Travel Blog Refresh

Over the 7 months that we have been on the road, I have published 42 blog updates, or about one every 5 days. Yet I repeatedly get comments that people can’t find my updates. I believe that part of the reason for this is that my approach has evolved over time, so that people don’t know where to go for new information.

With that in mind, I did a significant revision of the website today. I deleted a section that had never been used (called “contact us”) and added a new section, called site index. I also removed some of the early, disorganized pictures and text that have now been replaced by blog entries, and I updated the section that describes where we are right now.

It is true that some of the tabs rarely change, like the ones that describe us and our vehicles. But there are three tabs which have been updated and I try to keep current.

Our Trip — is the highest level summary of our journey thus far. It basically shows maps of where we have been and are going, with a listing of the major stops. I only update this section each time we stop for any length of time. It is now current through Branson, MO, our current location.

Blog — Is where I post trip updates, and particularly pictures. It will always be in order based on the date posted, most recent first. It will display 10 entries at a time, but when you scroll to the bottom of each 10 you can choose to see the next 10. This is the section that has 42 entries, the most recent ones being from Memphis, which we just left on Monday.

Site Index — is the new section, which groups all of the blog entries by type. For example, there are more than a dozen entries that show pictures from state and national parks. There are another half dozen that chronicle interesting cities. Motorcycle trips and festivals have their own sections.

So, the bottom line is that if you just want to know where we are, click on Our Trip. If you want news since the last time you visited, go to the Blog section. I you are interesting in looking topically at where we have been, go to the Site Index.

If you have signed up for email notifications, you should automatically get an email every time a new blog entry is created. The last one was yesterday, so let me know if you think you should be receiving these and are not.

And what can you expect in the near future? In March, we will be exploring the area in and around Branson, MO, including some of the entertainment, and a motorcycle trip to the Pig’s Tail, a famous winding course through the Ozark Mountains in nearby Arkansas.