Spring by the lake (May 8, 2019)

Spring is upon us here in Ohio and its a time of new life. The flowers are colorful, the trees are blooming (sadly the pollen is flying) and yes...duck families are crossing the street. It is a wonderful time of year and have been enjoying many sights such as these around the area. 

Geese are also raising their babies as seen in the photo at left. While the ducks due not seem overly concerned with people taking photos, the geese are amazingly protective of their young.
Geese in the area usually start honking when someone is nearby while the mother and father for lack of a better term...bark at me.
I give them a good distance and stand well clear. Got a good camera with a good zoom and was able to get this photo.
I find all of this amazing and really enjoy the early morning and evening walks around the area to get photos and to just enjoy the wonders of nature and all it has to offer 

As I have said, its blooming around here. Fun to just check out the sights, the sounds and the smells that can be experienced here.
This is my first Spring living in Ohio and I am enjoying it a great deal. Fun both to ride the motorcycle and to check out the neighborhood I live in.
It is all still a new adventure and having a wonderful time here.

Air Force Museum Ride (April 27, 2019)

Part of an addition to the Racing with the Wind Motorcycle Page. Visited the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, mainly to see the new A-10 which is now on display at the outdoor portion of the museum, and is seen at left. It was a very nice day though a bit cooler than usual for this time of year. Considering though that the forcast is for days of rain in the weeks ahead it seemed like a really good idea and it was.
I like early morning rides as the traffic is usually pretty light and the air is really crisp. It was cool to see this plane. The A-10 is used for ground support and is not popular with the Air Force, but it is with the troops. 

 While there also got this photo of the C-17. I see a lot of those flying here in my area as they are based at nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The C-17 is a very popular transport aircraft and is in wide use.
The plane seen here is notable as it is the Prototype of the design. It was also noted reading the sign by the plane that this aircraft appeared in a number of movies including Transformers and Iron Man.
Fun at night and during the day to watch them flying and sure get a sense of joy and wonder watching them flying around.     

Last photo is a "Nissan Hut" which was brought over from England right after World War II. Toured that with a very excellent volunteer guide. Some amazing things inside from the war, there was even a (sadly non working) bar in there. They also had a part from a V-1 "Buzz Bomb" which was also brought over from England.
Right next to the hut is a replica Control Tower which is based on the ones in England during World War II. I have been inside the museum many times, but fewer times exploring what can be found outside. I really enjoyed this visit and looking forward to my next one at the museum soon.

Lexington, KY (April 3-4, 2019)

 On the way to Lexington we made a stop at the Harley Davidson store in Sevierville, Tennessee and toured it a bit. Have a lot of old classic motorcycles there such as this type (not the one) that Elvis rode back in the day. Nice drive to Lexington, Ky through the mountains and heading up to Lexington, Ky.
I was born in Louisville, Kentucky (where I visit from time to time) and was looking forward to my first overnight in Lexington.

We did not get to see much of the city. We did though have dinner at a very nice (and brand new) A+W. Been years and years since I had eaten at one, and it was very good.
Also very good was the hotel, in fact have to give a shout out to both the Country Inn and Suites we stayed at in both Asheville and Lexington. We had a great time at both places. In fact during this trip stayed at a variety of hotels and have zero complaints from any of them.
Got up the morning of the 4th and headed back up the highway. Destination was home just outside of Dayton, Ohio and it was a pretty good trip. Had to take alternative routes due to crashes on the highways but got there in good time.
It was good to be home after being gone so many days but it was a remarkable trip and one we will long remember . 

Asheville, NC (April 3-4, 2019)

 Kind of a flash tour of Asheville. We made a quick tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway with a stop at the Visitor Center there and the Folk Art Center. Used to ride my motorcycle there many times when I lived in North Carolina, and the Blue Ridge Parkway is literally a national treasure. Have spent countless hours riding that great road.
We had dinner at the Moose Cafe. It is one of my favorite places to eat anywhere and has lost nothing over the years. We had a great dinner there. Fantastic food and great views.

