Mark's Cycling & Hiking Blog
  • Home
  • Mark's Cycling Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Boulder Canyon Posts
  • Cycling Event Meet-Ups
  • Home
  • Mark's Cycling Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Boulder Canyon Posts
  • Cycling Event Meet-Ups

Cycling Blog Semi-Annual Report

9/19/2011

0 Comments

 
A couple of times each year I update what is going on with the blog for those who are new to it.  I look at the hits this stupid blog receives and marvel over the interest.  For example, for the last 12 days, there were less than 300 hits on only 3 of the days and the low was 226, the high was 415.  The record is still 502.  Of course, there are repeat visitors that inflate the numbers so for unique visitors during that period there were over 200 each day with a high of 365 and several other days at 300+  The record for unique hits is somewhere north of 400 but I forget the exact quantity.  It is rare when the page hits fall less than 200, usually on a Friday or Sunday.  

The Granville Bike thing is something I thought of after befriending the manager of a bike rental place in California.  I thought Granville was a bit of a tourist destination, my son could benefit from some business experience so I set up an LLC, bought a few bikes, set up the web site and my son began taking bikes to visitors in the Granville area, interacting with them, collecting cash and maintaining records.  Unfortunately, he's at school now and I have to handle the odd request, which I find kind of fun.  Not sure if I'll keep the bike rental thing going but the blog will live on.  

Why a blog?  A few years ago, I crashed in FL, broke a collarbone and was forced to miss the group rides for a few weeks.  One of our group kept me updated with ride reports and I found it invaluable as I was laid up and bored.  At some point after my return to cycling, I started typing up ride reports and circulating it among a 40+ email list that most people seemed to enjoy and some encouraged me to start a blog.  I'm not a great writer but I have had experience with writing, having authored an article or two that appeared in national golf magazines and I authored or co-authored 4 books on golf, none of which ever sold more than a couple of copies but at least it's on my resume.   

I don't know who you are outside of a few people who have acknowledged they read the blog when they are really bored.  I receive site visit information that summarizes the count but nothing more than that.  I can always upgrade the service to see who is visiting but it's not important enough to me to bother.  I also know there are some international visitors because they have shot me an email but not much else is known about who you are.  Even in the comment section, if you don't identify yourself then I have no idea who you are.  Of all the comments received, only 2 were taken down because they crossed a line in attacking someone but so far I have never deleted a comment about me.  I figure if I can dish it out then I have to be willing to take it, as long as it is good natured, as are my shots at you, well almost always.  

You may wonder what happens in the off season.  The blog keeps going of course.  It is one of the sources for information on weekend activities, usually off trail hiking, trail running or cross country skiing, when we are not scheduling a bike ride. We usually ride if the start temp is about 28 and not too windy and no snow/ice on the road.  Just thinking about that makes me shudder. Craig Butler, Jeff S, Grand Poobah, Steve O, Mark C, Flyin Tuna, heck even some of the Kendaites can be counted on to ride during the winter. 

Oh, the biggest event of the year is in December when I conduct the annual "Should the Blog Continue for Another Year" poll.  I set the response bar very low and there is usually a rush of affirmatives toward the end of the day that forces me to keep going.  So, keep an eye out for that poll as I may make the minimum quantity of "yeses" higher this year.  Would I really quit the blog if I don't receive enough votes to keep it going?  Yes, although there is always a chance it would make a come back.  Thanks for checking in.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Mark is a long-time cyclist, hiker, golfer and plays some table tennis...ok, it's ping pong.

    Categories

    All
    April
    California Riding
    Grand Canyon Backpacking
    March
    The Characters

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.