DIRT ORCAS 2018 YEAR IN REVIEW
By Paul Strubell of Dirt Orcas – 12/28/18
We had a fantastic year of growth and experiences here at Dirt Orcas. I thought it would be appropriate to give thanks to all those who have helped make it a fabulous year and also recap some of the events that made this year so special.
In 2018, I saw our Instagram and Facebook Accounts nearly double in followers. I started a YouTube Channel. It sucks but it will get better. I started and then stopped a Dirt Orca’s podcast, but I think it will return in a similar style on the YouTube Channel in 2019.
Most importantly, this humble old cluster of pictures and words saw nearly 60,000 people lay their eye balls on our content this year. I’m really excited about that. Thank you to everybody who found their way to the site and I truly hope you enjoyed what you looked at.
Most Popular Posts in 2018
- I switched from a BMW R1200gs to an F800gs had more than 10,000 readers. It’s no surprise that my most read post this year was from the group of people interested in the BMW GS line up. Glad people are liking my opinions on the two industry staples.
- Our most viewed Wednesday Wanderlust post was the one from Costa Rica, which saw over 3700 page views.
- Out most viewed interview in 2018 was actually an interview with Jason Koertge from 2017 with more than 1500 views. Many of our older interviews have great shelf life after their publish date and are still regularly read and searched for. Jason’s success might have something to do with SwellRunners excellent YouTube Channel. He’s deservedly become quite popular in a short amount of time and a wonderful person of interest in the overlanding community. Our most viewed interview in 2018 was one of my personal favorites, Oliver Fenwick-Ross / @jennifervaniston which already had over 700 views in just a few weeks.
- My reviews for Giant Loop Tillamook Dry Bag have also already seen a lot of traffic, even though it has only been published few a week, it’s already on its way to being one of our top reviews.
I hosted the second annual Dirt Orcas Summer Classic this past June. I was very pleased with the turnout as we filled all 50 available spots. The ride was a lot of fun but also difficult at times this year due to all the rain. Out of 50 riders, only 12 people completed the entire route. Which took us a little over 5 hours. If you haven’t seen our recap video of the event, please check it out below.
We would also like to once again thank our generous partners and event sponsors for helping me make this event such a wonderful time. BMW Motorcycles of Iowa City, Giant Loop, The Warming Store, Backcountry Discovery Routes, and Jefferson County Ciderworks, I am so thankful and proud to work with each and everyone of you.
I will be organizing another Summer Classic this June so stay tuned for the announcement about the event date and line up of activities. Also, if you were one of the riders who attended this event this summer but did not complete the entire route, I would highly recommend coming back next year and just skipping the early part of the ride to focus on the second half. It’s the better section of the ride without a doubt.
As I look towards 2019, I can say that I am really excited about adding more great interviews and content to the site. I want to continue expanding the Dirt Orcas universes to other platforms, specifically growing the YouTube page and offer more video related content, but also to branch into a merchandising sector. creating original designs and Dirt Orcas items.
Additionally, I have spent the last two years sharing the stories of others and squeezing in time on my own to travel and subsequently tell my own stories. For 2019, I plan to make a greater effort to meet up with travelers in person. This will accomplish two things. I think the community aspect of Dirt Orcas will expand exponentially by actually seeing people in person and sharing in the experiences. Secondly, by default this means I get to spend more times adventure motorcycling and overlanding.
I already have some excellent plans setting up for the winter and spring.
Looking forward to catching you on the trails.
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