A visit to Chester, West Virginia (August 19-21, 2016)

Went to Chester, West Virginia over these days. Posted some photos on my "Richmond and Me" blog, but while driving along the river came across some of these creations at a house on the Ohio River and was just amazed. A very creative person lives there, had a lot of great things but the ones with the motorcycle theme I had to share.

This one was also really cool, and enjoyed that he had made these. Really neat and like the work that went into them.
I did not take the bike due to the weather, was expecting some rain (and we did get some during the visit) but sure saw a lot of motorcycles out on the roads. Course I did see one guy getting a real nice bath while out on a ride during a very hard storm in Pennsylvania. As the fact that the drive was not easy there. My first trip and the route was interesting to say the least. Where I was going though would have been a great ride. Will have to give that a try in the future.  Bikes below though did apparently give it a go...think they are both Ultra Classic Harley-Davidson's. The first I think is a 2003 as it has the anniversary tag on the gas tank. The other in the background is a newer one and I THINK it has the new "partially" water cooled engine which Harley started a few years ago.
Read this weekend that Harley is increasing the engine size of the new models. Think the new sizes will be 107 and 114 cubic inches. No word on if they will have the water cooled cylinder heads but I would think so. Remains to be seen though.  

Early Ride on a Monday....(August 15, 2016)

As the four day weekend is coming to an end, and the forecast was calling for high heat with  high humidity decided after lawn mowing to take a ride. At 830 AM got the bike on the road and rode to some cool spots. Headed for country areas with few stops and red lights: the better to keep moving. Rode some nice places including River Road (different than my favorite Riverside Drive area) but did get me past The University of Richmond. Had to see this, and one thing I came across was the home field of the Richmond Spiders Football team.    

Nice school. Lots of really nice buildings and a lot seemed to be under construction. Very nice campus and was fun to ride around a bit.
Stopped to take this photo as I was leaving the school. and rode a bit more around the area. River Road was also very nice, with a lot of really fine houses and frankly some curves which were nice to twist around. Though it was getting hotter riding, still was not as bad as it got on Saturday. Ride next took me to Carytown.  

Stopped at Carytown for a milk shake at McDonalds which was around 10 am. After that, rode down Cary Street and back to my house which I reached around 10:30.
It was a very good ride, not a whole lot of miles (about 35 to be honest) but sure enjoyed each one. Nice combination of old roads and routes and some new tossed in. Turned out to be a beautiful day and had a fantastic time.

Philipino Festival (August 13, 2016)

A favorite yearly event held at a Catholic Church in the Lakeside area is the Philipino Festival. Spent a good period (well six months) of my time in the United States Navy deployed to the Philippine Islands and had a great time.
This day rode out to see the place and enjoy the food and culture of this amazing place. Left early and wandered to a local Farmers Market and around the area for a little bit. I was very close to the Lewis Ginter gardens which I visited just a few weeks ago.  

This is the entrance gate to the festival...I believe that says hello (with the word for goodbye on the other side.
Enjoyed some really good food and some fine music. There was an Irish band there...not sure it is true to the Islands but was still really, really cool. Nothing quite gets you up (well except for coffee followed by a motorcycle ride) like bagpipes and drums.
Enjoyed once again some favorite food and beverage from back in the day (still very tasty and good) and nice to hear the language and see some of the people. There was a good crowd.
The only negative of the day was the excessive heat. I checked with the local tv station and the temperature at 11AM was 94 with a heat index of 103. Needless to say the ride there and back was not nearly as comfortable as the day before. It was like riding into a furnace even when moving, and much worse when sitting at a red light.
I did stop on the way home to visit my friend Tony and his dog Schulz before getting home early. As far as mileage the ride was a bit over 15 miles and the ride was done early to be honest. Riding in heat like that is just not one of my favorite things to do on a motorcycle.  

Friday: Hot ride in the Country (August 12, 2016)

They said the heat index today would be between 100-105. Think it was every bit of that. Still, a ride in the country was nice...few stops and nice scenery. Good old country air....reeking of cow shit and dead skunk. Still, fun twisty roads and every so often some tree lined sections. Started out on VA 5 and then turned up to Osborne Parkway.
Before that though stopped for a photo at the Vulcan Materials sign. It's on 5 and I ride a Vulcan (for 11 years now) so it was a no brainer. I took a photo like this once, many years ago in front of a sign much like this near the Concord Regional Airport. I just like it. Love the motorcycle though.
At any case from here moved on. Started the ride at 10 am after the usual preflight checks...tire pressure and oil level. All good and off I went.  

Went to Deep Bottom Park. Guy was playing catch with his dog named Penny. He would toss a ball into the water, the dog would swim out and get it, then would bring it back.
After a few times Penny brought the ball to me. She did that for me a couple of times, and I enjoyed that.
I had a great border collie named Mollie who loved with a passion to play catch. I miss that dog and this was a real treat with Penny. Brought back some very happy memories!  

This is the James River at Deep Bottom Park. This is also a Civil War site; the Union Army under General Grant built pontoon bridges and crossed the James here. It is a very nice park.
From that area rode as far as Charles City and then headed back via VA 5. Wandered around Church Hill, went down Riverside Drive and into Carytown (with a quick photo stop at a house George Washington stayed in once called Wilton). Just was nice to be out and got a good 95 miles in with very little sweating other than the occasional red light. It was a very good day to ride, but then again when you really think about it, what day isn't ?  

