Gaines Mill/Cold Harbor (October 31, 2009)

On a gray Richmond weekend with drizzle, went on a drive to check out a little more Civil War history. Near Mechanicsville, VA are two battlefields of note. The first is seen to the left; Gaines Mill. Part of the 1862 Campaign to defend/capture Richmond (depending on your point of view) the battle here was part of the Seven Days Campaign. The battles were the first in which General Robert E. Lee commanded the Confederate Army in a series of battles with the Union Army under General George B. McClellan. Gaines Mill was fought on June 27, 1862 about one mile from the Mill.


The house seen here was the headquarters of one of the Union commanders at the battle (General Fitz John Porter). It was built in 1820 and was a plantation house for the Watt family. The battle at this site was the heaviest of the Seven Days; by nightfall of June 27, some 15,000 soldiers of both sides were killed or wounded. The defeat of the Union Army here soon lead to the retreat of the Union Army north, and the Confederate invasion of Maryland later in the war. General Lee lead the Army of Northern Virginia to the end of the war. The battlefield had a nice trail, and covered a relatively small area but with a lot of information signs.
Second site I visited was Cold Harbor, just up the road a short distance (1-2 miles) from Gaines Mill. The cannon seen here is part of the Confederate lines. Cold Harbor was a series of battles from June 1-3, 1864 against entrenched Confederate defenses. General Grant said after the battle that he regretted the attacks at Cold Harbor. It was a different period in the war, as the Confederates were behind defensive positions some six miles long. Few of the trees seen in the photo were there in 1864, the Union Army attacked across open fields. Some 16,000 soldiers of both sides were killed or wounded in the battles there June 1-3, 1864.

The defenses at Cold Harbor some 140 years later do not look like much seen here. They did though to the Union troops told they would be attacking them; they pinned their names to their shirts so they could be identified when killed. On June 3, they went against the Confederate lines at 4:30 am, and an hour later some 6,000 were dead or dying in front of them. Something like 1,000 Confederate soldiers were killed or wounded in the fighting. The war around Petersburg and Richmond turned into virtual siege warfare from that point on. Eventually the Union forces broke the lines that defended the two cities, and the war came to an end.
It is amazing how much history there is to be seen in this area, the Civil War being just a part (though a big part) of what happened in the region. This being the Confederate capital city, much of the war both early on and especially later was centered around Richmond. It is amazing to see places that I just read about in the history books in school many years ago. It is great to see the respect and preservation that exists for these places, which were a part of a dark and bloody period in US history. The visits today were interesting and informative, and it was sobering to walk where so many brave men on both sides fought and died.

Three Days in Carolina, with Mountain Views and Detours

A great weekend in Carolina, started with a driving rain most of the trip home, but a smooth drive. Did skip the Lexington Barbecue Festival; finding that plans tend to be difficult to pull off so far from home. One plan that did not was the Monday motorcycle ride to the mountains. Patty was at work, and five of us planned to ride to check out the views. A rather cool and overcast day (but a great forecast from WSOC Channel 9 that was dead on) got Steve and me to ride. Left at 10am from Concord, rode up NC115 through Wilkesboro, NC and up NC 421 to Blowing Rock. Finding the Daniel Boone Inn packed, we stopped at The Canyons for lunch. Great food and reasonable prices (always surprising in the mountains) and a view to die for from the deck. On the way in we also rode through Boone, NC and past the campus of ASU; beautiful school and a really good football team (usually anyhow).
I was a sailor years ago, and always thought when we came to Carolina that the beach would be the main spot to visit. For sure, have made a few trips there. However, it has been the mountains that I most look forward to. Maybe its the people, or the views, or the great roads (such as this photo taken on the Blue Ridge Parkway; which is a national treasure) but there is something compelling about being in the high country. Even without the amazing fall colors, there is just a huge number of "oh wow, look at that" moments. A strangely peaceful place which you can't wait to get to, and find hard to leave. Great part of a Monday visit, is that the crowds are a whole lot less than you find on the weekends. I have found that to be true often, and that is when we head for the hills!

