Return to the USAF Museum (September 14, 2018)

 Made a visit to the United States Air Force Museum again on September 14. One of my favorite aviation museums in the US and has a great collection of aircraft such as this WW1 era Spad.

 I have always found this interesting, it is actually a plane  type also flown (in fact mainly flown) by the US Navy. A few types over the years have been used by both services.

 This is a B-36 which I believe is the largest bomber ever flown. It had both turboprop and jet engines.

This is a B-2 Stealth bomber which is in use today.. As I have noted the collection there is really something to see. If you are interested in aircraft, or perhaps even if you are not, this museum is well worth a visit. The museum is located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio  Admission is free and access is easy via a special gate at the museum.

Midwest Adventures (August 21-September 5)

 Great time for a couple of weeks in Ohio/Indiana/West Virginia and Virginia. Took a trip with my wife. A fun stop was Rising Sun, Indiana where I enjoyed the town and a bit of flying off the Ohio River (see previous post).
It is a nice sleepy town and a lot of fun there with good places to eat, and even a very nice casino. Not big on gambling (not a big winner) but a fun place. 

This is a restaurant in New Carlisle, Ohio. Great eats there, but one morning at breakfast saw this Indian Scout with sidecar. Debbie and I enjoyed looking it over.

 Also during the trip we checked out a Wright Model B replica aircraft. Yes you can get a (short) flight on it and experience what the Wright's did. It has a few more modern features that they did not have (some for safety, many required by modern air regulations. It can be seen at the Dayton-Wright Airport.
You can also see it in flight on the show "Aerial America (Ohio) in the Dayton section. 

 This is The Carillon in Dayton, very cool bell tower. Looks amazing at Christmas when it is all decorated. There is an amazing museum there with all sorts of Dayton History, and a lot of the Wright Brothers items. Those items include their most complete aircraft. It is well worth a visit.

 We went to see the Fountains in Dayton, this was pretty cool. Went off every few minutes and is said to be even more impressive at night. Dayton is a lot of fun and I enjoy exploring it with my wife.

 Photos are slightly out of order taken from a couple of cameras. This is a barge on the Ohio River again in Indiana. 

 Enjoyed the seaplanes and this is one they are restoring. I did the seaplane flight in Rising Sun at Mac's Seaplane Service and had a blast...,more on that in previous post. 

 At my wife's house, which is very close to Wright-Patterson Airport, enjoyed watching C-17's over fly us while doing touch and go's.

Finally on the way home, took this photo at an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was on the way, and is one of my favorite places in Virginia. Have had some amazing motorcycle rides there and great times with my wonderful wife.
It was a very fun trip and looking forward to my next visit to that area.     

Aviation Adventures in the Midwest (August 21-September 1, 2018)

 Made a visit to the Dayton, Ohio area to take care of some family business (my wife's) and had a great time. She lives very close to Wright Patterson Air Force Base....close enough to get photos of C-17's flying over her house. I could get used to that ! 

 Stopped at The Dayton-Wright airport to see this replica Wright B flyer. For a $100 membership you can get a ride in this aircraft which takes you back to the days of the brothers Wright. Does not use wingwarping, has a modern engine, Harley-Davidson tires and brakes (the original type had no brakes at all) but you do ride as they did, and that would be something. I plan to experience that in the future, though did get some flying in this trip. 

At Rising Sun, Indiana they have seaplane flights. Looked like a remarkable experience and though I have been doing some flying over the years (love Aviation and Aircraft ) have never taken off or landed on water. Took these two photos while on shore... 

 ...but felt like I had to get this experience in. So went into Mac's Seaplane Service in Rising Sun, Indiana and signed up for a ride. 

 Plane was a 1952 Cessna 180B, single engine aircraft. The plane is set up "pontoons only" which means it can only fly off of, or land on, water. Good thing is that here the Ohio River is the runway which is a good sized runway.
Would saw that runway is really rough, was a bouncy (but fun) takeoff and landing. 

 Here is that runway,,,looking down at the Ohio River. Beautiful day to fly, and the pilot (Tim) is also a Seaplane instructor pilot. I really enjoyed the views from up there, still think the best way to really see a place is from up in the sky. 

This view is Aurora, Indiana. It was a beautiful but too short in my book 15 minute flight, but worth every penny and a great time in the area.
I can highly recommend Mac's Seaplane Service if you ever want to take to the skies off of the water. Fine people, and a remarkable expeience!

Tappahannock Drive (August 16, 2018)

 Great time on Thursday (which was also a motorcycle ride earlier in the day) but this time in the car with my wife Debbie we drove to Tappahannock, Va. I have been there before and it is a really neat town  not all that far from Richmond, VA.
Stopped for dinner at NN Burger there, it was a shot in the dark. A good shot too as it was very, very good. Had a beer and an outstanding salad, Debbie had the burger which I sampled. Both were outstanding. If you are ever in the town, I can recommend this place to eat. 

Lots of really interesting buildings and some neat changes (such as NN Burger) since I was last there. It is on the shore of the mighty Rappahannock River (seen at left). For the first time went across the bridge to see what was on the other side. Went as far as Warsaw Virginia.
It was a nice visit. Lots to see in that area and the drive to and from there has always beeen one of my favorite Virginia  motorcycle rides. Ride past a lot of farmland and small country towns.   

Washington Redskins Training Camp (July 27, 2018)

 Part of a motorcycle ride on a hot and humid day in Richmond, which was finally not raining for a change. Been days and days of rain here but for a while it finally quit.
The Washington Redskins have their training camp in Richmond, and wanted to make a quick visit to see them for a little while. I like football though the Redskins are not my favorite team. Still, it was interesting and I try to get out there about every year. Nice to have it in the area but due to the cost of it to the city may not be having it here much longer. 
Right next to the training camp is the Science Museum, and I got a photo of the train in there. Its a neat place though did not get to tour it on this day, but sure enjoy these old classic trains. 

Rocky Gap Casino (July 18-19, 2018)

Debbie and me spent two days at Rocky Gap Casino. Though I have traveled through Maryland I have never spent the night in the state...but we now have spent two. The Casino was very nice and the hotel was just outstanding! I had a great time there (so did Debbie) and it was just fun to hang out in the room, eat some fine food, and even fun to play the games in the Casino.
One of the neat things was the lake there. Course a lot of people were enjoying golf, but it was fun to hang out by the water. There were paddle boats and kayaks to rent, and a lot of places to just sit and enjoy the view.

Night though was wonderful. Getting sights like this was special. There were also fire pits to sit by and just wonderful nights. I have a feeling this place would be remarkable in the fall.
I don't play the game, but seems to have a really nice golf course and certainly a lot of people were doing that while I was there.
As far as animals did see a number which included bunnies, ducks and read on the site that there are a whole lot more.
As Casinos go, at least the ones I have been too (its a short list but still...) this one was top of the list. It was just a wonderful place with so much to do and surprisingly reasonable.  I am looking forward to a future return trip. 

Wheeling, WV (July 16-17, 2018)

 Debbie and me spent a couple of days in Wheeling, WV. A big attraction is the old suspension bridge, which you can walk across or drive across. Neat to see the Ohio River either from the grating or over the side.
The bridge opened in 1849 and was once the largest bridge of its type in the US. It is now on the National Historic Register and if you are in the area it is well worth a look and a walk. 

Wheeling has a lot of interesting old buildings such as this one. As I often find in Richmond or in North Carolina often they are repurposed such as this one, which is now part of a college campus.
Great places to explore and I highly recommend Coleman's Fish Market. Read its supposed to have one of the best fish sandwiches you will have. The hype was all true!