Sunday Riding in the RVA...and a little beyond (August 7, 2016)

 After a fun day yesterday at the river watching the Dragon Boat Races, got out at 1:00PM on the motorcycle. Hot and humid but better than it has been for the past few days.
Rode to Patterson Avenue. Went to see a big old house in a neighborhood near Carytown, but came across these deer. They were actually out in the street but they moved to the bushes and into another yard. The doe did at one time give me a look like she was considering what to do with me, but moved off. Unusual to come across them this late in the afternoon. You can just see the fawn to the right of the doe...she is looking right at it.
Rode through Carytown and then up the Boulevard. Nice day for the ride, as traffic (except in Carytown) was not too bad, and really enjoyed being out. Had a busy morning so the ride really felt good.    

I did make a stop at Richmond International Raceway. Always enjoy this sign and damnit...that is how I feel about not just my motorcycle but all motorcycles. Really takes the edge off of a tough day. It also puts a bigger smile on a nice day. From there headed back toward Church Hill and then rode out via Highway 5....a favorite route and a neat destination in mind.

Ended up at some of the Civil War forts (Fort Gilmer, Fort Harrison and Fort Hoke) just off of VA 5 and just before Malvern Hill. These forts saw action during the last days of the Civil War. In fact Union troops captured Fort Harrison late in the war and kept it to the end of the conflict.
I went to see most of them..in fact there is a 4th fort but the name escapes me now. Saw Fort Hoke because I rode on down the road..usually would turn around at Harrison. Glad I did cause I got to ride down the Osborne Parkway...a new rode for me. Runs pretty much beside VA 5. Will have to explore it more in the future. At any case, visited some former neighbors (Sandy and Mike) before getting home
The ride was longer than the last one both in time and distance. Course I spent a bit of time wandering history, but did cover almost 60 miles while I was out. It was a really good time and a really fine ride on a very interesting Sunday.  

Friday Dusk Ride (August 5, 2016)

 First ride of August, the last one (the previous post) was a multi-hour 285 mile (saw it on the trip meter) ride to the mountains, this one was just around Richmond. Went to dinner at Firehouse Subs and then out into/toward the Woodlake area. I went in sort of a loop, out to Midlothian area and down some roads to Hull Street (VA 360). Then rode back toward my place but down Old Humdred Road and made a stop (more on that in the next photo below) and then around Midlothian Turnpike and finally back to the house.
It was a very nice night to ride. Temperature was around 79, and humidity was lower than it has been. In fact, for the last three days its been real nice (this being the 3rd).
All that changes tomorrow when temperature and humidity will make it feel like 100-105. Been hot of late, but we do get breaks now and then.
Tonights ride was just around 35-38 miles but it was a fun ride. This more of taking the cruiser for a cruise...no highway and no real hurry. around 2 hours of exploring and riding.    

Exploring was done on the road and also at the Midlothian Mines. This is what remains of the first coal mining operation in North America. Started in the 1800's but this was early days of mining. Now sure how many but at the bottom of a shaft here are some 30 (approximate) miners killed in a late 1800 explosion and tunnel collapse. These are the remains of the building that houses the operation. A later plan to reopen the mines in the 1920's failed. Nice little park and I have been there before in the past. Fun to explore this area and see what there is to see.

AMA Flat Track Race, Concord, NC (July 30, 2016)

This is an associated post with my "Richmond and Me" page. Sort of a last minute decision to take a drive (though due to heat and the weather forecast in Richmond I did not ride the motorcycle there) to see the AMA Flat Track Race. I lived in Concord for 14 years so nice to get back there and see familiar faces and to enjoy the race. I have been to a number of these in both Louisville, Ky and in Concord. They had one last year after a few years pause but I missed it. One of the benefits of a ticket was being able to tour the pits. Not just an HD show anymore, this is a Triumph Flat track bike. Other brands as well were on hand for the races. There was also a lot of events going on outside...bands and booths to see as well.  

The races were a blast. There were two divisions; singles and twins. I think the singles were around 450 and of course the twins were 750's. Most of the twins were from HD. I loved the starts in that they had an air raid siren and then they were off. Did have to say the speakers were really loud!

The races were a lot of fun. Close to the stands you could not really see the bikes as they came around the track close to the wall. However the corners were exciting both heading into 1 and 2, and as seen here into 3 and four. There were a few crashes but no one got hurt. One motorcycle broke his handlebars crashing. There was a break between the heat races and the semi finals. Then another break for the mains.

This is the podium for the single top three. Those had a number of restarts. They had rewatered the track and it was slick. Was a good race though and I sure enjoyed it. Very tight group from beginning to end.
The National (the twins) was much more spread out and yet was trouble free for its race. I did not stay for the podium as it was time to head for the car. Got to say though, even though there was a very good crowd getting out was a lot easier than the hours long NASCAR race traffic can be. I had a great time there. Most people (I don't as you know) were on Harley-Davidson's. Regardless what you might think of HD the riders were nice and in fact a lot of fun. The AMA put on a great show and I just flat enjoyed the hell out of it. I am already making plans to go back next year. As I mentioned earlier will have more photos on my "Richmond and Me" page with this same date.