The Grandview Overlook is a favorite spot to just stand, pause and reflect. Due to time, did not get to ride as much as usual on The Parkway, but it was sure good to be back there. A person could spend years exploring that road. In fact it runs into Virginia, and a dream some day would be to go to the beginning (hopefully on the bike) and ride it to the very end. As for us, our ride ended at 5pm back in Concord. We rode back via the same route. Often like to take NC-321, but its under heavy construction; often (usually Tuesday and Thursday) its closed for blasting in one of those long time on going projects. Thankfully North Carolina is full of great alternative routes.
The many alternative routes really paid off Tuesday on the way back to Richmond. Started in Concord at Exit 58, where a cattle truck had turned over. Sadly the driver was killed, and a number of cows got out having survived the crash. In fact rounding them up took all of the day, and some of the night. A detour to Copperfield Road was backed up for miles; so I rode up Old Concord/Salisbury Road to Lane Street where I easily got on I-85. So far so good; I'm rolling, and work is a few hours away. Along comes Exit 113; a gas truck had crashed and I-85 was CLOSED. Detour to NC-64 and NC-220 (220 was actually a pretty nice road) to Greensboro. Always wondered what would happen in this "long distance commute" if I came across problems on the road; found I could handle two in one day. Made it in time to have a few minutes before heading to work from 3-11pm.
So....back in the apartment waiting to see what adventures await me over the next few days in Richmond, VA.

Main Street Station and Buffalo Wild Wings (October 18, 2009)

After exploring Church Hill (in what is now yesterday) wandered to nearby Shockoe Bottom. I have been a few times past Main Street Station, which is quite the landmark from nearby I-95. It opened in 1901, and is listed as a National Historic Landmark. It has been restored due to damage from hurricanes in 1972 and 1985, and a fire did heavy damage I read in 1983. Back in the day though when trains were the primary method of long distance travel it was quite a place to leave from. Even today, it is very impressive and can see what an experience that must have been. It even had restaurants inside back in WWII into the 1980's.

This is a view of the concourse, which is just in front of the waiting room. As many as a million passengers per year passed through here when trains were king. Most of the columns were destroyed in the fire in 1983 (two survived) and are reproductions of the original. The train platform is beyond the waiting room, but you have to have a ticket to get out there, and I was not traveling today unfortunately. I did have some good views of the train tracks which are elevated; you get up to the concourse and the waiting room by stairs or elevator. There are also some display cases filled with old items from the days of train travel. This station though is still used and still hauls passengers to desitations. It was a very nice place to visit.
Following that visit, I did do a little wandering around Shockoe Bottom. This being Sunday, Buffalo Wild Wings was packed with football fans; this being a sight common to many places in the US during game day. I have been here a few times, and also to Bottoms Up; plan to check out some of the other places in the Bottom, lots of interesting businesses to check out.
Enjoyed my explorations of the area, and had a very good few hours in Richmond. Like Saturday and Sunday visits to Richmond; traffic tends to be a lot lighter and its easier to get around than it would tend to be during the week.

Church Hill Revisited (October 18, 2009)

A really cold and gloomy day in Richmond, felt like taking a drive downtown to do a little sightseeing. Church Hill was suggested by a reader of my blog (Gypsy), and having been there before thought it was a great idea on a day like this. Very interesting part of the city, and also was interested in finding this (now sealed) tunnel. This was the old railroad tunnel (built in the 1870's). In 1925 they wanted to reopen it, sent a work train in with 10 flat cars and four men. On October 2, 1925 it collapsed killing all four. Two of the men were dug out, but due to the collapsing tunnel the other two and the train were sealed inside where they remain to this day.
This is one of the landmarks of Church Hill, the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Richmond is a real city of monuments with the great Washington monument at the state capital downtown, and the big monuments on (well named) Monument Avenue. This one sits on a high hill in Church Hill, surrounded by a really nice looking neighborhood of older classic houses. Many of the houses are converted to apartments from the signs I saw, and there are also a number of businesses in the area. It is also not far from the St. John's Church where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech "Give me Liberty, or Give me Death" prior to the Revolutionary War. I have visited that church on two previous visits. The monument seen here sits in a small park which has some fantastic views of the James River and also into downtown. I also got a good look from the hill at the Lucky Strike Condos. Being new to the city, I am not absolutely sure, but think that is an old tobacco factory judging by the name.

