Sharing a Story - Sort of Valkyrie Related

[carolinarider09]

For the last several weeks, I have been working on a story.  My intent was to share it here but I was wondering if there was a different way besides a forum or Facebook.

The Story was/is intended  (and there could be a second non motorcycle related story) to share my years (not that many, something like 15 or so years) of riding motorcycles. 

I have tried (just because it was part of what I liked to do) to document and maintain information about each of my rides (not day trips) since I got my 2003 Valkyrie in June of 2003. 

The intent was to do year by year trip summary, presented over a period of time.  It would not be a full year all at once, but a year and then the trips and pictures and vidoes would be displayed. 

Why I like places like "forums" is that the embedded pictures will be presented in fairly large size on forums like this.  If I did it on Facebook, they would be small images requiring a "click" to see the whole thing.  Not as much "presentation" in that method. 

Just a little while ago, I ran across a site called "Bluehost" (I think that is the name) that I apparently tired to use, at one time, to set up a website for retirees from the last place I worked.  I don't know what happened to that "plan" but the question them becomes is something like Bluehost a good way of sharing what I have mentioned above????

Oh and yes, if I did what I am thinking about above, I'd probably have to make a short post on Facebook and a forum like this just to let people know of the new information.

I thank you for reading this far and am open to any and all comments or suggestions. 

Jim

[Jess from VA]

Bill, I'd enjoy whatever you create, but it sounds like a lot of tedious work typing, spellchecking, adding pics, and trying to remember things in a chronology. 

Year long segments seems hard.

What I've seen you do before (I think), is posts about one ride (at a time). 

People might grow weary of a year long post.  One ride posts would be easier to do, and maybe easier to follow.

Unless you are thinking of trying to publish an actual book to be sold. 

But you should do what you want to do. 

[carolinarider09]

Thanks Jess, I appreciate the feedback. 

Part of the reason for doing this was to 'relive" the events.   And that did work.

[Jess from VA]

Bill, I'm also retired.

After a schooling and working life of high pressure and stress, I was glad to put that behind me.

But I get bored (easily) and crave physical activity (work, walking, riding), and other things to keep me busy and give me a sense of accomplishment and self worth. 

You seem to have similar motivations.  I think it's a good thing.   

[carolinarider09]

Since it is 2024 and my "Story" starts in February 2004, I figured I'd just do a "test" here and see how it looks. 

Between 2004 and 2013 I visited all 48 Continental US States and four Canadian Provinces.  All on two wheels.  While I did ride a shipmate’s motorcycle for about 50 feet when we were stationed at Pearl Harbor, I don’t count Hawaii as a “state traveled”.   Total miles traveled?  I don’t keep track. But, between the 2003 Valkyrie and the 2007 ST1300, I have about 200,000 miles total. 

The Start of my Adventure.

Key West - February - March 2004

My first real motorcycle trip was with a person I worked with and two riders that he knew.  We traveled from Irmo, SC to Key West, FL, February-March 2004  What a trip and it was an experience I shall never forget.   It was a 1,600 plus miles road trip.

Not just the ride, but the things we saw, the things we did, it was my first notion of what  an “adventure” on two wheels was like.  And while the stops were planned, it was “Freedom”.  We traveled as a group but were on our own on the bikes.  It was FREEDOM!  It was True Freedom.




In Key West we found the Hog’s Breath Salon.  Never heard of the place before but… it was there.



And we found the end of US 1.



The end of our trip.



And the Magellan GPS that kept us on “route”.

[bassman]

Lookin' good....m'be add some names to go with the faces?

[Timbo1]

Great idea to capture your experiences and share with others.  If it were me I'd create something like a PowerPoint presentation or Google Slides presentation and save it to my Google Drive or Onedrive where I could share it, edit it or replace it whenever I liked.  I'm sure Apple has free online storage to do the same but I don't know what it is called.  A few problems with something like this being on a forum is it gets mixed with other posters content, many forums your unable to edit a post after a certain period of time has lapsed and the images can go away if the image hosting site has issues or is decommissioned and the links become invalid.  I've seen that here on VRCC forum when Postimag was having problems, some images in posts would not display and instead show "Image Not Available" instead of the intended image.

