the US (and the busiest in North Carolina). The airport has a great viewing area for takeoffs and landings, and is also home to the Carolina Aviation Museum, which I have visited a number of times. I have also flown out of that airport on many occasions, it makes for some good flights due to the large number of direct flights out of Charlotte.   

 Made a quick drive though Uptown Charlotte, photo at left is one of the statues at Founders Square. Of course this week the Democratic National Convention is coming to town, and the traffic as well as the police presence was greatly increased. Still, its a great city to visit with a lot to see and do (and many of those things can be seen on past pages here) and Charlotte is probably my favorite city in North Carolina (though there are a number of fun places to visit in this state). I am looking forward to seeing how the convention goes, though by the time it kicks off I will be back in Richmond.  

I was finally in the area called University City, made a quick stop to get a photo of IKEA there. Buddy of mine made a big deal of going to Washington, DC where they have one, so he will enjoy seeing this. It has been in Charlotte for the last few years. University City is the home to UNCC, which is getting a football team (next year) as well as a number of stores, apartments, and the like. It is more of a suburb of Charlotte, but a fun place as most college towns are.
It was a very good day to ride, with a few things to see off the beaten path, but put a big grin on my face.    

A Damp Sunday in the RVA

Took this photo on a clammy, overcast Sunday August 26. Day before it rained all day, was a good day to check out "The Dark Knight Rises" (and that was a really good movie, in my opinion the best in the series). On this Sunday, was heading for a short time to Richmond, but stopped in this little park short of the James River and took this photo at the top of the Floodwall Walkway. I like this old bridge, and this is an interesting area to wander a bit. I think it is fair to say that the James River is the center of this city, and there are a lot of interesting things to do and see along its length. 

Also from the overlook is this view of Richmond, VA. I do have a lot of fun there, and its a fun place to explore and to check out new things. Did not do a lot of it today, been a long week at work, and thought it would be fun to just get there for a bit and to check out some sights in the Shockoe Bottom area. I was just there a couple of weeks ago for the BBQ festival, which was a lot of fun, and thought it would be a good place to spend a little time. Traffic was pretty heavy on this Sunday and parking was a little hard to come by (free parking anyhow) but made a stop at Station 2 for a beverage before I headed back.   

Have been to Station 2 before, does not seem as good as I remember. Has an ok beer list, the food is ok, though got the fried pickles and they are not as nice as I remember. I like that it is in an old fire station (which is sort of unique) though frankly doubt I will be back in the future....there are better places in Richmond by far to drop a few dollars.
Will be spending some quality time today at Forest Hill Park, as there is a band which is supposed to play there later tonight, though the weather will for sure be a factor. It looks like the skies will unload anytime now, a real mixture of sunshine (limited on that though) and some very, very dark clouds. Course the area needs the rain, getting seriously dry lately, and Chesterfield (which is nearby) is under water restrictions. Like much of the US, Richmond is below normal water levels as far as rainfall.
Nothing else, this will be a good day to relax, chill out and to enjoy the afternoon. Got some pre-season football tonight, so it could be worse I suppose. 

Sights in Concord, August 18-19, 2012

 Headed out to dinner with my wife Patty on August 18, and it was a good dinner indeed (ate at K+W, love that place), but on the way home, caught sight of two powered parachutes flying and went after them. They have been common sights since I have been in Concord (over 14 years now, off and on anyhow) and they seem to be a really neat way to fly. Not all that fast (though fast enough) and as flying goes pretty safe - if the engine quits, you land under the parachute/wing. Anyhow, got this photo, close to dusk in Concord. Sort of like seeing old friends again, they always bring a smile to my face, and think they are very cool. Tend to see them early in the AM, or late in the day, when the winds tend to be calmer.  

Seen here is the site of the Cabarrus Arts Council, which was once the old Town Hall (they have a newer one now a few blocks away). Love these old buildings, and this one is one of my favorites. Downtown is centered around Union Street, which is a pretty good place to see some really old houses. One of those is on my motorcycle page  which I have a link to on this page. Rode the motorcycle around the downtown area on August 19 between the rain showers (should have gotten out on the much more sun kissed day before, but hindsight is 20/20). Tried to find some info on when this place was built, and so far have not been able to, but its old...and its fairly unique (though there is a building much in the same style but bigger in nearby Monroe, NC. Downtown has really changed over the years, with a lot of nice places to eat, some good stores, and even Robert's Place which has a fine collection of craft beers. In fact there are a few places to have beers which a few years ago was impossible, Concord was once "dry", but all that has changed. Concord was settled in 1750, and was incorporated in 1806. So it has a long history, and a lot of interesting sights to see there. While Charlotte often reinvents itself, some of the surrounding towns have a lot of historic sights to check out.

Walking Reedy Creek Park, RVA - August 17

 Nice Friday in Richmond, and forsomething different humidity was down, as was the heat which made it a great time for an early morning walk. I strolled past Forest Hill Park, which has some events this weekend. The movie night (tonight as I write this) is a new sort of event I think (though they may have had them before), Music in the Park on Sundays I have been to a couple of times before. That event I can speak to, bands have been really good and it is a great deal of fun. Crowds are usually pretty good size and the bands that come have been really good so far.  

I walked down some of the hilly roads that give this area its name and wandered around the very beautiful Riverside Drive to Reedy Creek Park. Very nice place, with some beautiful sights to check out. I was not far here from the canoe launching area - this photo was taken at the Visitor Center. Great place to see nature. That view is commonly shared, saw a guy taking photos with a very large camera lens (and a tripod). Richmond has a lot of parks, and they are by and large pretty remarkable. Park wise Richmond makes great use of its James River and nearby areas, and is starting to put a lot of places to eat and enjoy the views, along with some fine already existing ones. Coming as I have from Louisville which is on the mighty Ohio, that is a great asset.  Greatly enjoyed the Friday walk in the RVA.

An RVA Festival Weekend

A good weekend for festivals. On Saturday Iwent to the Filipino Festival which was held in Glen Allen. Had a great time, enjoyed some food I had not had in quite a while, and even (thanks to getting lost on the way back due to avoiding road construction on I-95) got to see some of the planes at the Virginia Aviation Museum before the rains hit. On Sunday, rolled out to the RVA-B-Que at the 17th Street Farmers Market. No rain on Sunday the 12th, but a good time. There were a number of BBQ vendors (12 in all) from all over the Richmond area, and 14 breweries with a variety of Virginia craft beers.   

The event was held at the 17th Street Farmers Market as noted, and it was a pretty massive crowd. This was the first year for this event, which also earlier held the Food Truck Derby (which I also think was a first. Lines for beer were pretty long once again, but the food did not require tickets (just cash or credit). Checked out a couple of beers, which were pretty good, and had a good time wandering around checking out the people who were there. Saw some interesting sights, its fun to get out in the Shockoe Bottom area which is a really interesting part of the city. Many of the streets are cobblestone, and the old Train Station nearby was a popular place to check out as I noted the many people snapping photos of it. 

There were a couple of bands, I saw one of them, which is seen here, The Peoples Blues of Richmond (aka PBR). Good band, I enjoyed the music and they had a lot of energy.
The day was really good, and had a great time at the event. The fact that it was a lot less humid (and dry) was a real plus.
Richmond is a fun town with a lot to see and do, and this event was really a blast. I am looking forward to doing this one again in 2013.
Thanks for visiting here, hope all of you visiting here have a great week!