One Woman, Many Bicycles: 2011 Year in Review

The other day WordPress sent me an annual report for this blog with statistics for 2011. The infographic showed I wrote 121 blog entries, uploaded 1004 photos and that the blog was viewed 5,800 times–the number of people it takes to fill 5 New York subways. That’s a lot!

Thank you to all my readers, especially from Facebook (the top referring site), and to Dan and Cara for listing me on their blogs. And thanks to Lorri, Brian, Cindy, Katie and Rachel, my top commenters. The report also listed the top five posts of 2011. These rated highest because you all shared them with your friends.

1 Making the Grade the Low-Key Way Coordinating a hill climbing “race” with over 100 riders.
2 Wheels of Change at Public Bikes A book signing about the long love affair between women and bicycles.
3 Where Buena Vista Doesn’t Mean Good View When hill residents demand a stop sign, I investigate.
4 On Pumpkins and Other Weighty Matters A dirt ride to the coast to pick up Halloween pumpkins.
5 Blazing Trails at Water Dog We dig, pick, rake and drill to create a new hiking and biking trail.

Not all posts got this sort of attention, however, including some that I think are among my best, but didn’t get a lot of traffic. So, in the tradition of end-of-year reviews, here are my top five posts you might have missed, one for each month I’ve been blogging.

#5: Picnic in the Garden

Dick and I pedaled off to a park for a picnic for a bike date on one of the last warm evenings of summer. The gardens were still in bloom and pleasantly private for an intimate dinner for two. Read post >>

#4: Amsterdam After Dark

A very different bike date in Amsterdam uses photos more than words to tell the story of a night ride to a walking district with a wide range of dining choices. Read post >>

#3: Cycling from Eight to Eighty

My mom and dad are over 80 years old and are still riding strong. They really impressed me with their riding skills on our family vacation in Florida last summer. Dad even rode some dirt trails in flip-flops. Read post >>

#2: Guilty Pleasures in Paris

Dick suffered through travel delays while I lived the good life waiting for him in gay Paris. Gourmet dining for me, airport food for him. Riding around the city for me, waiting at the airport for him. Poor Dick. Read post >>

#1: On Tradition: Foot Guards, Ghosts and the Queen

In London, we tracked down a pub with a colorful history including a murdered foot guard that still makes his presence known. Oh, and we visited the queen at Buckingham palace. Read post >>

Thank you to all my readers for keeping me going. It’s not always easy to sit down, compose my thoughts and write about my adventures. It’s knowing that you all are reading that keeps me writing. And special thanks to my dear husband Dick who proofreads almost all of my posts. If there’s a grammatical error, misspelling or typo, you can be sure Dick wasn’t involved.

Thank you again all for your support and a happy New Year to all!