[carolinarider09]

Great idea to capture your experiences and share with others.  If it were me I'd create something like a PowerPoint presentation or Google Slides presentation and save it to my Google Drive or Onedrive where I could share it, edit it or replace it whenever I liked.  I'm sure Apple has free online storage to do the same but I don't know what it is called.  A few problems with something like this being on a forum is it gets mixed with other posters content, many forums your unable to edit a post after a certain period of time has lapsed and the images can go away if the image hosting site has issues or is decommissioned and the links become invalid.  I've seen that here on VRCC forum when Postimag was having problems, some images in posts would not display and instead show "Image Not Available" instead of the intended image.

Yes, the issue with images going away (like on PostImages.com) is a major point.  I have all the images and videos stored, now, on my NAS. 

I was thinking, last week, about a how besides a forum and a webpage came back up I had sort of developed for the place I worked.  I intended to use it for Retirees but, they sort of shifted to Facebook.  It was not free but I told the group they could use the website and I'd pay for it until I could no longer do so.

The website was a possible idea.  It's storage on the "net" so it is accessible by anyone who has the "coordinates". 

Powerpoint is something I have (or had) used for years at work.  And I did embed pictures and sometimes videos.   I recently did a PowerPoint presentation for the church I am attending about astronomy.  They had a thing after a Sunday service of "Luke's Got Talent" (The Church was St. Lukes Lutheran).   it was, I think, initially centered on music (singing) and musical instruments.   When I asked about doing one on Amateur Astronomy and Mirror Making, the Pastor said ok.  I think the congregation, that attended, liked it.

So, PowerPoint is good option and it can be viewed by all.  On my Mac equipment the program like PowerPoint, is Keynote.   And anything you do in Keynote can be converted to PowerPoint (imagine that). 

So, thanks.   Your response puts me on track to try that.  Just a matter of doing it.  And it will be easily transferable. 

Again, thanks.

[carolinarider09]

So, I have gotten several suggestions.   I will probably try several.   I found the following:

sal;kfjsak;fdj;afl.blog
fsflfklakf-asjas;d.com  

I will have to do some more research.  The .blog is $23 a year and the .com is $13 a year.  

But it is sort of what I had in mind, like a place to go see.  

This is all new to me (website stuff) but...... The first thing I am going to do is to put the information into a PowerPoint (probably KeyNote) program.  

Oh, I forgot that I have to select a background and text color. 

[carolinarider09]

Ok.... Looking at formats (well its text color and background color).   Black on white is out.  But there are many choices so I have just looked at two.

They would be the background for pictures and text. 

Here the are.

I sort of like the second one but.... I have no idea what others think about looking at a presentation in blue.  It's sort of a "feel good" color.   But, I have no idea what others think.  Which is why I ask.

[carolinarider09]

Ok.. Here is a video of a draft of a "Keynote" presentation (Apple's answer to PowerPoint). 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/lfmkbhuhg47b9603o054x/Ride-History-2004.-2015.m4v?rlkey=txjtsz88afaokwe0byhtkvjfn&st=0sh3qns1&dl=0

[Timbo1]

The slideshow worked fine for me from your link.  Looked best in full screen IMO.   Can you overlay a transparency over the solid color background?  I think that would be more appealing.  For example if your talking about a certain year you had a certain bike,  If that bike was a transparency in the background of the text.

[carolinarider09]

The slideshow worked fine for me from your link.  Looked best in full screen IMO.   Can you overlay a transparency over the solid color background?  I think that would be more appealing.  For example if your talking about a certain year you had a certain bike,  If that bike was a transparency in the background of the text.

Thanks, excellent suggestion.  I had something in mind similar to that but not that exactly..  I shall see what can be done. 

