Stop(s) in the Mountains (April 11 and 15, 2021)

Made two overnights in the area of the Blue Ride Parkway over two nights- April 11 and April 15 with a trip to the beach in between. Took the photo at left at Pilot Mountain State Park and the two below in Mt. Airy, NC. Fun town and the inspiration for the Andy Griffith Show of the 1960s. Very friendly people there. It was fun to see some of the sights and to explore it with my wife who had never been there. Of special note, on the visit on the 15th we ate at a Mt. Airy restaurant called The Copper Pot (photo below). Amazingly good food and a lot for a little money. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the area.  

   

 

Exploring Ohio -Some aviation sites (April 6, 2021)

Got more photos on my "Racing with the Wind" blog page, but got out on the motorcycle today and did some exploring. Got the photo at left at the Fairfield Mall in Beavercreek, Ohio. The plane on display in there is a replica of the Model-B which was one of their most successful planes. Actually, at a nearby airport they have a replica Model B which for a fee you can take a short hop on. It is certainly on my bucket list. You can see the replica fly on the "Ohio" program of the show "Aerial America".

     

This is inside the mall, the staircase caught my eye. Certainly living down here is interesting with a lot of things to see and do. I do enjoy riding around on the motorcycle or exploring in the car with my wife. 

While I was out today, made a quick stop at the Air Force Museum. There I got a photo of this C-17 on display outside of the museum. I enjoy watching them fly, some of the C-17's are based here. They often fly right over my house. The museum is a great treasure and I often visit which you can see by a number of photos and posts about it on this page. Outside are some replica and actual World War Two aviation buildings. The building below as the sign says is one of the actual ones.   

Last two photos are of the Wright Brothers Memorial not far from the museum. Wilbur had died of Typhoid before it was built, but Orville attended the dedication. I also got a photo of a  runway on the base, nearby is Huffman Prairie where the Wright Brothers perfected the airplane they designed (and yes, I have been there). Finally, the last photo is of Huffman Dam. One of the many dams built after the great Dayton floods. Thank you for visiting my page.    

 

Looking Back at Virginia (April 3, 2016)

I was talking with a friend about visiting the Udvar-Hazy Center which is located at Dulles Airport just outside of  Washington, DC. It is one of two National Air and Space Museums in Virginia (the first is located in Washington, DC and have also been to that back in those days. I used to live in Virginia which like Ohio is a remarkable state. This museum has a historic and remarkable collection of aircraft and if you are ever in the area is well worth a visit. I believe due to the Pandemic both of them are currently closed but there is a good chance they will be opening soon.    

I visited here in 2016 but went there a number of times. Admission is free though parking is $15. There is however acres of parking on paved lots, and the museum itself would entertain you and yours for hours, even if you are not that much of an aviation fan. There is an Imax theater and they also often held special events outside. The only restaurant in there is a McDonalds but the employees are really nice and the prices were very reasonable. 

I enjoyed the conversation with Robert today and enjoyed sharing the photos with him...and you as well.  

 

Snow on April 1 (April 1, 2021)

No April Fool joke here, but real snow on this first day of April. It did not stick and in fact turned immediately to water, but was for a time pretty to see. I like snow, just not real fond of it in April, or in Spring. I have been enjoying the motorcycle rides. Won't be doing that today with temperatures in the 30's but will be back to the 60s-70s by this weekend. Did get out in the car for awhile to run to a few places, and got the photo below in New Carlisle. The building at right was robbed by John Dillinger in the 1930s when it was the New Carlisle Bank.  
 

Wandering around the Lakes (March 28, 2021)

Spring is starting to fire up, for certain temperatures are starting to get warmer, though we are still getting a few cooler days with lows in the 30s, but those highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s are pretty nice too. The trees are budding though few of the leaves have come out yet and some flowers are blooming.

I did see this Heron flying today, was a quick photo as I just was able to see him. He landed across the lake and I got a photo of him just below. Unfortunately I was using the slower camera. I like that one because it is lighter and had a really good range of lenses, but not as quick as the Nikon is. 

Saw the turtles getting some sun the day before, the very interesting goose (not sure of the type and have only seen the one here like it) and of course the Canadian Geese at the very bottom of the photos. There will be a slew of baby geese in the next few weeks. 
Thank you for visiting my page.       

 

Return to Rising Sun, Indiana (March 16-20, 2021)

We took a four day trip (returned on the 20th) from Rising Sun. This is a favorite place for my wife and me, and we had as usual a great time. On the 16th found my motorcycle was ready at Joe's Cycle, very happy with that (got it a few days later as I post this). Weather was wonderful and fun exploring the little towns in that area and enjoying the beauty of the Ohio River. Looking forward to our next visit there which will hopefully be in the very near future.    

 

Visit to the National Museum of the United States Air Force (March 9, 2021)

Got a lot of photos (as usual) at the museum on this Tuesday. A perfect day as it ended with a motorcycle ride out in the country. This though was earlier in the morning. There were as usual some new sights to see, and some older ones seen in a different way. For instance, the B-17 Memphis Belle was lit up, and that was pretty cool.

They have a number of new displays such as the Space display and a new one on Women in the Air Force.     I got this photo of the F-86 and the Mig-15 at left. Below I have a number of sights around the museum. One of the great things about it due to the sheer size of the number of aircraft and the exhibits there is always something new to see. I never get tired to exploring it, and am happy to share some of the sights with you. Thank you for visiting my page!