Anyhow this is the view of the James from the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument. According to information on the park there, Richmond got its name from a like view in England of the Thames River at what I assume is a place called Richmond. At any case, a nice view even on a cold, dreary, rainy day.
Enjoyed driving and walking around that area some, and appreciated the info that made me take a second look at this part of the city.
After some time spent in Church Hill, wandered down to Shockoe Bottom for a visit, but that will be detailed in my next post!

My Other River City: Louisville (October 11-15)

Spent a few days in Louisville this month, it is my hometown, and a very interesting town as well. Enjoyed visiting family and friends and also wandering around interesting places. Louisville and Richmond have a great deal in common, both being older cities (though Richmond is much older by far), but both being cities that keep a connection to the past. Louisville though has been through a number of hard times. It was once an industrial city, but many of the old industries have gone South or to other countries. It often works to re-invent itself. One such re-invention was the creation of the entertainment complex called "Fourth Street Live". It was created out of a downtown shopping complex called "The Galleria" which failed to catch on.
Louisville is the home of the Louisville Slugger and this is the factory where they are made. They used to be made just a few years ago in nearby Jeffersonville, Indiana after being moved from Louisville some years prior to that. The bat outside the factory is actually made of steel, but its pretty impressive and can be seen from a great distance (including from Indiana). The factory offers tours and has many historical items there. Louisville is also the home of the Louisville RiverBats AAA baseball team. What REALLY is the most important sport in Louisville though is basketball; though it can be either the Louisville Cardinals of U of L, or the Kentucky Wildcats of U of K. Basketball talk is a year round event in the city. Hockey was popular for a while, and so was Arena football, but for now both are gone. Horse racing especially around the first Saturday in May is also a major event of "some" local importance. For two weeks around that event, Louisville celebrates the Kentucky Derby, and that is a great time to visit with a host of events.

Much like Richmond, Louisville celebrates the old. These buildings on Main Street are used, and date to the late 1800's-early 1900's. Louisville likes to find new uses for old buildings (unlike Charlotte which likes to tear down even not so old buildings....Charlotte is constantly changing with very few buildings older than 1950). Old factories are condo developments, new businesses, or even nightclubs. At this corner is a very interesting hotel which features art as a draw inside. Many small and interesting places to eat can be found along Main Street, as well as a number of museums: the Louisville Science Center, an Arms Museum, the Kentucky Center for the Arts, and further down the road many newer buildings. Louisville is a mix of the past and the present; without neglecting either. It is a home to many interesting bands, and has a very lively music scene. NRBQ, My Morning Jacket, and Days of the New are among the bands that have called the Louisville area home.


Above all, like Richmond, Louisville is a River City. This is Louisville from the Indiana side of the Ohio River. From here you can see downtown Louisville. At the far left under the cranes is the new Arena going up (which will be the home of the Louisville Cardinals) and you can see the Belle of Louisville steamboat docked in front. Many events are held along the riverfront from air shows to concerts, to festivals of all types. Some changes do not come easy. Louisville has three bridges that run from Indiana to Kentucky and has been trying for almost 30 years to build two new ones. Lawsuits have kept that just a dream. Change is often difficult in the city. Though I have been gone for some 11 years, it still is easy for me to find my way around with very little change. (Unlike the Charlotte region where when I have not visited areas for just a couple of months find myself marveling "when did they build that?"). Louisville is a city where the old adage "the more things change, the more they stay the same" is really true. One thing for certain though, its a great place to visit, and I look forward to my twice yearly wanderings around the town.

Panthers Game Day and Charlotte, NC (October 11,2009)

My son Robby and I went to the Carolina Panthers/Washington Redskins game on Sunday October 11 in Charlotte, NC. For me, it was a short drive from my home in Concord, NC though did run into a lot of Virginia based Redskin fans who had made the drive I make every couple of weeks from my "other home" in Richmond. Photo at left is a view of the city taken from the walk from the parking lot. Charlotte is a pretty neat town, and has a number of new buildings going up (th0ugh read one of them is "on hold" and only partly completed due to the economy). Big thing in Charlotte last few years has been condos, and there are a great many there.