[bassman]

FWIW.....I like the blue......

[carolinarider09]

FWIW.....I like the blue......

 

Still working on format and colors.

Only problem I have encountered so far is the "method of delivery".   If I use a movie, then the slides will play on a time line and that appears to be fixed at the beginning (same for all). 

If I used the presentation format then that would show each slide as you click it.

Come to think of it, that might work.   Will give it a try tonight. 

[carolinarider09]

Ok... what I did today was to finalize a format (at least for testing).   

The "Presentations" are all done in Keynote (Same as PowerPoint but for Apple products). 

I have converted them to movies to share here for "testing".  The slides have a 10 to 20 second delay to allow viewing of some of the views.   Just the only way except I could same them as PowerPoint and let people open them that way.  Have not tested that from my remote storage system on Dropbox.

So, if you would like to look and comment, I would love to hear you thoughts. 

The Beginning and the WHY

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kuhpry3e40icdo7xrtby9/Kenote-Presentation-Trial-Run-One-Intorduction.m4v?rlkey=4wtc0euc7yo8iobh6sdx3mium&st=26e1oyde&dl=0

Ride one 2004

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xxr859vm4aeoc89m8au1x/Kenote-Presentation-Trial-Run-One-Part-One.m4v?rlkey=110wf640ojhgn5j1crgvwtcag&st=wid501at&dl=0

Ride Two 2004

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tjbf79z540icxuqope5qa/Keynote-Presentation-Trial-Run-One-Part-Two.m4v?rlkey=9rm92mu6huas58hzg9ej2qzhq&st=xtxytwlt&dl=0

Ride Three 2004

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wvmbhjvrealeyjkf85vyl/Keynote-Presentation-Trial-Run-One-Part-Three.m4v?rlkey=wbtupytw3ep7ed83soigl74uh&st=nyvmxo4d&dl=0

[carolinarider09]

I have had fun (because it is a project I can complete) documenting some more rides. 

I have done then using the same process as above.  The files linked below are all videos that play the slides from the Keynote presentation every 20 seconds.  There are a couple of videos in some of the files so.... they play right away but then there is a 20 second pause.

So, just in case you are interested, here is Year Two

My first ride on 2005 was a group ride down to New Orleans in March.  It was a pretty fun ride.  No issues and we enjoyed the couple of days we spent there.

We did have a small issue on the ride down.  In all the rides I will post about here, I have been the "lead".    My rules of the road closely follow what the Motorcycle Safety Foundation expostulates.  One of the riders took exception and we had to stop and have a "discussion". 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xq8beyx61gzvjo1k843xu/Year-Two-Part-One-New-Orleans.m4v?rlkey=jdjo02qz1z30o9awsqx4a9r76&st=9glk5boe&dl=0

Second ride was a trip to Myrtle Beach to take part (well not really just be there) in Bike Week.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ztaxzvcyc1grhii6lg0wb/Year-Two-Part-Two-Bike-Week-Myrtle-Beach.m4v?rlkey=ehar99zayd4aah9h65nrkafe0&st=fzbyrzga&dl=0

Third ride was a ride to Fairmont, MN to take my wife to visit some family there.  I rode by solo on the way back home to SC.  It was a fairly nice rice, no issues and some nice scenery. But, no pictures. 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ewqf24ts8t8umss21qf0n/Year-Two-Part-Three-Fairmont-Minnesota.m4v?rlkey=zjnf6baqemu7b14en2umgetxd&st=8o4di49e&dl=0

The fourth ride in 2005 was a trip up the Blue Ridge Parkway and then back down the "Outer Banks".  We had a fun ride and the scenery was nice.  I sort of like ferry rides except for the time it takes.
 
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/r4546bd814guo326x9qz5/Year-Two-Part-Four-Mountains-to-the-Sea.m4v?rlkey=5s6bi6qk8b8la8avmnwyx0d2b&st=lnqondfo&dl=0