The Redskins Ride (July 27, 2018)

 Once again has been some terrible weather in Richmond with days and days of rain. On the bright side has not been as bad as it was during the Spring when the rain broke an all time day and month record for rainfall. Still though it has been terrible riding conditions.
Finally though the rain ended and happened on the second day of Training Camp for the Washington Redskins. That's me under the entrance, where I made a quick visit. Sure it was dry but it was also very hot and humid. In fact the heat index was over 100. While it is always a good time to ride, that tested that old saying of mine in a big way.
Wandering around the camp was fun.  They had a walk through practice and watched them do that for a short while. With the heat I did not stay long, plus wanted to get out on two wheels for a while.   

I did get a few miles in after. It was great moving but at red lights it got awfully toasty. Nice thing was that the traffic was light and sure felt good to be back in the saddle again.
Made a stop at Forest Hill Park before getting home. I had checked the oil level before the ride and when I got home gave the motorcycle a quick bath before getting out to "blow the water off" after that in a second quick ride. All in all I got in a total of 24 miles for the day.
Oh and by the way later in the afternoon.....it rained again. 

Monday ride to Colonial Heights (July 9, 2018)

 Nice day once again to get out, heat is still not terrible and the humidity was low but it was rising.
Got out on I-95 and rode to Colonial Heights, Va which is just outside of Richmond, VA. Nice community and also is located just outside of Petersburg, VA. I considered riding to Petersburg but being as that it was early headed back to Richmond. Petersburg has some great places to eat! Anyhow took sort of a wrong turn and ended up at this battlefield site. It was near an old confederate fort and was a Boy Scout project.

Rode down Jefferson Davis Highway into Chester. Nice road and slower then I-95 with some nice things to look at along the way.
Back into Richmond with this photo just off Jefferson Davis. I like the "Ace Cycle Shop" which has been closed all the years that I have been here. Guess it was once a motorcycle shop but real fond of the sign. In the distance is the Model Tobacco factory. Again that is long closed but ia now used for other purposes. Great art deco building. This ride covered 56 miles and I had a great time.

Spring Ride in the Summer (July 7, 2018)

After a day of Rain, cooler temperatures and much lower humidity came into the area. It looked like a beautiful day to ride. Got out on the motorcycle around 10 am and took it on a cruise for a couple of hours.
As is the case most Saturday mornings, the ride was really nice. Traffic was light and enjoyed the breeze that was blowing. Got to explore some places again from the last ride though took different routes.
An early stop was Scoot Richmond. There I saw the new Speedmaster which is the updated verstion of my motorcycle. New one has a bigger engine and is now water cooled. Scoot Richmond also now is a KTM dealer and checked out those motorcycles as well. From there took off down the road and rode by the airport . After that continued on down the road until I got to Nine Mile Road.  /   

New Triumph Speedmaster

New KTM  Motorcycles

While at Nine Mile Road rolled though Highland Springs where I took the photo at left. Continued on down Nine Mile Road and into Richmond again. There I made a short but refreshing stop at Stone Brewing which had just opened at 11. Went back up Hull Stree and then Midlothian taking the long way home. All in all it was a very wonderful 36 mile ride.

Hot Ride in the City (July2, 2018)

Got up early on a Monday morning, with an expected heat index of well over 100 an early ride was in the plan. However, forgot about the morning traffic, which was both slick and slow moving around. I did get in some 33 miles, but also had to turn around a few times and there was also a great deal of road work here and there. Made a ride out to Monument Ave to get this photo of one of the Civil War statues, and got back in after like 90 minutes on the motorcycle. As rides go it was good, but nothing really outstanding. 

Friday Ride to Varina, VA (June 29, 2018)

 Finally here the endless rain has, well ended. Course to replace it now we are expecting a week of 90 degree temperatures with a heat index thanks to humidity approaching 100 degrees. So it is early morning rides for a few days anyhow. Riding a motorcycle in heat like that is like driving into a furnace.
It was not bad though at 9am when I headed out down Highway 5, which remains one of my favorite roads. Made this stop at Rocketts Landing which is a fast growing, and high dollar, section of Richmond, VA. Neat though to see what has been built there and what is going up. It is located along the James River and is a popular location both to live and to have fun. Always have done a lot of things there during different times of the year. So made a quick stop to get this photo before heading on down the road.   

Riding down five there is a lot of Civil War battlefields. Some of the forts were Union held and some were Confederate (they were all Union at the End). Here is one of them with a cannon at the site, my motorcycle behind the cannon and the "Fort" can be seen along the upper right as a grass sort of hill. Back in the day they were a lot more different but still a great part of history.
As for the ride it was really good. I also got in different parts of Richmond and a rough total of around 40 miles. Even made a stop at Wal-Mart before getting back. It was a fun morning on two wheels.     

First Ride of Summer (June 26, 2018)

 Another short ride...first time since June 15. It has been a period of amazing rain. We  set a historic record for rain in June, which by the way we set a historic  record in May as well. Literally came down in buckets, and there was also massive flooding in the city of Richmond. One day flooding even closed the Richmond International Airport for a few hours.
However on this day no rain (at least not nearby) and I decided due to that and the lower heat/ humidity to get the motorcycle out.
In my area there are a lot of bunnies and got a kick out of this little guy checking out my motorcycle. They get quite used to me since Debbie and me don't bother them, so walked up, started it up and headed down the road. First stop was Byrd Park where I checked out the lake and a few other sights. Lots of road work going on in the city...lots of detours.

Wandered down Monument Avenue and due to detours again headed through some new parts of Richmond. It was pretty cool some nice places out there.
Stopped in Calvary Cemetery where I got the photo of this very interesting grave. Lots of Priests and Nuns buried in that location, plus a lot of people who came from Ireland according to the grave stones. Very beautiful and peaceful place which I have seen before.
Headed back in what was a short but very nice 16 mile ride. Looking forward to the next one as summer is here and this was the first ride of the season. 

Stoney Point Motorcycle Show (June 16,2018)

 Took my wife Debbie to the motorcycle show at Stoney Point Fashion Park in Richmond. Its not a huge show but always one of my favorites because there are a few amazing motorcycles there. For instance check this out....its a Henderson Motorcycle.. Henderson was made from 1912-1931. They had merged with Excelsior at the end (owned by Schwinn Bicycles)

Motorcycle above is simply amazing. It is a very early version of the Excelsior. You can see in this photo the bicycle roots of the motorcycle, even with pedals here and even the earliest belt drive...not carbon fiber though but leather! The motorcycles were made from 1907-1931.

Beautiful motorcycle here is a 1930 era BMW with the classic air cooled Boxer twin. That trype engine is still used to this day in some BMW models. I loved the design of the bike, and thought it was a real show stopper.
The motorcycle show had a number of really fine motorcycles, and I enjoyed visiting it again. It is a nice thing for the mall to do, and look forward to being back there next year.