Hogtober (October 1, 2016)

 A favorite event held each year is Hogtober in Libby Hill Park (which is in the Church Hill section of Richmond). I have gone the last few years though not last year as it was rained out. With all the rain of the past week (over seven inches) it was iffy...but they held it and further rain held off. There was a lot of craft beer and some really good bands. The band at left was a David Bowie cover band, and they were really good.

In addition to the bands (there were four during the day) and the craft beer there was food. Many of the local BBQ restaurants and a few others were on hand. No admission charge (though food and beer cost of course) and a whole lot of people in what is one of the most interesting and historic neighborhoods in Richmond. Libby Hill Park is cool when nothing is going on and features some great views of the city. I have in past posts quite a few photos of those. It was a very good day and I had a wonderful time.

George Thorogood and the Destroyers (September 25, 2016)

Went on Sunday September 25 to Pocahontas State Park to see George Thorogood and the Destroyers. I had seen him and the band many years ago at City Fest in Charlotte, NC. Have been a big fan of his music for a long time and have enjoyed his music for many years. So hearing that he was playing in Virginia was a real thrill.
The show was an outdoor show and  it was a very nice venue. Had never been to the event site there and it was really nice! I brought my own chair as I had a lawn seat.

Lots of refreshments on site (food, cokes, water and of course beer) and for a change at a concert prices were reasonable. Often times its a real gouge but did not feel like I was getting robbed at the vendors.
Virginia people are wonderful in my experience and fun was had talking to some of the people. It was a very behaved crowd and mostly to be honest an older bunch though there was a good number of younger people there as well. The band was very tight which is to be expected as they have played together for a very long time.

As for the band he did pretty much all of his old favorites with Bad to the Bone played as the last song of the regular set. Funny thing he said during "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" as people sang along was..."oh have you heard this before? Well you are going to hear it again". It was a real fun show. Encore was very good. The man has not lost a step over the years...the songs were good and he certainly has a lot of energy.
Enjoyed the band, the venue and the trip there and back was an easy drive. Was not hard to get in or out of there. I look forward to seeing them again, or for that matter, other concerts at the Park.  

Forest Hill Art Festival/Kings Dominion (September 17, 2016)

 I love some aviation items (as the previous post will show) and this guy is just amazing. Have seen his work at the Art in the Park event (held in the Spring in Byrd Park) but he was there today. Just some amazing items. It is all a bit outside of my pocket book, but I am always smiling after visiting his creations.
One of the biggest and most fun events in this neighborhod is the Art Festival which brings some of the most creative people in Richmond to show off their creations and to hopefully sell them. And yes, I did buy something while there!

The Festival was held close to Forest Hill Park, right off Forest Hill Avenue. This is one line of booths but the event covered a number of streets and being early in the morning it was not too bad. By late afternoon it gets slammed with people. I know this cause I have been to it late in the afternoon, and had to go near this to my next event of the day.
Always held in the very late Summer (Fall is coming up officially just a few days from now) and a very worthwhile event to check out if you are in the area this time of year.

There were a lot of events going on this weekend. My work though rented Kings Dominion and I always enjoy a good ride. That is one I went on....Intimidator 305 as taken from the Kings Dominion "Eiffel Tower". That tower is a 1/3 size replica of the more famous one in Paris, and there is also a replica at Kings Island in Ohio.
Nice view up there and a great time to be had at the amusement park.  

Lots of good rides, but like Intimidator 305 (which is 305 feet tall with a 90 mph top speed) I like the roller coasters old and new. The one at right is Rebel Yell which is a sort of Hall of Fame Coaster. A wooden out and back roller coaster it was featured in the movie "Rollercoaster" and was one of the first coasters used to set a consecutive ride record.
It is a nice ride, quite a difference between the modern steel ones and the old type such as Rebel Yell. Still, I like them both for different reasons and had a great time.
There are quite a few other types of rides and this was a very fun time. It was a bit toasty this Saturday after a bit of some "pre-fall" temperatures and weather (which was wonderful). However that is just around the corner and really enjoyed these events. Always something good to do here in Richmond, and this was one of those days when deciding what to pick was the difficult choice.    

Steven F. Udvaz-Hazy Center (September 10, 2016)

 Drove the car early on Saturday to the Center, which is also known as the National Air and Space Museum - unofficially as "The Annex". There is another museum in downtown Washington, DC but that one ran out of room. Both have a remarkable collection of historic aircraft, spacecraft and aviation items. Some such as the Enola Gay which dropped the first Atomic bomb are controversial to say the least. Still, its history and they are the aircraft that made that history happen. It is truly a remarkable place and one of my two favorite museums.  

A highlight for me is the Space Shuttle Discovery...one of the three remaining from the Shuttle program (four of you count the Enterprise test vehicle that never flew in space but did fly in aerial testing). Two of course were lost in flight along with their crews, but it was a remarkable achievement and accomplished great things in its long history.
Aviation has successes and failures in its long history and there are some amazing things to learn about in the museum. Of note are the many items that are on display that are not aircraft.  

 The Langley Aerodrome is front and center in this display. Another plane that caused problems because the museum said it was the first plane to fly (it really did not in two failed test flights) and kept the Wright Brothers from giving the museum the Wright Flyer for a number of years. That legendary plane is now on display at the Museum downtown in DC.
Here you can also see a number of World War I aircraft and even some pre-World War I types. The museum displays even go back to pre-aircraft with early hot air balloon items.  

