Sunday Morning Piedmont Ride (August 8. 2010)

Got out Sunday morning on the Vulcan with no real destination, but a beautiful day for a ride. For a change the weather was cooler (lower 90's at least) with low humidity...did not bust out into a sweat as soon as you hit the door. Enjoyed the wonderful bright blue skies and taking a ride down some local twisty roads. I saw this old barn and took a photo of it on one of those roads. Nice to ride in the North Carolina backroads past the farms, cows, horses and even the occasional llama! I ended up on NC-601 and enjoyed that rolling out toward Monroe, NC. I like the smell of the country air there, and nice to get out on that very interesting road.
Took the photo at left of the Old Courthouse and my motorcycle out in front of it. Nice building, and there are a few old buildings there. Monroe is a very nice community with some great old houses, and interesting airport (they have an air show there later this fall) and on a Sunday morning it was a really quiet town. Another photo (this of the old City Hall) is directly below. From Monroe I rode down NC-74 which is also known as Independence Blvd. That is also a major Charlotte area road, runs to the mountains, and also to the beach (rode it once with some friends all the way to Wilmington, NC). Rode it to Charlotte, NC. Enjoyed the ride, traffic was a bit heavier there as is usual.
Noted that Harley-Davidson of Charlotte is closed on Sunday, I also noted that the Hooters there is apparently closed for good. It was a strange look at the economy, along 74 many new places and developments had sprung up since my last visit, but many places I had known were closed.. as in closed and gone!
I got on the highway, which here in Charlotte is I-85 just short of the city. Nice ride there, though a great many cars roaring right along. At times felt like I was in the movie "The Road Warrior". Got off near Concord Mills and made a fuel stop and a short ride on NC-49 before getting back to the house at 12:30pm. Nothing quite clears the mind, like a great motorcycle ride on a beautiful Sunday in North Carolina!