This is one of my favorite posts to do each year. It is so fun for me to look back over my articles and see what was popular and resonated with my readers during the year. It gives me food for thought about what to include as future posts.

2018 was a year of huge changes for me. The first few months of the year, things went on pretty much as usual. I visited lots of places in Gold Country to find the gems to share with you on the blog. Then, somewhere around May, some events got put into motion and I decided to start a whole new chapter in my life. I wrote all about it in post #7 below.

Top Ten Most Viewed Posts of 2018

#10 – Am I Too Old to Start Traveling the Country in an RV? – Published July 16, 2018

I had to wait until the very last day to compile the statistics for this post because three articles were battling it out for 10th place. This post ended up with just one more view than the 11th place article and 3 more than the 12th place post.

I wrote this post on my birthday while I was looking out my window at my new trailer. I had begun the process of downsizing and I was wondering if I had lost my mind.

#9 – The Murals of Downtown Harlingen – Published January 27, 2017

Since my new home base is just a few miles from Harlingen, I was very pleased to see this post move into the top ten most viewed. I went downtown recently and took a few photos of the murals I missed when I was here visiting and wrote this post in 2017.

#8 – Oldest Documented Old Vine Zinfandel Vineyard in the Americas – Published January 20, 2018

It was great to see that, finally, one of my wine posts made it into the top 10. I became quite a Zinfandel fan after moving to Gold Country and I felt really honored to be able to walk in this vineyard and sample some amazing Old Vine Zins.

#7 – Gold Country Cowgirl is Hitting the Trail! – Published July 10, 2018

How fun and exciting to see that the post I wrote about my life-changing decision to move and potentially become a full time RVer made it into the top ten — and after such a short time on the blog.

#6 – A Newbie’s List of RV Must Haves – Published July 21, 2018

Downsizing to get ready to move was a monumental chore! I try not to think about all the things I donated and threw away. During the process, I evaluated the things I had, to decide what I might really need. I gave special consideration to things that could serve more than one purpose.

#5 – Mushroom Farm Tour — Dragon Gourmet Mushrooms – Published June 27, 2017

This post moved up to number 5 this year from number 10 last year. Touring this mushroom farm was an extremely fun and educational experience. Mushrooms are amazing things.

#4 – Downtown Murphys — More than Wine Tasting – Published February 6, 2018

Murphys is a wonderful place to visit in Calaveras County. It has shops of all kinds, a museum, and yes, wine tasting. I think my favorite memory from my visit to Murphys was olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting. I love balsamic vinegar but when I learned about affogatos with espresso balsamic, well…

#3 – Amtrak from Sacramento to San Francisco – Published January 23, 2018

In case you don’t know this yet, I LOVE trains. I was so excited when I learned you could take the train from Sacramento to San Francisco. Apparently, other people like the idea, too!

#2 – Don’t Throw Out Your Sourdough Starter – Dutch Baby Pancakes – Published November 7, 2016

Once again, this post about sourdough and Dutch baby pancakes comes in #2. I made and ate a lot of pancakes researching this post and perfecting the recipe. I never did get them to puff up a lot (I envision them looking like Yorkshire pudding) but I like them the way they always come out for me.

#1 – Kodiak Canvas Truck Tent Review – Published September 5, 2016

Well, here it is again. This review of the Kodiak Canvas Truck Tent is my most viewed post for the year. It is still also my most viewed post of all time and, unless a post goes truly viral, I don’t think one will ever catch up with it. It will be so interesting to see if it is #1 again next year!

As you can tell, there are lots of changes in store for the blog. I am no longer writing just about Gold Country and I’m excited about the expansion of the scope of the blog, especially the RV aspect. Although I will be stationary at my new home base for a few weeks, I’m already planning a couple of long RV trips for 2019. Come along with me while I discover new states and a new lifestyle!