Short Rides During a Three-Day Visit (July 25-27)

I really enjoy Sunday morning motorcycle rides. The streets are quiet and the traffic is light; both wonderful conditions on a ride. Along with that was some wonderful weather, the early morning cool, and the amazing blue skies. It was a really nice ride. Rode for an hour to Kannapolis, NC. That used to be a great mill town; with the giant Pillowtex complex. Now, its a town which is hoping for a new future with the NC Research Center. Those great buildings continue to go up on the site of the former textile mill buildings. Its a remarkable transformation.
Monday, I visited a friend from work; as fate would have it rode by the old factory which is ending production in Concord, NC today as I write this. A-shift (which I used to be on, now in Richmond working B-shift) was letting out for one of the last times. That will soon be a giant empty complex. Its for sale, think the asking price of the around 2500 acres is something like $500 million (give or take a few million). The loss will add a few thousand to the growing unemployment rolls in Concord, and will make for difficult times for many friends I worked with over the years.
Still, as I have found, life is full of changes, challenges and difficulties. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to take a ride. It does make for a fantastic escape. It was good to be out on the bike, and back home again!