National Museum of the United States Air Force (May 27, 2019)

Being Memorial Day, went to the National Museum of the United States Air Force to see the museum to pay tribute to the men and women who paid the ultimate price in the wars which the country has fought in.
These are 1930's era planes and in fact are the real deal as most of the planes in the Early Years gallery are.
Sadly as I write this the day after, the area of Dayton got pounded by tornadoes and one of the areas pounded was the Early Years Gallery of the Museum. No reports of the extent of the damage at this time. 

I also went to see the Space Suit exhibit. They had some from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo (space ship and also the moon walking suits), and the space shuttle suits (orange suit at right in left photo) and space walking suit which is seen in photo at left.
Amazing display though these were not the actual suits used, but it was of these types. I assume these were spare suits or left over from flights. At any case a real nice display and enjoyed seeing these.
I am a big fan of space and flight and the museum has a very nice display of spacecraft. There is a Mercury and Gemini spacecraft as well as the actual command module from Apollo 15. Sure that can be seen in previous pages. Though I have not been in Ohio all that long, I have been here a number of times. It is close to the house and just a wonderful place to visit. Made a few trips to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum(s) in Washington, and this is on a par with those.     

Lots of interesting aircraft there. This is one of the Bell X-1's (the improved B model) which was used for research and development. Most of the X-Planes are there including the amazing X-15 and all inbetween as well as some beyond. It is just an amazing place to visit and always look forward to going there. It is one of the great treasures in the Dayton area.
I made a motorcycle ride to get there, and have put some photos from the ride on my "Ohio and Me" page which is part of this site.
Thank you for visiting my pages! 

Ride to the Bike Shop (May 18, 2019)

Got up Saturday morning to a beautiful day and decided to get the bike out for a ride. Kind of a purpose to the ride as I am looking for a motorcycle shop to take care of the maintenance things on it that I either don't know how to do or don't want to do. Don't know how things would be such as valve adjustments. Don't want to do things would be such as tire changes. Now before you think I am a complete moron on the previous motorcycles I did such things as brake pads, battery changes, spark plug replacement and I do all my own oil changes. In fact just a few miles away from the oil change on the Triumph and this was the next to last ride before doing that.
In fact talked with the parts lady at Joe's Cycle Shop and she mentioned Triumph parts they still have in stock. That included crush washers and I got a new one. Usually did not change them on the Kawasaki Vulcan but for the Triumph figured might as well get one.   

Joe's Cycle Shop is located in Dayton, Ohio. Nice ride to get there and a nice shop. They USED to be a Triumph dealer but no longer are, but I was told they still have the knowledge to work on them, as they quit in 2016. By luck my bike is also a 2016.
Don't think the bike at right is for sale, but they do have some zero mile 2016 Triumph's on hand there. I have sure been happy with mine and have no problems to report as I close in on three years of ownership. It's a fun motorcycle to ride and looking forward to many more. 


 

I made a few more stops while out. Debbie and I had driven by this cemetery in the car, as it was in the area, I made a stop and explored it. It is a very nice one, but not a whole lot of history there. Did not see any Union soldier graves in the Union Section of Willow View Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio. Still it was a nice short walk.
It was a wonderful 39 mile ride on Saturday. I love riding on the early morning days of the weekend. Traffic is normally very light and it is fun to explore in the new light of the day. It was a lot of fun and looking forward to the next ride very soon! 

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.