A Special Blog

Editor’s note: Each month, the CCW blog features one of our members. This month, Edward Valaer Jr. reflects on vacation blogging.

by Edward Valaer Jr.

June 2010 found me in an RV tooling around the United States. I crossed the entire country, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Along the way, I utilized what I’d learned in a CCW writers meeting and started a blog of my journey. I created a Wordpress account to start my blog the day before our departure. Soon, “Motoring the USA with Ed” was up and running. I easily wrote and uploaded my posts, which totaled 28 during my 19-day journey.

I also included photos on my blog taken with my Canon Powershot SD 1300IS Digital Elph. On the road, having Wi-Fi was critical since we were housed inside a 40-foot Winnebago. Each day found us at a new location doing many new things, which fed my ideas for posts.

We had taken along a dog named Lulu and a guinea pig named Cookie. I wrote about these animals in my blog as well. Many who travel in an RV take along pets, since they do not have to be crated like pets on air planes. Some of the entries turned out humorous but others were very thought-provoking.

When I was finished, I was very pleased that the journey included a great variety of activities and people. Upon my return, I swapped out some of the photos, and found Wordpress easily allowed me that freedom.

I read On the Road by Jack Kerouac but realized that was not the way I wanted to see the USA. Instead we took our time as we proceeded through many states. People were very friendly along the way.

I recommend blogging because it is so easy to do. You can allow viewers to comment on your blog, which may spark you to additional postings. This undertaking is cementing a journey and special events—something which may never be repeated.

My blog at http://epvalaerjr.wordpress.com has received more than 1,500 visits and comments from writing friends. Several CCW members gave me some editing tips to make it even better.

If you want to embark on your own blog about a journey, I recommend preparing a general outline before you take the trip. Be careful what you share, since the Internet is generous to all. Once I reached 1,000 hits, Wordpress asked me if I would like to make it public. I decided not to go public because my travel mate was a very private person.

Creating a blog is a lot of work and you have to supply a timetable so folks can go to the documents and find new postings. I am so glad that I created my Travel Blog and encourage others to roll up their sleeves and get started. I captured a 3,000 mile journey, a moment in time and one never to be forgotten.