Walking on up, got this photo of Bank of America Stadium. I have been to football games when I lived in Kentucky; saw the Bears, Bengals, and Colts on various road (and in the case of Chicago by air) games. Bank of America stadium is very nice and a first class facility (though have not seen the new ones in Indy and Cincinnati) and a very nice place to see a game. The stadium is right at the end of NC29 (which also runs through Concord). One of the neat things about the area is the road system; can take I-85 to downtown, or the "backroad" route of NC-29 to the stadium. Parking is pretty wild though; we paid $10 around a mile from the stadium, up close it was running $35 (but the lots were packed even at that price).

I like the big cats at the entrance(s) pretty neat statues; two on each side of the (four) ways in. There was some things going on outside, saw the Top Cats perform, and a local radio host was working the crowd. There were some parties going on in the parking lots, and some of them were pretty remarkable. One group had a very large screen tv under a tent, and a grill they had towed in for the game. Lots of music playing of all types, and some huge crowds for the game. Weather looked bad all day long, but the forecast held and we never got a drop of rain.


Got this photo of the team coming out for the game. As for the game itself, got to say that neither team (have seen the Panthers play on tv during a few visits home, Washington play on tv when I spend weekends here) that if either team is planning to go to the Super Bowl they had better get tickets soon (heard it tends to sell out early). I don't see either one getting into the playoffs at this point in the season. Enjoyed the game though, and it was the first win for Carolina in 2009. It was a strange game in a lot of ways, but enjoyed being there. The Redskins have a lot of local fans from the days when Charlotte did not have a football team, also that so many people in Charlotte have other teams from their days in other parts of the country. Had a good group as noted earlier from Virginia and enjoyed visiting with them. Mostly good natured bantering during the game, though I did see a couple of fights in my section, which is unusual for a football game (though not for NASCAR races). As some of us noted, kind of strange considering the record of both teams at this point.
Great thing was that we got back home in less than an hour; again the highway was pretty backed up (judging from the slow movement up the ramp) so we rolled down NC-29 and had no problems getting back. Plus, enjoy seeing University City and that was a treat as well. It was a very nice day in Charlotte, NC.

Virginia Drizzle Drive (September 26, 2009)

Spending another weekend in Richmond, and this one has been gray and overcast, with bits of spitting rain. However, figured it was a good day to get in a little morning exploring. I started out with a drive to Colonial Harley-Davidson and nearby Burcham Cycles in Prince George, VA. I am a motorcycle fan, and enjoyed visiting those shops. Colonial sells (duh) Harley-Davidson (but also Buell Motorcycles...many HD dealers have dropped the Buell line) and Burcham sells Kawasaki (I have a Vulcan Classic waiting for me in Concord, NC), Suzuki and Yamaha motorcycles. It was a nice quick drive out to the shops; Burcham was a nice surprise.
As for the photo above, that is the library at Hopewell, VA. I have been to Hopewell on a previous visit, but liked the town and wanted to give it a "second look" to see some of what I missed last time. Library building is striking on the outside, but really liked the inside as well.
Not far from the library is the Beacon Theater. I read someplace that it has been fixed up on the inside, and is used. I like old buildings, and Hopewell had quite a few. Kannapolis, NC has a great old theater (The Gem, previously featured on these pages) which is used to show first run movies, and is a great place to see films thanks to its great old balconies. Not sure what The Beacon is used for, but nice to see it in use and not in ruins. Charlotte, NC does not keep old places, they tear them down and build new ones; and I do miss the history there that can be found here.
In fact, I really got a feel for that at City Point. Wandered around the area there looking at many of the old houses. Many dated to the Civil War period when City Point was a major Union supply depot, and had roles to play in the war. Some of the houses were used by Union troops and the river was filled with tents, cabins, ships, horses pulling wagons, and thousands of Union troops.


Among those troops was General Grant, and this was the cabin he stayed in as City Point was also his headquarters during the Battle for Petersburg. I had another photo of it during my earlier visit, but this is another view. The cabin has been on display (moved from another site to where it was) for over 100 years, so only 10% of the wood is "original", but the design is the same. City Point also has the big house nearby to tour, and best of all, its all free. It also has great views of the river, and was a nice place to wander on a cool gray Virginia day.


It was a very enjoyable morning and early afternoon in Prince George, Hopewell and City Point, Va. I got to see more of Hopewell than I planned, as I got a little lost during the drive; but that is part of the fun of exploring. It was a very good day!