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!   

LAst Ride of September 2012 (September 30, 2012)

I had one hell of a week! Work was a ordeal to be endured; especially Friday September 28 with a workday that extended into 1:45AM September 29 (and that previous day started at 11AM). Got a few hours sleep and drove to Carolina. The 29th was a rainy day, and a good day to rest and recover with my two border collies and my wonderful wife Patty.

Sunday was clear and bright, and a bit cool (I love Fall!) and a good day for a ride. Got out on the Vulcan early Sunday morning; when the traffic is light and the air is crisp (at least this time of year). As for mileage did not get but around 40 miles; wanted to spend a lot of time at home before I headed back to Richmond the same day. I did take this photo near Speedway Harley-Davidson (which did not open till noon, and I was further down the road. Went and visited a riding buddy during the course of my ride, and just enjoyed the peace and quiet. Not a big long ride, but a beautiful day to ride - and a short ride is better than no ride at all!
Had a great time, nothing quite takes the edge off like a great ride on a motorcycle, and I am ready to get back to work and give it another go. Looking forward to this weekend, there are a number of events in Virginia this weekend in the Richmond area, but will be heading (weather permitting of course), via car (the bike is in North Carolina) to the Open House this Saturday at Colonial Harley-Davidson in Prince George, VA. That will be my first stop in what should be a very eventful day. Have been to that before and had a very good time last time; course they have a lot going on, and being around bikers is always a good thing. I will be bringing that event to this site with my next post (again, weather permitting) to this site and some other Saturday October 6 Richmond events to my  "Richmond and Me" blog with my next posts. 

Last Ride Summer 2012 (September 15, 2012)

 Took a ride on Saturday, September 15, first stop was in University City, NC which is the home to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (aka UNCC). Seen here very near completion is McColl-Richardson Field, the home to UNCC football. It cost some $47 million to build and will seat 15,000 (can be expanded to 40,000 seats). UNCC will have its first ever football game there on August 31, 2013. The campus is pretty impressive, over the last few years they have been on a massive (think I read over $500 million) building program, and the stadium is just one of the many additions of late.   

Took this photo from the seat of the Vulcan, sitting on NC-29 that is a look at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC in the background. The track will be the site of one of the races in the Chase (as well as a Nationwide race) coming up in October. During the year three races (the October 500 mile race, the Coca-Cola 600 race earlier in the year as well as the NASCAR All-Star Race), and the area is home to most of the race teams. I have quite a few photos from the shops in earlier posts. There are quite a few events held at the track, and at the other tracks nearby...in fact a drag race event was held at nearby Z-Max Dragway over the weekend.    

Finally, went to Concord Regional Airport (which is not far from the track) to see one of 13 remaining (out of 12,732 built during WWII) B-17's, which made a visit. Based on the B-17 Memphis Belle (which still exists, was brought back to the US during the war) this plane was flown in the movie (actual Memphis Belle is in non-flying condition). I am a big fan of flying and things that fly, and getting to see these remarkable historic aircraft is always a thrill for me. Wish I could fly on one of them, but at a cost of $425 a flight, that is a little steep for even me, but quite a few did get rides on the aircraft, and I am sure it was a remarkable thing.
Summer "officially" ends on September 22 this year, and I will not be back in town under after that date, so my next ride will be the first ride of fall 2012, and looking forward to that one. The ride was a short one, but a short ride is better than none at all, and did get to see some neat places and things during the ride, plus it was a great day to be out...not too hot, no humidity, and beautiful skies to ride under (and to gaze up at as well). Got to say that I will not miss summer too much - the heat was pretty close to brutal, and frankly I am looking forward to fall with some better riding conditions. Fall in North Carolina is a great and beautiful time to ride, and I plan to have some fun on motorcycles there, and some fun with motorcycles in the Richmond area this Fall.     

Labor Day Ride (September 3, 2012)

 Nice day once again, and once more I got the motorcycle out on the road, this time for a short ride around the Concord, NC area. Living as I do for much of the time in Richmond, VA, its good to explore around my home. I made a quick stop at the big massive Z-Max Dragway, which apparently is being used as a staging area for police and buses during the Democratic National Convention in nearby Charlotte, NC. In fact, this has been a big weekend there - already a number of things going on. Other than a quick pass through Charlotte I have avoided it due to all the street closings in the city. 

 I like this place off of Copperfield Road for all the flags. It used to be the phone company, what I believe is a call center purchased the building (Concord Telephone is now owned by Windstream by the way, and they do a fine job with the phones and internet, I am pretty pleased).  Always have wanted to stick the Vulcan in front of that, and did so today. Would have been nicer if the breeze was blowing - not just to bring the national flags out, but also to break up some of the humidity from the hurricane. We have had some good evening storms this week, but thankfully the weekdays were all sunny (if not and humid). Great riding though!

Last photo is a Yamaha R1 which I got a photo of in downtown Concord, NC. Though I know longer ride sportbikes, I still have a fond place in my heart for them, and they certainly were a hell of a rush.
As for me, sure had some great days riding. Best as I can figure over the days I was home, thanks to some great weather, and an understanding wife I got in something around 310 miles (give or take a very few). It was a remarkable four rides - saw some very good bikes, rode with some fun people, and just got out in the breeze which is always a fantastic thing. Weather has not been my friend last few visits home, but no complaints this extended visit.  

Sunday NC Ride (September 2, 2012)

Another ride on a sunny (so far) Sunday morning, September 2 - rode out to Davidson, NC. Very neat college town (school is very old, Woodrow Wilson, President of the US during WW I went to school there), and a fun place to ride. Just outside of the Lake Norman area, the school is a private (and very expensive) school, and it has a number of small businesses. It is attempting to limit development from larger stores (though there are a handful) there. Nice place to ride around with some neat places to eat and shop (though eating is more my thing than shopping).  

I just like the Cornelius Town Hall, which is just up NC115 from Davidson. Cornelius is a very nice town, though unlike Davidson it is heavily developed. Lots of really nice houses (and you can see one as well as some more photos from the ride on my "Richmond and Me" blog) but a fun place to explore. I like riding around Lake Norman (and in fact did that yesterday). I wanted to get some photos of the lake, but have a few on this blog, and besides, got to ride by some amazing houses yesterday and wanted to share something different on that page. As for this, love the old town halls around here, and this one is one of my favorites.    

This is Interstate Cycle, mentioned it was moving, and will probably do so before I get back to this area again. They sell Yamaha, Star, Suzuki and Victory Motorcycles, and have been at this location ever since I have been in the area. Nice to stop in there and check out the motorcycles, very laid back shop, and I like that. Sometimes I am looking at getting a new bike, sometimes I am just looking at new bikes - though I understand that selling is what they are about, not always wanting to get a new ride (really fond of the current one in fact). This shop is/has been a place to purchase-or to dream.   

Last stop was at Quaker Steak and Lube in Concord. I liked this bike, cause its a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 (little brother to the bike I ride, the Vulcan 1500) and it rotates (is attached to a motor above it) over the bar. Nice place with a motor vehicle theme, this section is dedicated to motorcycles. During the summer months they have a great bike night and when I am in town for it I like to drop by, as it is one of the larger ones in the region. I used to be a regular, but things have changed with the Richmond thing. Richmond though also has one, and they have a bike night too, though have not been out there yet. I hope to before my time in Richmond ends.