Blog how to?

[Pavel]

I am optimistically panning a bike tour for myself and my young daughter for this summer.  Time flies they say and all of a sudden after what felt like endless months of waiting and daydreaming I find myself in a panic, realizing that the date is less than a month away! I'm one who never like the idea of blogging, mostly I think because it seems onerous to HAVE to write, and I'm kind of a slacker, feeling best when no responsibility is glancing over my shoulder, but this kind of trip seems like it just may be worthwhile to get over my "old curmudgeon" ways and git with the times.

So now as I ponder the how's of blogging I am left with a few questions, but one in particular.  Is there a way to do an update, preferably from an iPhone (though we will likely bring the ipad along as well) where one can show the current location on a map.  You know, to be able to show a map of along with whatever words so as to keep a few (slightly anxious) family members apprized of where we are or to show where something like a photo is from?  I'd be gratefull for any advice and hope that there is some easy, semi-automatic way to do this kind of thing.  I've got a garmin 62s gps which will be responsible for making sure we don't wind up in Newfoundland instead of Texas by the end - if that helps with this sort of thing and I've settled on Wordpress as the Blogging platform.

Lastly, perhaps I can solicit a few opinions as to which domain sound like a best fit for this kind of bike journey.
So what domain would YOU chose from these three?

1:  www.Spoke-N.com (Bianca's current favorite I think)
2:  www.way-word-way.com (and I have waywardway.com and waywordway.com as redirects)
3:  www.way-word-wheel.com (similar re-directs)

So ... help me decide!  Perhaps an old grump can even change his blog'nways ...but mostly I hope she gets into it. 

[Danneaux]

Pavel,

Godspeed to you both on the trip; it will surely prove to generate memories for a lifetime for you and Bianca.

My vote goes for Option3: http://way-word-wheel.com/

(Good to see you've already reserved all three domains so there's no risk of losing one).

<nods> Yes, WordPress is the way to go for blogs. What I hate about blogs is the so often lack a comprehensive local search engine to relocate old posts.

I recall seeing a WordPress plug-in for GPS tracking. I'll go through my files and check, though someone else on the list will surely find it as well.

All the best; please keep in touch (the purpose of the blog, I know, but anyway).

Dan.

[jags]

how are you going to keep your ipad and iphone charged.

this sounds like a dinger of a tour enjoy every pedal stroke.

[JimK]

That site that AndrewC posted looks really nifty, though I don't know how it works...

http://trackmytour.com/4L0zB#121444

[Pavel]

Thanks.  I will look more into the plugins.

Jags, I don' know  about the iPad as it takes so much to charge, I think that trying to charge it from the dyno's may be futile.  I have the E-werk but no battery yet and I'm holding off buying it for another week or two just in case I sell the E-werk instead of putting it to use.  I simply don't like the way it attaches to the frame and then the battery that need the same.  It looks so ... un-Thorn like ... so inelegant. I do think the E-werk is the best quality device however ... so it is a tough choice. 

I have ordered the biologic ReCharge (which just arrived and hour ago) and the Biologic ReCharge Powerpack which I hope to get soon.  I want to test the Recharge battery pack with both the E-Werk and the Recharge transformer.  What I like about the powerpack is how it mounts on with the stretchy strap that is a part of it.  It is still inelegant but at least it is easily transportable between bikes.  I'm trying this out first before I decide about the E-Werk battery.  I also like the fact that it is a bit higher capacity at 1600mAh and that it has a button to start and stop the charging, but my favorite part is that besides being able to be charged via the dyno it can be unstraped and plugged into a wall outlet.  Nice!  Reputedly is is supposed to charge an iPhone three times so if all works as advertised the phone (Bianca's iPhone) will be kept going on it with the dyno doing the work most of the way.  But being able to plug it in and have it power the phone for three to five days ... that is very comforting.

I don't know if the ReCharge powerpack will be adequate for the iPad's needs ... but will let you all know how that goes.  Otherwise mains power will need to keep the iPad operational .. and I suspect that there will be stretches where we simply won't be able to use it.  That is something else I will report back on as I get some experience with the whole setup.

I am going to navigate via my Garmin 62s which takes regular AA batteries.  I really appreciate the use of AA versus proprietary packs. Bianca will have the phone of her handlebars as family can reach us that way.  The iPhone is far better in some ways than the Gps.  The iPhones maps are FAR better because you can get your bearings, I find, versus using my Garmin where the resolution is so poor that as you zoom out to see more, the minor roads disapear.  Zoom in to see them and if feels like navigating with a narrow flashlight beam in a dark cave.  Yeah, it is great when following a pre-programed trail but I would much rather do that with the phone as well ... if it were not that the iPhone's gps is so inferior to the marvelously sensitive one in the GPS.  There is a device (the name of which I forget) which looks like a small puck and which plugs into the iPhone giving the same GPS capabilities as the Garmins.  I won't have time to order that and incorporate it but if it works as it is supposed to I believe I will be using the iPhone only in the future (on the bike) and only use the garmin if I go hiking.  I personally feel that devices like the garmin will soon get fully suplanted by phone technology, but not for a while yet. 

So to sum up, we will be connected to the world by two bicycles, each with a dynamo, one with a phone powered by the Biologic Powerpack in tandem with the recharge transformer.  When we get near power it is nice to know that we can plug in (for three hours I believe for a full charge) and be good to go for at least three days, but likely four or five.  That is pretty nice!
My bike will have the Garmin and my phone will be off for emergency use.  The dyno will go through the E-Werk to some kind of battery which I have yet to decide on or perhaps I will go crazy and buy what I really like the idea of buying and that is the Tout-Terrain Plug 2 - and then again I'm with the dilemma as to which buffer battery to chose.   I wish I had gotten one of those Plug 2's in the first place - I think.  I don't need the super versatility of the E-Werk (I believe) and I really like the way it is buid into the fork.  Nice and clean.  It's too bad that Tout-terrain has not come up with an equally elegant small capacity battery which rests inside the fork.

I'm just glad that this is all so easy and straightforward!   
Perhaps being off the grid for nine weeks, completely, may not be such a bad idea! Cheaper, simpler and probably more of what the doctor ordered.  But I really don't want to wind up in Newfoundland and the Kid has friends who want to keep up with her adventuring.  After all ... if a tree bike crunches gravel in the forrest and nobody is there to blog it ... perhaps it never did happen.