Ride to Petersburg (July 31, 2017)

 After a couple of weeks of travels, some serious rain and of course work...finally got out to get some air time on the Triumph today. It felt really good as this Monday, the last day of July 2017 got some sun and less humidity and temperature.
Made a ride down Jeff Davis Highway to Petersburg, Va. Took this photo of Old Petersburg there, which one of  the most interesting parts of this very historic city. Petersburg is a fun place to explore.  

I had never seen this before. Its called Violet Bank and was built in 1815. House is notable in that during the Battle of Petersburg this was the Headquarters of Robert E. Lee. Nice old house with some very interesting things inside. They do apparently have tours but apparently not today.
Still I wandered around a bit and explored what I could see through the windows and on the grounds.  

One thing of note was this Magnolia Tree, also on the grounds of Violet Bank. It was planted in 1718 and is the second largest tree of its type in existence. I was glad I made the detour to see this place.
Ride was very good with zero issues. Came to just a hair under 50 miles and was a trouble free ride. I am less than a month away from celebrating my first year with the Triumph...and no problems to this point to report! It was great to be out today.

Sunday Aviation Ride (July 16, 2017)

 Nice ride on Sunday morning. I tend to love those with light traffic and as mentioned in the last post much lower heat and humidity. Took the Triumph this time to the Chesterfield County Airport in Chester, VA where I got this photo of some of the planes there.

As a bonus this Army helicopter was also there and got a photo of it. Lots of interesting things to see at the airport, and as visitors to my page will know I like aviation.
This is a really good state for that, as there are a lot of things to see aircraft related including some remarkable museums, and some really good airshows. One airshow not far away and soon!

I rode around for quite a bit, and ended up along Riverside Drive. That s a favorite road to ride on. While I was there stopped and got this photo of this deer feeding by the side of the road.
Strangely the deer did not seem to mind that I was there. Did stop and look at me but soon went back to eating. Have seen over the years quite a few there, but this one was later in the day then the usual...being around 10am.
Following that encounter headed back to my house. A bigger ride than the Friday ride, this one covered 47 miles and had a great time.  

Friday Morning Medical Ride (July 14, 2017)

Went for a ride on Friday, though this was a ride with purpose. Was a nice morning and in these hot and humid days no better time to ride than in the morning...with the possible exception of night that is. However, as I had a physical at the doctor thought that going via motorcycle was a really good idea.
While out at light, saw this Ural motorcycle. They are rare to see but do see them from time to time. Made in Russia and would be the perfect bike for Trump.  

After the doctor visit, made a stop at Crossroads Coffee on Forest Hill Avenue. A very nice coffee shop and in fact was surprised to find a morning band there playing. At this time was now looking for something cooler as I had to fast before the tests, so it was a very good iced coffee and a breakfast sandwich with tunes. Nice day to enjoy the day.
It was a good ride as the traffic was not bad, and sure enjoyed the temperatures while I was out. I even enjoyed the doctor visit.  

Well, except for a couple of items in the doctor visit. Still it was fine. Finished up before going home with a stop at The Stone House in Forest Hill Park. The park is part of the neighborhood and one of the big reasons why I wanted to settle here. A favorite place and has a lot of things going on most of the year.
As for the ride was not a big one, maybe 30 miles but had a great time and sure nice to get out on a beautiful Friday in the RVA.

Sunday Putt in the RVA (July 9, 2017)

Felt like a ride in the city. My girlfriend Debbie took this photo of me on the Triumph heading through the yard and getting ready to gear up and go for a ride.
It was a very beautiful day, first time since the vacation trip to the mountains a few days ago (and you can see photos from that on my Richmond and Me blog pages) which was a fantastic time too.
For the first time in a few days enjoyed the sun and lower humidity. Temperatures were also lower and that made for a very good time to get out and explore.
After checking out a few things on the motorcycle got all the good things on and rode out to the city.  

Made a stop at Canal Walk and explored a bit there. Lots of cool things to see. The whole Canal system in Richmond (which is restored) is very old and very neat. They like to have art and there is a lot of art there some of which is very unique.
Following that rode out to Shiplock Park and then after a visit there down VA5 to Rocketts Landing where I also took some photos. I will have more of those on my Richmond and Me page as well as from sights below.

Right off of VA5 is a lot of old forts. Though now they are largely grass mounds they are still pretty well intact and they have a lot of information about the history of those sites and what all they did during the Civil War. They are some of my favorite sites in the region and especially well preserved. I do enjoy the history to be found here in the Richmond area.
From there rode back to the house. I rode a bit over two hours...not a great deal of miles (a hair over 30 miles in fact) but that was due to a number of stops. It was just great to be out and about on a beautiful day. Love those Sunday rides....light traffic and fun days to ride!

Sunday Morning ride (July 2, 2017)

 Humidity and heat are back here in the RVA. Was heading in the afternoon to the airport to pick up my girlfriend but got out for a bit on the motorcycle. Actually had a few errands to do...but did those and then headed out on the best part of the ride.
Started out in Bon Air which is a nice town in Richmond, with a lot of very cool houses and some nice businesses. Not very developed with big stores and that is the way that they like it to be.
From there rode to Midlothian Turnpike Did see these old cars and got this photo. Continued on out much like I did the day before but then went beyond that into Powhatan County. There rode some remarkable backroads. They had a lot of curves and hills. Rode past farms and fields. The best part of the ride was that many of them were first time roads for me...nothing like going where I have never gone before!
After a time got back on Midlothian Turnpike and headed back toward my house. Nice ride on Sunday's as traffic is light and temperatures were cooler than they would be in the afternoon.
I rolled back toward home and got there after a ride which lasted a bit over two hours.
This ride was one of the longest of the past few times with 55 miles covered. Got the motorcycle put up as the heat was building.
Later in the day it poured down rain...so was glad to have missed that.
Looking forward to my next ride sometime in the next few days.