To the Mountains...and someplace new up there (July 23, 2016)

 Not sure what came over me, with heat close to 100 and a heat factor of over 100-105 but rode today to Lexington, VA. I had never been there, though had been close. Went to see the grave of Robert E. Lee (which this is NOT) its a statue in the Lee Chapel though his grave with his wife and family members is in the basement. Even his horse Traveller has a grave...outside the chapel.
After the surrender he became President of the school, and is honor of him they added his name. George Washington also donated some money (earlier) and so it was named for him (also earlier. Very beautiful old school, was fun walking around there.

While in Lexington, saw the grave of General Stonewall Jackson, Very strange guy, if you haven't already check out his history. The man was a born killer, but had some strange ideas.
I also toured the George Marshall Museum at VMI. Saw my first Nobel Peace Prize. That and some other photos from this visit will be on my "Racing with the Wind Page". I really enjoyed the ride and as I noted this was my first visit to this town.
Had a lot of old buildings and enjoyed staggering around in the heat. You can also take a tour in a horse drawn carriage. If I had it to do over, would certainly have done that. Nice places to eat and some friendly people.
Highly suggest you make your first stop the Visitor Center. Very nice people there and they had all sorts of maps and info which came in handy. I was able to find everything I was looking for, and being a history buff enjoyed seeing the sites where some of these people worked. Stonewall Jackson had a house there.  

In fact Jackson and Marshall (Marshall you have heard of as he created the post WWII Marshall Plan which basically rebuilt Europe after the War) both were associated with VMI. Very old and interesting school. Has a long history, and is a National Historic Site.  

No trip there would be complete without a ride on my favorite road. I took this photo while STOPPED...so don't freak out....but sure enjoyed it. Went about 70 miles, and enjoyed it a great deal. I also passed a park officer who was clocking riders. Came across one guy (not me thank God) who got a ticket for speeding. Speed limit is 45 on the roads. Good thing though cause for one the turns can be tight in spots and also that remarkable view can be distracting.
Lexington is about 138 miles (from my house) from Richmond...counting the whole days riding (up Midlothian Turnpike, on the Parkway, and back via I-64 covered a total of 289 miles. It was a fantastic day exploring in Virginia. As I noted more photos can be seen on my Racing with the Wind blog page.  

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden (July 10, 2016)

 Interesting part of a Sunday morning motorcycle ride, while enjoying a cold beverage in Short Pump at The Carolina Ale House, I checked Facebook and saw that The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden had free admission. In fact Sunday was the last day.
It had always been my plan to go there, and was on the list but I have never seen it in all the years I have been here.
Told it is really something to see over the Christmas holiday when they go all out with Christmas lights and decorations, but this was my first visit ever...and I was impressed.

Lots of cool and amazing flowers and some neat displays as well. They had a lot of Lego creations which included the butterfly at left.
The place was a really good size and it was a good walk to see the flowers and plants on the grounds.
They had a really nice Japanese garden which I thought was really good. There is also a restaurant (which I did not go into this visit) on the site and an impressive gift shop.
Normal admission I think is $13 though they do have different rates and if you are a member then admission is free.  

There was something neat to see all over the place and I was amazed at some of the plants. Building in the top photo had some really huge and interesting plants to see.
Looked to be a really popular place though not sure if it was the free admission or the typical crowd on a Sunday.
It was free due to the shootings in Minnesota, Louisiana and Dallas over the weekend. For healing they said. Good place to do so I think.  

For more information on the Garden you can go to http://www,lewisginter.org. Not too long ago while visiting Hollywood Cemetery I saw the grave of Lewis Ginter, who apparently left a lot of good things for the people of Richmond. These grounds are certainly one of them.
If you are in the Richmond area for a visit, add this Garden to your list of things to see. I for sure will be returning later this year to see some of the Christmas display they offer. I also have another photo from the visit on my "Racing with the Wind " blog.

The Ride to Richmond (July 8, 2016)

Made a detour to see a Navy buddy (female) in Indiana for a few days at Rising Star. We had a great time and that is a very nice town. Casino there, I had no luck but it was fun nonetheless. Indiana is full of nice and fun people.
All good things end though and headed back to Richmond on Friday morning. Good thing was the weather was good, much better than the trip up there. Did have some rain but not the constant and heavy rain of the trip to Louisville.
Took this photo at the West Virginia State Capital building. Interesting statues there....there is this one of Abe Lincoln and also one of Stonewall Jackson. To be fair though, Jackson is a native son. West Virginia split from the state during the Civil War deciding to go with the Union. Considering how it turned out, that was a good call. State is pretty neat, saw a lot of coal there of course, and really nice towns along the way.
I like going that way. When I lived in Carolina would go up through Tennessee most of the time, though did have West Virginia as an option.West Virginia and Virginia are fun roads to travel.    

Top photo is either Virginia or West Virginia. Nice roads in both places. I did make a stop at The Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back. Funny thing is that I was just there, on my motorcycle, Father's Day. On my motorcycle page is pretty much that same photo, though with two wheels instead of four. Considering the weather during the trip, good transportation choice this trip. It was a lot of fun, and nice to get out. Ready to enjoy the second half of the year and to see what comes my way in the course of it.

