Traveling Adventures Year End!
I don’t always do a roundup of year end stories. But with a year of COVID-19, I thought it would be interesting to see what stories caught my readers eyes! What subjects would be the big read? Would stories be destination based? Would they go more for travel advice? The results were interesting and show that readers were dreaming of travel and planning. They were filling up their calendars and making plans!
Top Five!
Hands down, the favorite blog was my 2021 Antique Tractor Calendar story. This story had over 7,000 reads this past year. This shows me that collectors were planning, hoping and scheming to attend the shows that took place! This year I have continued this tradition and created the 2022 Antique Tractor Calendar and hope that it brings lots of fun trips and stops!
The second top blog for 2021 was Kellys Island, Lake Erie Fun! This was a hosted trip I took in 2019, and one of my very favorites! I found that visiting the Great Lakes was like visiting the Ocean in the Midwest! What history and what beauty! The Great Lakes, and certainly Kellys Island offered a unique destination unlike anywhere else I have ever been!
Guest Post made the list
The 3rd top story was a guest post. I don’t often have guest posts on my blog, but this one was all about riding in comfort and it seems to have hit an information need. Practical Tips for Elevating Your Legs While Traveling. This same author also provided advice on improving posture in another rare guest post, Ways to improve your posture while traveling – Guest Post by Andrew Den – Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl.
The fourth story that caught the reader’s attention during 2021 was Buford Pusser’s Museum, A Legend, A law enforcement hero. This museum was one that I stopped at with my mom in Adamsville, Tennessee. The law enforcement officer that the movie Walking Tall was based on eventually lost his life in a car crash. While I had been skeptical of the stories at the museum they shared, “During his time as Sheriff, Buford Pusser jailed over 7,500 criminals, was stabbed seven times and shot eight times!”
This is a small museum, but it carries a lot of impact!
The fifth story is one suggested by my granddaughter. “You need to cover the top ten restaurants in Springfield,” she said. So, family and friends voted, and it has been a favorite this year! Most of the restaurants are locally owned which I love. In fact, there is really just one chain in the whole bunch!
Top stories 6-10
So, the top five covered where to find tractor shows, how to be comfortable traveling to them, legends on the road, and where to eat when in Springfield! What more will we find in the 2021 top ten? It seems that tractor thoughts led the field!
Number six was a visual feast for tractor collector’s eyes. With travel limited by the Pandemic, I put together a Visual Antique Lawn & Garden Tractor Show . Show after show on my 2021 calendar was being cancelled. So, this made the Visual show a hit. Being a country music fan, my favorite lawn and garden tractor to share was the one in the George Jones Museum in Nashville, TN!
The number seven story was one of invention, the Stuttgart Tractor, Remembering Innovation. The Stuttgart tractor, especially this one, built by the late Don Oliver was a one of a kind. I was honored to get the chance to see this Minneapolis Moline beauty!
Eight was Velie Plantation History lives on in Moline! The former Velie Plantation, home of Willard and Annie Velie is now a bank. Rather than raze this beautiful building that served as a restaurant for years, the bank is now using it as their home. Visitors (at least pre-COVID) could tour and see some of the former luxury connected with this John Deere history!
After Tractors, bring on art and dining!
Number nine was all about art in the south for the story Chasing Murals & Art in Decatur, Alabama. This hosted trip was a wonderful time in Decatur. I came to town to cover the many murals and other art options in this historic town. I saw historic homes, antique stores, diners, museums and more! Decatur has so many facets and most all relate to art in one way or another!
Last, but not least was the start of Marla & Cindy’s Review, Springfield Carriage Co. This was my first visit to this cool restaurant near Lincoln’s home in Springfield, Illinois. My longtime friend Marla took me there for a birthday dinner. We decided to start reviewing restaurants when the urge took us and this was our first. Readers enjoyed our take on this wonderful diner that I keep returning to again and again. We did a second review this fall of D.J.’s Cafe and plan to do more when the whim takes us!
What does this tell us?
So, the stories show that basically my readers like tractors, traveling to see them and eating along the way! We enjoy art, and history together and Andrew “Nick” Den hit the spot with his health blog! I hope that stories in 2022 find what you are looking for! If you have ideas that you want me to cover, please let me know. If you have not subscribed to Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl, what’s stopping you? I’d love to have you come along for the ride this year as I hit the backroads!
