Back to Richmond (October 24, 2018)

 Up early from a good nights sleep after a fantastic two day motorcycle ride from Virginia to Ohio (covered in my "Racing with the Wind" blog) and heading back to Richmond via a favorite method. Soon Dayton will be my new home after some seven years in Richmond. Took this photo of a model of trhe Wright Flyer at the Dayton International Airport. Flew from there to Phildelphia, Pennsylvania which was a very cool airport. It was also my first time at that airport and had a nice lunch (also my first time) at Smashburger.   

Flew to Philadelphia on a CRJ200 which is a very small jet but a nice ride. It was beautiful weather and smooth air.
At Philadelphia changed to an EMB145, which is also a small jet. The CRJ had four aisles, the EMB had three..I sat on the single aisle. Left on time and again had just beautiful weather for the flight to Richmond, VA.
It was a much shorter flight but once again a really good time in the skies. Flying is (like motorcycling) one of my favorite things to do in the world, and this was a great time.   

Back to 
This is a view from the window. On the way to Virginia we followed the coast. That is the Atlantic Ocean near the top of the page, under the sky.
Got into Richmond a little early and really enjoyed the flights on American Airlines. Got back to the house and greeted Debbie once again.
Days here in Richmond are winding down and this is the start of what I think are going to be some amazing adventures with some new discoveries to follow. 

St Benedick Oktoberfest (September 22, 2018)

Went to the Oktober Fest in Richmond, on the last day of summer/first day of fall. It was a great time with a lot of beer to select from (between 50-100 types) and had the Worst platter (which was pretty neat). Good eats, interesting music and good times.
Went early because such events tend to get really crowded and the weather was sort of iffy for the day. Fall like Winter, Spring and Summer is looking like it is going to be really wet...at least if today is any indication. Rain forecast for the first week of Fall every day.     

Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana (September 10-20, 2018)

 Back to Ohio for a few days partly due to the hurricane and partly due to needing to get a few things done for my wife and at her house.
While in that area made a one day stop in Louisville, Kentucky to see some of my family. Visited the Water Tower on Zorn Avenue. It is a great site from back in the day (even way before my day) on the banks of the Ohio River.

 Ohio has a lot of history with this man, as does Louisville and in fact the nation. The famous Revolutionary War (and for that matter Indian Wars) General is buried in Louisville's massive Cave Hill Cemetery and we made a stop there to see some of the sights. If you are in the city, Cave Hill is well worth a visit. 

 The Belle of Louisville is an actual Steamboat (not a replica but was in actual use) and still is. You can get rides on this iconic boat and when I lived there did so and many times. This photo was taken from the Indiana side of the Ohio River at where it is docked in Louisville. 

 Made it back to Rising Star Indiana. NO plane ride as during the previous visit a few months ago (the river was a mess due to the rain there between our visits) but always a good time there.

There is a museum at Rising Sun and this is the "Hoosier Boy" which was a boat built back in the day to set speed records. Interesting boat and is powered by a Liberty aircraft engine. A lot of those engines were surplus after the First World War.
As for the Ohio photos during this trip, have some of those at the previous post. It was a fantastic time once again.
We spend a lot of time in this area and that is good cause I am planning to live there in the upcoming year. 

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.