Fall Ride to Morrow Mountain (October 28, 2012)

Got in a fine ride to Morrow Mountain on October 28, as with the previous week ride to the Blue Ridge Parkway (Previous Post), it was not too cold, and the skies were clear. I snapped this photo of these bikers at Morrow Mountain - I have a lot of photos of the views there at my "Richmond and Me" blog as well as my Flickr Photo Page. I hoped it would be near peak color, and I was not disappointed  with what I saw. Really has been a long time since I was able to go to both the Blue Ridge Parkway and Morrow Mountain in the same year and at the best time. Sometimes things do work out. 

I enjoyed some nice riding, took this photo of a pumpkin patch (it is fall after all!)  in Mt. Pleasant, NC, visited Hermanco's (a very good restaurant) in Albemarle, even saw a huge field of Sunflowers in Millingsport, NC. I enjoy riding near and in the cities in North Carolina, but I also really enjoy riding in the country, and both can be found close by in the Charlotte area. Have ridden in a lot of states but for year round weather and variety it is hard to beat North and South Carolina.
Upon my return to Richmond on October 29, Hurricane Sandy also impacted the area, and I have a feeling those winds and rain will pretty much take care of fall color in the Richmond area. The impact of the storm in the Charlotte area will be a whole lot less.

Fall Ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway (October 19, 2012)

On October 19, took a ride to Blowing Rock, NC on a fine Fall day. It was very sunny (though foggy at the start) when I rolled out at 9AM. Rode to the mountains via NC-73, to NC-16, to I-40, and then via NC-321. The last road has been getting reworked for the past few years, and is now done on the uphill section, though they are doing road work in Blowing Rock itself. Visited the town a bit, and then made a stop at the Cone Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway where I took this photo of Fall in full color. It was pretty much peak there during my visit.      

 I am a huge fan of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is fun on two wheels or four (though in my opinion more fun on two wheels). Wonders can be found along its 469 mile length,and I have been on some pretty good sections of it. Loved coming across this lake, you just seem to see the bluest waters in mountain lakes. It was a very nice day for this ride, the temperature was in the 60s for the ride, last two motorcycle rides it seemed this fall I was either not dressed enough or too much for conditions, for the mountain ride I was right on the money. Being warm is important in cold conditions - chill can be unsafe as it can distract you from the ride. 

Finally, got this photo of my bike in front of Grandfather Mountain. A very cool sight, the mountain is also home to the "Mile High Bridge" (with one of the most remarkable views in the Blue Ridge) and a zoo which is really something to see. There are also a lot of trails to check out, and there is also an admission charge to see it. However it is well worth the price (and I have paid that a few times over the years).
It had been a long time since I have made the motorcycle ride to the mountains. I really enjoyed this one, as it was a chance to see the fall color (last time some three years ago at best guess, I missed it by a couple of weeks - was more the bare trees/pile of leaves tour).
Ride back was a lot of fun, though did come into a great deal of heavy rush hour traffic in Huntersville and Concord, NC. Had kind of forgotten about that. Still, it was an impressive ride and visit which covered 264 miles over a nine hour period (with a lot of walking and sightseeing during that visit). I am looking forward to a return visit to the mountains as soon as possible. As far as favorite places, the mountains of North Carolina are tough to beat, and make for some outstanding motorcycling!

Riding to Charlotte, NC

Good day to take a ride on the Vulcan, it is mid-October, and getting cool, but was rising close to 70 degrees when I headed out. Nice day though a bit overcast but been a while since I had been out on the bike, and I really enjoyed it. Had the leather coat on and gloves, but was really overdressed, but better to be warm I think than cold, and that will be coming soon enough (the cold anyhow). Took this at a red light, heading toward Charlotte, NC. The ride for the day covered 52 miles and love riding on Sunday when the traffic is lighter and things move at a slower pace. 

 Took this photo in Uptown Charlotte, one of my favorite places to ride and a very interesting city. This was near where they are building the new baseball stadium for the AAA Charlotte Knights (which has been playing just across the border in nearby South Carolina) and close to the Bank of America Stadium which is the home to the NFL Carolina Panthers. Time Warner Cable Arena is more Uptown and is the home to both the NFL Charlotte Bobcats and the ECHL Charlotte Checkers hockey team. If you like sports Charlotte is a fine place to be. If you don't, lots of museums and places to eat can be found Uptown.  

This is something new. They have a bike sharing thing, a period of time is free, after that they charge you, but its a very cool idea (and a number of bikes were seen out and about in the area as I rode around. Thought this was pretty cool, and a neat idea as well.
I always have a good time in Charlotte, and enjoy my visits there. I have a few more photos on my Richmond and Me blog, as well as a number of photos to my Flickr page, and both of them can be found via links on this page. Looking forward to some great times in the Carolinas over the next few days - more to come here!

Bikes! In the RVA! (October 6, 2012)

 An open house at Colonial Harley Davidson brought me to Prince George, VA to see some of the new 2013 Harley line. For this year no real engine upgrades, just a few new colors and paint jobs, but some fine motorcycles nonetheless. Harley is all about history, and for 2013 they are celebrating 110 years in the motorcycle business, which is pretty damn impressive in my book. While in most cases they have really changed very little, they do have a big line of air cooled bikes, and of course the water cooled V-Rod line of motorcycles. They are certainly iconic motorcycles.

 I really like the CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) which has made special versions of their bikes (with a "special" price tag to match) using the 110 cubic inch Screaming Eagle Twin Cam Engine. They are certainly beautiful motorcycles, and if it can be said that motorcycles are a work of art, nothing says that more in my opinion than a Harley. I was hoping that they would have a few more from the line, but they did have this Road Glide which is the new version for 2013. I do like that when the new bikes come out, they come out first at Harley-Davidson; and it is cool to see what The Motor Company has to present. 

 Liked these, called the "72" liked the metal flake, and the high handlebars of these bikes, so much like the choppers of the 1970's (without long raked out front ends, but some degree of ape hangers for sure). The small peanut tank would not give you a great deal of range mileage wise, but certainly the styling is pretty cool. Not a lot of Harley-Davidson's really fit me, they seem to be made for smaller people (I am for the record 6'2") and this bike is no exception to that. Still, it is a neat motorcycle, and really brought back some memories. If you are looking at a classic, Harley is your bike for sure.  

Near Colonial Harley Davidson  is Commonwealth Power Sports which is a Suzuki, Yamaha (Star), Kawasaki, Honda and now Victory dealer. There was a Victory dealer in Richmond (just outside of Hopewell) but it went out of business, well now they have the line. Big dealership, and very friendly people there, I often have visited to the shop. Victory Motorcycles are also made in the US, and have a more modern feel to them than the Harley-Davidson line does. They are pretty aggressive as far as marketing, with a very good test ride program, and in fact I have ridden quite a few.

I have a few more photos from the day at my Flickr Photo Page, and it was a good time. I also did a few more events in Richmond which I have on my Richmond and me blog page, it was a very good day for some fun events in the RVA. More riding in Carolina is coming up in a few day and that will be the subject of my next blogs!