Changes are coming to SIX SPEED BLOG
In a recent meeting with a few select automakers in attempt to obtain more media content for my website, I learned what it is they are actually expecting verses what I am providing.
You see, SSB’s main focus for the last few years has been review content strictly on the vehicles at hand. However, what I learned is that I’m fighting an uphill battle with hundreds if not thousands of other bloggers providing the same content. What automakers are looking for out of us “bloggers” is not always a “this car is good, this car is bad” kind of review, but how the car performs in OUR lifestyle. Let the blog be about us, and us incorporating the car into our world.
Now, the truth is, SSB is ran solely by just me, James. I write the reviews and do the photography myself. And… my life isn’t exactly what I’d call, entertaining – in a sense that it’s not really blog worthy anyways. However, I am an avid road tripper. I love to travel, see new things – which I’ve never really expressed on here. Sometimes I travel alone, but mostly I travel with a group of friends… you’ve probably seen them on here from time to time: Tyson from Drive to Five and Jason with Driven for Drives, along with a few other road trip warriors that enjoy a good adventure as much as I do.
As I ease into this transition, my goal here is to still provide review content while showing you, the reader, where I’ve gone and the adventures I’ve pursued. Now, not every car gets a trip, after all it is expensive – but I’ll do my best to keep you entertained. This will be quite a change of pace for me. But we’ll see where it goes and how successful it turns out.
So to give you an idea of what to expect, I figured my next adventure would be perfect to show you what I’m on about.
After traveling great extents in a 2015 Toyota Highlander Hybrid to Lancaster, California to drive 1 out of 5 musical roads in the world, I set out to go for the 2nd one, which happens to only be a few hundred miles away in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Along the way, I had planned a few pit stops to meet up with some old friends and check out a few of the Breaking Bad filming locations, since I was a fan after all.
My travels to Albuquerque was roughly 1100 round trip – with a stop in Farmington, just a couple hundred miles north of ABQ. It didn’t take long for me to catch some snow in Payson, which was a nice site but only lasted about 20 miles.
Farmington was just a quick pit stop for me and after spending a few hours catching up and reliving old memories with a friend from high school, I headed southeast to Tijeras, NM in search of the musical road. It was roughly a 4 hour drive from Farmington but traffic was clear and the Police seemed out of sight. The Musical Road is a bit cheesy, but it’s a neat idea and provides some interesting entertainment – this one was “America, The Beautiful”.
One my way back to Albuquerque, I swung by a couple Breaking Bad sites, having been a fan of the show I thought it would be rather cool to check them out – Walter Whites House for instance and the A1 Carwash – which they didn’t do that great of a job cleaning my car.
I did however, catch up with another long lost friend of mine and to my surprise she took me on this really neat adventure to the Acoma Sky City in Acoma Pueblo. It’s a very interesting village that sits on top of a Mesa that’s been there since the early 1600’s – tours are open to the public and it’s definitely worth a detour off the freeway for a couple hours of history.
In retrospect the trip was pointless – who travels 1100 miles to drive a stupid road and visit an old house seen in a TV show. But that’s what I do… I find things to go do and see, no matter how crazy and out of this world they are. This is my world. Let’s see where this road takes me.
SIX SPEED BLOG 
Your blogs are well written and interesting – a change is as good as a rest but do not throw out the baby with the bath water (too much)! Will admit for me, a lot depends on the car being reviewed, if I am interested I read, if not I skip – same when I read say C/D, I skip reviews on cars that are not of interest. I think if I could give a tip, it would be to do something different apart from a car review now and then, e.g. talk about say the best ventillated seats (or something equally off the wall). Keep up the great work – wish I had the skills and connections to be a car reviewer!
Thanks for your comment Mark. Yeah my focus will still primarily be car reviews, as you’ll see with Wednesday’s post. But I will just expressed a little more of some of the places I go.
That is a good suggestion, I should conduct a write up on who has the loudest blinker indicator (Subaru) and who has the best cup holder design (certainly not the Lexus IS). GM hands down though has the best ventilated seats I’ve seen. 😉
Good to hear about road trips and also how good cars are for road trips. Many thanks for the ventilated seat tip – living in central coast Cali, ventilated seats was never really an issue until this last summer. When I saw colleagues with ventilated seats, I was jealous – that is on my check list for the next car 😉
Funny you mention cup holder design, but it is something many of the vlogger reviewers go into detail on. Will admit, was not until I came to the US back in 1999 and became addicted to Dunkin Donuts that I realized how important cup holders are (what was Mazda thinking with the last Miata :), joking of course!).
Sounds like some fun changes on the way for SSB! I’m still jealous you “had an A1 day” in ABQ. Just waking up here in Vegas. Gotta get the show on the road soon. Hope work is going well. Neener neener.
Another time, we’ll make a trip out… maybe for the International Hot Air Balloon Festival. No need to brag about your work schedule this week, I’m already envious. 🙂