Category: Destination

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Touring aviation history with a passport

Dayton-Aero-NHS-33I knew the National Historic Site was there, but I had never visited. And, I can’t explain why. But, with a day available for motorcycling, I decided it was time. Armed with my National Parks Passport, I headed to Dayton, Ohio, to the Wright Brothers Visitor’s Center to see where aviation as we know it all started.

Officially, it is the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, just one of five sites in the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park. That’s how it is listed in the Passport and accompanying map of all parks and historic sites.

Most people know about Orville and Wilbur Wright and their efforts towards the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. The Dunbar of the interpretive center is Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African American writer and poet known to the Wright Brothers. Dunbar and Orville Wright were in the same graduating class of Dayton Central High School, 1891, and the Wright Brothers published Dunbar’s newspaper in their print shop.

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The complex is in the historic section of Dayton on 3rd Street at South Williams. A 30-minute film provides a lot of information as a docu-drama detailing the efforts to build an airplane and then learn how to fly it.

The Wright Brothers operated several businesses, including a printing business and the bicycle shop. A park ranger said the restored Wright Cycle Co. building is the actual location and building number four of five locations they occupied. The Wright family home was just down the street on South Williams. The ranger also verified that the Wright family home and bicycle shop #5 are at the Greenfield Village, Henry Ford Museum in Michigan. Ford bought the buildings and moved them to his museum for preservation.

After touring the bicycle shop, I motorcycled to the Wright Brothers National Memorial near the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Also at the site is the Huffman Prairie interpretive site. The Wrights perfected their airplane using Huffman Prairie as their test site, and hence, it is officially the first airport.

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It was a great day for motorcycling. Get your own NPS Passport and start planning your adventures and destinations. Passports can be ordered online, or you can buy one at the many National Parks and get it stamped while you’re there.

See you on the highway.

Brent

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Are you going to San Francisco?

A sunny May day in San Francisco is a rarity, we’ve been told. I think it was sunny just for us, here celebrating 25 years of marriage. It’s been wonderful. All of it.

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See you on the highway.

Brent

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Back to the Hangar Café with a moto blogger

Several times, in past visits to Arizona, I tried to meet up with fellow blogger and friend, Doug Klassen. Doug publishes a great moto site, 40 Years on 2 Wheels. On this visit, we managed to meet for lunch at one of my favorite eateries in the Phoenix area, the Hangar Café at the Chandler Airport.

Doug was putting away his riding gear as I approached the gate to the café. He rode his Kawasaki 1600 Nomad to lunch. I drove my Toyota Highlander, pretending it was really my motorcycle. I approached him. “You wouldn’t be Doug Klassen, would you?”

“And you would be Brent Miller?” he asked.

Doug and I have followed each other’s blogs for several years and have corresponded frequently. Doug’s writing style is humorous—and good writing. He manages to keep his readers entertained with nostalgia, motorcycling and a sometimes comic decision-making process. In fact, I can’t wait to read what he has to say about me! He gave me a verbal rough draft over lunch, but I didn’t understand the part about ‘a swagger like John Wayne.’ I liked the reference to James Dean. Okay, I can dream a little.

We talked writing and motorcycling—two of my favorite subjects. Retirement was thrown in there somewhere too. He is. I only pretend not to be retired. Or, maybe semi-retired makes more sense. I don’t know what to call it. It’s self-employed at age 60—that’s it.

After sitting for lunch for about an hour, we hung out in the parking lot for another hour, talking and sharing stories, grabbing a couple of photos here and there.

Yup. It was a pretty good meet up, and I found a better friend than I knew before.

See you on the highway.

Brent

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Airplane in hibernation

Piper Cub sheltered from the snow
Airplane in hibernation

Winter slows down many functions. It is not just the animals that go into hibernation.

Red Stewart Airfield, Waynesville, Ohio, is one of the finest grass strip, grass roots airports you will find. Driving past many municipal airports will find little activity, but not at Stewart Airfield. There are always cars present and planes active.

But, things do slow down in winter, and grass strips in particular. Plowing the snow off can damage the runway. So, many planes sit until the snow melts. It’s a little like motorcycling.

Brent

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Have you restored your Farmall tractor?

Roaming around the countryside and visiting a farm or two can reveal a lot of potential for fine art images. Old tractors are great. Old tractors that look new again are fascinating.

While on the Barn Quilt Tour, I spotted this pristine Farmall tractor.

Yes. It runs. And, it proves there is more out there on the farm than John Deere.

Brent