Trip Journal

Don Stauffer

Comments and recollections from the day's journey. Interesting sights, great roads, bad roads, pleasant stops. My wife and I try to collect our thoughts (over a pint) and make some notes. Often we do this on paper.

The feature would need to work without an internet connection (!), so this may not be a good candidate for MRA.

Rob Verhoeff

@Don-Stauffer If I understand you correctly, you want to create some sort of daily report and link it directly to the route? This is already possible offline, though somewhat limited. If you open the route in the route planner, you can add some text to the route information. I would do that during my trip on my laptop, which I always have with me anyway. That could be done in some type of word processor. You might have a tablet with you, or perhaps even a laptop? Then I would make my notes on that. Once you're back home after your trip, you can edit the route again and add all that information. You'll have a nice travel document.

Don Stauffer

@Rob-Verhoeff That's a great suggestion, Rob. We do carry a laptop (tried a tablet just once) for re-routing on long trips. I'll look more closely at using the Route-Information features, I admit that this is an area that I've not much used.

Would it work off-line?

Rob Verhoeff

@Don-Stauffer It works. I just tried it. But is it usable? I don’t think so. You have a small text field where scrolling is either impossible or very difficult. I would do it on a laptop. A word processor always works offline. And at home – enjoying a glass of wine – you can add the interesting details along the route. I just have no idea how much text fits into that field.

Con Hennekens

@Don-Stauffer, create an online journal or blog, and paste the the link to the article in the route information field. This way you can always tap the link and the journal opens.

Another option, completely within the MRA framework, is putting your routes in an event. You can add messages and tracklogs there.

Don Stauffer

@Rob-Verhoeff Thanks for checking into that Rob. My initial impression of using the Trip Info field were similar to yours. The problem with an older couple on a multi-day tour is that by the time we're home, we don't remember the details. A lot of conversations start out "remember that place with the nice pub and the friendly locals...?"

After a 30 day cross-country trip in 2022, I created a spreadsheet of each day's start and end points, reconstructed from my MRA daily routes. I've referred to it many times.

The word processor file is a good idea. We have used Trello for a multi-day note keeping app, it syncs when it can. Or we continue with the paper books, it's kind of fun to set aside the electronics once in a while.

Don Stauffer

@Con-Hennekens Many thanks! 'Events' is another MRA feature that I've not used. I always thought of this as an area for info sharing with multiple riders.

The ability to add routes and notes is useful, even for solo events. The single line message interface would be a bit difficult. Here is a typical note from a trip last year:

Tuesday - Hot ride 90+. Detour on State Rd north of Owosso, looked like a good alternative. Look for N/S length on that. Dinner with Chuck and Dave, nice time with burgers and cheesy potatoes. Easy day ride, less than 4 hrs. Breakfast with Dave Wed AM,

Wed - rain started almost immediately. Missed the worst of it. Route north from sugar springs was good, round lake rd, F97? Staying east kept us out of Cheboygan and Petoskey, and the heaviest rain as well. Took Wolverine Rd west out of Wolverine, great windy road with elevation changes. Would be a pretty fall ride. Too early for much color. Drinks at the new Petoskey brew pub in Cross Village, dinner at Legs Inn. Great desert, a fine time overall. Hot water in the shower was just a dribble.

Rob Verhoeff

@Con-Hennekens said in Trip Journal:

Another option, completely within the MRA framework, is putting your routes in an event. You can add messages and tracklogs there.

Your option requires an active internet connection. I was more focused on the initial question of doing it without that connection. And then you really find yourself at a disadvantage in our online world. It's almost impossible to imagine being without it. In that sense, a paper notebook is quite a romantic idea...

Don Stauffer

@Rob-Verhoeff It is a nostalgic rush to pull out an old notebook. I just pulled out a journal that I wrote regarding my first trip to Europe on my R90 back in gulp 1986. It was fun to see what Young Me had to say about that epic journey.

Rob Verhoeff

@Don-Stauffer I had just started my "motorcycle career" back then, beginning with the Jawa 350 two-stroke. Shortly after that came the BMW R65. That was ages ago

Don Stauffer

@Rob-Verhoeff The R90 was my first street bike, after years of riding off-road, I could not resist the BMW. I'm happy to still be riding, and I'm sure that you are as well!

Vincent Curren

A somewhat different approach which works well for me:

I use Evernote for this kind of thing. Free alternatives are also available like Apple Notes and Google Keep.

On vacations (as distinct from shorter local rides) I save the route link in an Evernote note as well. I can then put comments about the route, pictures from the route, and other random notes in the same note. It is all completely searchable and accessible online or offline.

I believe Google Keep and Apple Notes have similar capabilities.

Vinnie

Don Stauffer

@Vincent-Curren Very similar to my work in Trello. I did use Evernote for a while, but the free version included a lot of nagging to upgrade.

Trello has proven to be a pretty versatile tool. Here is some of the planning for last year's 10 day trip. 'Points of interest' is a list of interesting roads, as well as possible motels and restaurants, This is an area that I could see being integrated into MRA.

'Notes' is the trip journal, daily notes on our experiences.

Vincent Curren

Yes, I wouldn't recommend using the free version of Evernote other than as a trial. As a semi-retired person, I have a part-time solo consulting practice, so it's worth it for me to pay for Evernote and invest the time in figuring out how to use it effectively.

I have heard very good things about Trello, too.

And if anyone has an Office 365 subscription, One Note might be a useful option.

I think the general message is that a note capturing program can allow someone to capture all kinds of information about a trip in one place -- brainstorming, planning, execution (routes, reservations, etc), and memories all in one place, which is really, really good.

Vinnie

Don Stauffer

@Vincent-Curren I agree with all of that, Vincent. I considered One Note, but I may someday abandon the Office 365 model. I use Trello for so many tasks, I would consider paying for it. I'm retired with a side hustle, and Trello lets me track all of my personal projects as well as travel planning.

I do have a suggestion being reviewed to incorporate more trip planning features into the MRA Route Planner. The more info that I can have in one place, the easier it gets.

Con Hennekens

@Rob-Verhoeff said in Trip Journal:

Your option requires an active internet connection. I was more focused on the initial question of doing it without that connection.

True, but most people write journals at day's end before they go to sleep I think