The museum is easy to get to from Richmond with just the typical DC area traffic (though you get to go around most of it) as it is near Dulles International Airport. Admission is free, though parking is $15 (per car, not per person). While there went to see "Sully" in the IMAX Theater and that was pretty remarkable (also pretty cool. There is a McDonalds restaurant there, and prices for that were not out of line for the ones in town.
I was last at this museum four years ago, and enjoyed this visit as much as the last time. In fact I was there at opening yesterday and stayed till the closing announcement (current hours are 10-5). I highly suggest a visit if you are interested in flight, history or  just like to spend a day seeing some remarkable and amazing things.

Fredericksburg Ride (September 5, 2016)

Got this new motorcycle (Triumph Speedmaster) last Friday and finally got some miles in on it after the rains of Saturday and Sunday from the hurricane. Rains were not much thankfully - have had thunderstorms worse this year - but enough. Still, got to Fredericksburg where I visited the battlefield again. This house was in the battle and was one of the few remaining after. Part of the stone wall which made such a formidable defense can also be seen. This was my second visit to the battlefield.  

Made time to wander some in Fredericksburg's old town section. Very interesting with a lot of things to see. Fredericksburg has a very good Visitor Center which can give you a map to some of the sights.
There is a lot to see there, and a lot of history in that town. Not just Civil War either, being Virginia it also has a Revolutionary War history as well. Plus to be honest some good places to eat and shop if you are so inclined to do either.  

I went on the grounds of the Old Plantation named "Chatham". Owned by a hard core successionist and slave owner, the estate was seized during the battle. Was a headquarters for the Union Army and also due to its commanding position was used as a point to shell the town. Later it was a hospital and even as stables (in the rooms) for horses. The owner was ruined but sold the house and the next owners restored it to its former glory.  

I also mentioned in my Racing with the Wind post on this same topic finding The Confederate Cemetery. They are not buried on the battlefield (those are all union troops) but are in this cemetery called "The Confederate Cemetery" in town. Long and tragic war but to me a very necessary one to end slavery and in some respects to bring us together as a nation.
The ride was a lot of fun and was a good cap to what I consider one of the best Labor Day weekends ever in my case. Had a great time here in Virginia over the holiday.

Shirley Plantation and some new Richmond sights (September 4, 2016)

Heading down Virginia 5 with some friends on a very nice Sunday over the Labor Day holiday got some new sights in. Many times on motorcycle rides I have ridden past this, but made it finally to see the Shirley Plantation. It dates to 1613 (six years after Jamestown) though this house is "newer" being built between 1723-1738. Needless to say it is the oldest plantation in Virginia and has quite a history over the centuries. There are a number of buildings to explore and some interesting sights to see. Highly recommend a visit to this plantation!

While at the Shirley Plantation visited the winery there. Some nice wines and they are made from grapes grown on the grounds. The winery is also located with a great view of the river and there is also a restaurant there if you get hungry.

We also made a stop at Stone Brewing. That has gotten over the past few months to be quite an operation and in fact they are planning some new additions in the months to come.
The beer is very tasty and I even got this trip to take a look at some of the brewing operation. I like their beer which has a number of different types and it is easy to get samples to try different ones to find one you will like or would like to take home.
Nice addition to the Richmond brew pub scene and enjoy my visits there.

This was a first...we made a stop at Kabana Rooftop. Its a bar and is outside on the 20th floor of a Richmond building. Nice views of downtown and pretty good drinks as well.
Seemed like a real drinking tour and it was sort of, but we kept a good lid on everything. Did not want to get wild for one because that is an easy way to go to jail and two had big plans for the following day...which happened and will be in my next post tomorrow.

The return to Yorktown and Jamestown (August 27, 2016)

I also have some photos on my "Racing with the Wind" Page of this remarkable motorcycle ride on August 27. Started early but before long I was riding the Colonial Parkway along the York River.

I went to Yorktown first, and wandered that very interesting town and walked along the beach there. It is a nice place to spend a Saturday morning, all the better because it was early and not yet a very busy and crowded place. I have been there many times in the past and will be back many times in the future.

It was a free admission weekend (the National Parks are celebrating birthday #100) so made my first stop Yorktown. Lots of amazing things to see there and I saw a few. This is part of the British Army surrender in that they had to leave their cannon. These are some of the cannon they used in the battle. Yorktown was also sadly a Civil War site though not a major battle as the one with the British was. Just an amazing place to spend some time.  

This is at Jamestown, also remarkable. That was 1/2 price but always amazing. Want to read a remarkable story well Jamestown is one. Far from homes in England, and dealing with hostile Indians. During what was known as the "starving time" a large number died. Having run out largely of horses, dogs and other animals they were forced to eat they turned to their dead for meals.
Much of Jamestown was (and for that matter still is as it was on going while I was there) excavated and is being studied. Much of what they found can be seen, as well as the history of the place can be learned from all the items (and even the bodies of the dead) that are left behind over 400 years later.
I have enjoyed each and every visit and though I have been quite a few times now over the years, there is still a lot of things to see. Seems like they always have a new discovery as well to add.      

From Jamestown I wanted to go back a different route.  To get to VA10 from VA 5 requires a ride on the Ferry. The cool thing is that it is free and is a fantastic trip in and of itself. When we boarded the birds were waiting and followed us to catch bits of bread thrown from the back of the ferry. It was pretty cool. Just a great way to get across the river and then back down the road. Both 5 and 10 are mostly country two lane roads and make for a beautiful ride.
It was a very fun day and one I will remember for a long time. Just enjoyed being out to see the wonders of the area. Have not been for awhile but there is also Colonial Williamsburg there. Have to add that to the list of things I do on my next ride to that area.