Friday the 13th Ride (April 13, 2018)

 Got up and the temperature on this fine Friday morning was 80 degrees. Have not seen that this year so a great day to get out on the Triumph and head out for a little exploring.
It was a bright sunny day and never say I am not one to take advtantage of a good day

 Made a stop at the Chesterfield County Airport during the ride. Nice place to visit and I sure do love aircraft. In fact had weekend plans for Saturday to go to the Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, VA to see a few sights with my soon to be wife Debbie (who is seen in the background in the top photo.

Made a almost final stop at Drewery's Bluff, the former site of a Confederate Fort in the Civil Wat and where once a Naval battle during that time was waged.
The ride was a very good one, zero problems (as has seen the case so far in the time I have owned this motorcycle) and covered 47 miles during this ride on what was a very remarkable day indeed! 

The End of March Ride (March 31,2018)

 Got out for a short while on a wonderful day this last day of the month, which is rapidly turning into Spring here in Richmond. The leaves are starting to come out and the temperatures are starting to go up. Spring is one of my favorite seasons..the other being fall...and looking forward to the adventures ahead. Started out heading into Richmond and made a short stop at Hardywood Park for a little liquid refreshment. Then I rode to Richmond International Raceway, more for the ride than the destination. In fact the track was closed for the holiday. Rode by a number of cherry trees in full bloom.Soon to be blooming will be baseball season, and this is The Diamond where the local team plays. Looking forward to that in the next few weeks. From there rode down Monument Avenue past the giant statues and then to home. The ride was 24 miles, which is not a great distance but it was a great deal of fun. Looking forward to the next adventures!

Sunday Last Ride of Winter (March 18, 2018)

 Been  awhile since I have been able to ride due to a combination of things. Went on a trip with my soon to be wife in early March and then there has been the really bad weather. We have had a lot of snow in March. In fact as I write this some days after the ride, I am looking out the window at another snow storm. It tends to get real out and I am sure ready for Spring. Anyhow took this during the ride...neat art in the RVA.

Stopped and got this photo while in Richmond. My bike is in the foreground, in the background is a Triumph Rocket III.
As for the ride was a good day to get out. Still cooler than normal for this time of year but it was not bad...60 maybe. I did not go far or fast as the wind chill gets bad at those temperatures. So it was a pleasant if short 16 mile ride from door to door.

Hanover Ride (February 27, 2018)

 Not a bad day to ride, a little cooler than it has been, but the rains stopped. Think it was in the 50's when I headed out. Heavy coat, gloves and I am good (helmet of course, required here and if not would wear it anyhow).
Getting some Spring color here in the Richmond area, lots of trees are starting to bloom. A wonderful time of year and a wonderful time to ride. In fact Spring and Fall are my favorite times of year to get out on the motorcycle.
After getting this photo, headed out on a sort of thataway ride.Did not really have a destination in mind. Headed through Richmond and out into the country a little bit.  Nice ride, traffic gets heavy in the city around 3-6 so I was earlier than that.
Still, it was nice and actually headed down some new roads and into some new areas of the region. I enjoyed that a great deal. Finally rolled into Hanover, Virginia


Hanover is an old city with a lot of few interesting sites. The old Courthouse is historic and dates to the Colonial period. It has a connection to Patrick Henry of "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" fame. So does this tavern which is even older, and is in fact older then the US is a country. Nice place to visit and enjoyed my short stop here.
Rode back and traffic while heavier was not terrible. Got in to the house having driven some 45 miles on this day. It was a good ride and looking forward to the next one./

Touch of Spring Ride (February 21, 2018)

 Been awhile since the last ride, mainly due to an amazing amount of rain over the past few days. It was enough to really make the James River flood. However the rains have tapered off and the rains have stopped for a while. Got out the Speedmaster for a nice ride on a beautiful Wednesday.
Ride started at Forest Hill Park with a photo at the Stone House. Rode up Riverside Drive and though downtown Richmond to Shockoe Bottom and Church Hill. Rode out on Nine Mile Road and out near the airport to Highway 5.
It was a good day to ride. All the rains have dissolved the salt from the winter storms but a lot of sand and other sorts of road skud still remain. Potholes are also something to really watch out for though they are easy to avoid. Richmond also is doing a pretty good job of filling them, though it is an on going process. Still, during the ride the temperature was very close to 80, so it was a wonderful time to be out.

I went to stop at Stone Brewing for a quick glass of "refreshment" but they do not open in the winter until 4pm. Legend Brewing is open though so made a stop by there for one beer. Nice to sit out and enjoy the view which you can see at left.
From there rode around the neighborhood for a short while and then headed home. Total ride was 30 miles, but it was a wonderful trip. Doubt this great weather will last but looking forward to this soon being the norm. Spring and Fall are my favorite riding seasons..and Spring is not far away.

Speedmaster(s), Rockets, Jail, and airplanes (February 8-9,2018)

Scoot Richmond where I purchased the 2016 Speedmaster had a preview of the new 2018 Triumph Motorcycles on Feb 8. I did not ride there, but looked over the new motorcycles including the updates on the new Triumph Speedmaster. It is now water cooled (mine is air and oil) and is a 1200 (vs my 900 sized engine). Great looking motorcycle, really impressed with the line...and the one I have too!

On Friday we got sunshine and it was at 50 degrees. Taking advantage of a pretty good day in what has been a very cold and snowy winter here in Richmond I got the motorcycle out for a ride. Started out on Jefferson Davis Highway where I got this photo of my Speedmaster in front of this rocket at a local business there.
Have been real fond of rockets all my life and have always enjoyed this one. It was a good day to ride as the traffic was really light and dressed for the ride so was very comfortable.
Forecast for the next week is above normal temperatures and a whole lot of rain....pretty much a good rain chance all week long. Yes, I have ridden in the rain and no, I don't like to do so.
So this was a good time to get out and about and see some of the amazing sites to visit here in Richmond, VA. I do enjoy riding here and have also come across some remarkable people along the way.
From this point continued down Jefferson Davis with no real destination in mind.     

After a while made a stop at at Chester to check out some of the historical sites there.  Along them is the old jail which dates to 1892 and was in use for 70 years. I think the old stocks are also pretty cool, which can be seen in the lower right of the photo on the porch.
Lots of cool places in that area, and it is a nice ride there. Course on a motorcycle any ride is a good ride. 

Final stop was at the Chesterfield County Airport where I snapped this photo of a plane getting ready to take off. No real reason other than I thought this plane was very cool, and I like visiting the airport there. For the ride covered a distance of 36 miles and had a great time on this Friday.

Retirement Day Ride ( February 1, 2018)

First ride on the first day of my actual retirement from working....photo at top was the start and the photo to the left was taken at Legend Brewing where I stopped for the first spring beer of the year (which also just came out there today). Before the ride checked tire pressures and added air as it has been very cold lately and that can really change tire pressures (and did). Nice to get out for a while. Temperature was in the 50's though very cloudy.   among places I went was Monumental Church which is very historic (and that is common here in Richmond). John Marshall was instrumental in getting it built and the designer also designed the Washington Monument among other things. Edgar Allen Poe was among the people who attended this church. Google Monumental Church in Richmond for more information on the history of the building.
Ride was short over a distance of some 15 miles on this day, but as usual enjoyed the ride a great deal. Expecting a small bit of snow tomorrow which seems to be typical of this crazy winter weather this year. .