July 4th in Louisville, Ky (July 4, 2016)

 As noted in last post, weather was bad. It did not just rain, most of the time it flat poured. I got the photo at left passing by...it is Slugger Field which is the home of the Louisville Knights AAA baseball team. Nice field and the team is pretty good. Its a brand new place in downtown Louisville (well, a few years old now) but a much better ballpark then what they had which was a combined football/baseball field.

Above is the new bridge, still under construction. Will be great when its done but that looks to be awhile. As noted in previous post, took a long time to build the two new bridges, but will be a great improvement.
At left is Yum Arena which is the new home for the Louisville Cardinals Basketball team. They also hold a lot of concerts there. Freedom Hall was the old arena and it was nice, but this is nicer. It is also huge.
Usually I would have made a tour of the area and seen some sights, have done that in previous posts here when I visit. This trip though just did not get to get out much. Mainly due to the weather, partly due to the time. Been some serious rain the last few weeks. Did enjoy spending time with family and friends. We do what we can.

July 3 - On the Road. (July 3, 2016)

Hit the road over the 4th of July holiday...made a trip to my home town of Louisville, Kentucky. It was a wet trip for the most part, except for the very last day. Very powerful rain and so did not get to take a lot of photos as usual of places there, but did get a photo or two here and there.
This was at Tamarack in West Virginia. I usually stop there as it is a good break from the long drive and they have cool things inside. Well worth a visit. I also usually stop at the State Capital and I did...on the way back. Was a nice place to explore as always.

Road construction in Louisville has been taking forever but its a major re-work of the old city transportation system. This is the Abe Lincoln Bridge and this was my first drive over this new modern marvel. They have another bridge they are working on building (photos of that tomorrow) and both are badly needed. The plan to build these were discussed back when I was a boy...and that was a long time ago. Still nice to see that.
Roads are quite a mess right now. I think these projects have been underway for over 10 years.

This is out on Bardtown Road. One of my favorite areas of the city and a big fan of the city motto "Keeping Louisville Weird". Many cool stores and restaurants.
This was a walk I took with my family, to see my son's new apartment. Oldest had been living there, the youngest just moved there days ago from North Carolina. It is a fun city with a lot to see and do. My seeing was limited due to weather but will have a few more things tomorrow to show you here.

Fathers Day in the Blue Ridge Mountains (June 19, 2016)

Nice motorcycle ride (have some more photos on my "Racing with the Wind" blog page) on Father's Day. The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of my favorite places to spend time at and to ride to....just a magic and amazing area that I really enjoy to visit over and over. Lots of things to see and something new to see it seems each time I go there.  

This is the Mountain Farm, and it was an authentic farm back in the day. Was told the buildings, while not original, are not recreations but date to the period. This is the barn, and over to the right (with the crossed wood) is a "Bear Proof Pigpen". Living out there you had to plan for animals. As I remember the chicken coop was Wiesel proof.
It is a fun place to explore and they had a lot of period people in period costumes and musicians playing period music. Though did not know it when I headed there, picked an especially good time to visit.  

Another view from the parkway. Lots of areas to pull off, plus a lot of picnic areas and lot of things to see. Stop at a visitor center, get a map and check out all this area has to offer. If you have never been on the Parkway...you really, really need to do so,  

I made a quick stop on the way back at Charlottesville, VA. Again, there is a great deal of things to see in the town that is also the home of the University of Virginia (which I shared some photos of on my last visit there earlier this year). Like to go there and have been there a few times over the last few years.
Not sure I have ever seen the front of this statue, have seen the back but this is the Lewis and Clark Statue. Think its pretty neat and just part of the history of this town.
Thomas Jefferson had his house there, and did a lot of design work on that as well as some of the design at UVA. As for me, saw this and some other new things, and enjoyed my short time there.
Stopped in Short Pump (just outside of Richmond) and visited the Carolina Ale House. Liked that restaurant when I lived in (duh) Carolina and good to see it here, made my send visit there with an early dinner).
From Richmond to the Blue Ridge Parkway up I-64 is a hair over a 90 minute drive. Enjoyed this day a great deal.    

Richmond International Airport (June 13, 2016)

 Nice visit to the RVA airport, which is an international airport according to the sign. Had a Navy friend (Debbie) come visit again for a few days, this is her second trip in a few weeks. So for the record this was my fourth trip here. Very nice day for her to fly, and enjoy going out to get her and even to get back to go...just love flying and aircraft.

This is a view of the control tower. Richmond has good service but not being a hub city there are not a lot of direct flights. Many journeys from the airport have a stop in them. There are some direct flights to Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida and sure there are some more (especially if they are hub airports).
Used to love to fly out of and wander around Charlotte, NC and also Louisville, Kentucky which is where I came from prior to settling down in Richmond.
One of the very interesting things at the airport is the Aviation Museum which is also on the grounds. Nice collection of aircraft and some very friendly people there. I highly recommend a visit to the museum if you are in the area.