Got to enjoy some of the views while enjoying a beer from Highland Brewing of Asheville (and in fact brought a little bit home). It was wonderful weather to enjoy the mountains and my only regret was that we had so little time to spend there. We also made a stop at the Grove Park Inn which is remarkable as well.
I love the ocean but even more so I am a fan of the mountains and it was like homecoming being there. Asheville is a magical place and the downtown is really something to see as well. Though we only had a few hours during the overnight trip we had a great time there!

Near Charleston, SC (April 1-3, 2019)

 We were actually in Moncks Corner, SC which is just a few miles from Charleston, SC. As it was a weekend, to be honest we avoided Charleston as it gets amazingly busy.
Plus there was so much to do at Debbie's relatives house. For instance that is me, driving that old tractor. It is a 1936 John Deere and was a bunch of fun to do that. They have a bunch of animals there and had fun checking them out.
We did visit a restaurant in the area and it was some very good eats. Nice quiet small town with a lot to see and do.   

On the 2nd we went to Summerville, SC. Last year we went to the Azalia Festival, this year we were a week early. However, they were in bloom. Here my wife and I stand in front of a landmark.
We had a great time there, though much of the town was closed on a Sunday some of the restaurants were open. It is a fun town to explore and we had a great time there.
On the 3rd we said our good byes and headed up the road. Our destination this time was Asheville, NC which is one of my favorite towns.   

Jacksonville, Florida (March 31-April 1, 2019)

Went to Jacksonville mainly to see friends there. Some of mine have moved there from other places in the US, some of Debbie's remained there from Navy days.
Both Debbie and I were there during our Navy tours..me as a visitor, and Debbie during her service.
This helicopter is a Navy aircraft which I took while near Mayport. It is a nice Navy base there. The city of Mayport has changed and grown since the time we were there but we had a great time there.   

We did stop at Singletons for lunch, had last eaten there...well a long time ago...and have to say it was still pretty damn good. Loved the food, and seeing the boats rolling around there. There was also a number of birds and enjoyed seeing them flying around and just relaxing.
If you are in the area, I can highly recommend the food.
Jacksonville has a lot to offer. Before the trip to Mayport we explored some of the beaches and a few of the sights to be seen there. Jacksonville is a big city. In area it is one of the largest in the US. 

After lunch we took the ferry across the St. John's river. That is Debbie in our car. Used to ride the ferry when I lived in Richmond, VA at Jamestown so this was an experience I have had before but not in Florida.
From there we headed up the state and later that afternoon left Florida for South Carolina and our next adventure.
Stayed a couple of days with some relatives near Charleston, SC and had a wonderful time   

St Augustine, Florida (March 29-30)

Left Ormond Beach on the 29th and headed up to St. Augustine. Weather took a definite turn, in what was called a "Noreaster" (normally a winter time weather condition) which brought high winds and impressive waves to the coast. We drove to St. Augustine along A1A and really enjoyed the ride there.
Did make a few stops including this one where I snapped this photo. We got to St. Augustine relatively early and toured the old fort there (seen in the bottom photo also). That was a remarkable structure with over 300 years of history and enjoyed that a great deal.   

It was better there on the 30th, and I took a quick walking tour of the city. Nice early in the morning in that there were no people out and the stores were not open, so basically had the run of the town.
It is a remarkable town, with an amazing amount of history and some wonderful sights to see. It is both very old and very beautiful and was fun to wander and explore.
Many of the buildings date back to the early days of the city and are enjoyable to wander.   

This is a long view of the fort, which also has a long history. Built by the Spanish, it was also used for a time by the British (treaty change, as far as I know was never captured but was attacked a few times), the Americans, the Confederates. Sadly, it was a prison for Indian's captured during its history.
St. Augustine was a fun town and I had a great time there with Debbie.