best ever motorcycle adventure book: Jupiter's Travels

[lucydad2]

All,

This:

http://jupitalia.com/jupiters-shop/jupiters-travels/

My good friend and motorcycle riding buddy Mitch left it for me at the cabin.  Been reading it off and on.  Spectacular adventure, tale and superb, and I mean really rare high quality writing.  Gets deep into the emotions of travel, the unknown, fear, synchronicity, even Jung.  The North African portion (Tunisia-Libya-Egypt) describe places, and cultures I have personally experienced.  Ted Simon, the author describes his journey south from Egypt all the way to Cape Town.  I used to look south, with my feet on North African soil, wondering what else was out there.  He tells the tale.

Goes well with an Ardbeg single malt and listening to Miles Davis.   Astonishing to read about Simon's experiences.  Done some of that African adventure myself.  Things always seem to work out.  But, it takes patience.  I think politics have changed a lot since his travels.  Inspiring.
Six stars.

V7R will get a nice long run tomorrow.  Simon makes me wonder why I self-limit so much.  Maybe the book came to me for a reason.  Been working on that.

[elvisboy77]

Thanks for the reference, downloaded and will read soon !

[oldbike54]

 One Man Caravan . Robert Edison Fulton .

 Dusty

[PJPR01]

http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=81000.0

One of a few threads on here with good suggestions...

Ted Simon showed up at Overland Expo last year...very jovial fellow, gave a great presentation with slides and anecdotes...fun to see in person...

He may show up to the next one next year I hope...

[Lannis]

"Around the World on a Bicycle" by Fred Agnew Birchmore, "Lois on the Loose" by Lois Pryce,  "Gasoline Gypsy" by Peggy Thomas, "Riding the Edge" by Dave Barr, and "One Man Caravan" by Fulton are far and away my favorite two-wheel travel stories, I've worn those books out.

I had Ted Simon's book once but could never get into it.   He got way too zenny and spiritual-like for me, I couldn't follow him.   Great job getting around the world on a 500 Triumph Twin though.   I passed the book on to someone else.

Lannis

[oldbike54]

 Simon recreated his original trip in 2007 on an airhead GS BMW . The offshoot was a book called Dreaming of Jupiter . The most interesting revelation from "Dreaming" was when he would roll into remote villages visited in the early 1970's some 30 years on , and locals remembered him , and wondered where the hell he had been . "Ted , we have been waiting on your return , where have you been?"

 Dusty

[leafman60]

Years ago I met Ted at a national BMW rally and we hung out together for a while. Very nice guy but he was struggling in many ways. His journey through life was as much a challenge as his motorcycle trips.

[drlapo]

I met Ted at a triumph rally and have a signed copy of his book.

I'm going to read it again

[Britcheflee]

Read this when I was at school years ago - just loved it - if I remember correctly he hid a handgun in the bike somewhere and after his travels the bike was stolen - eventually he got the bike back with the gun still hidden in it (in the sump?) - however, has been so long ago I think Im going to read it again.

I also remember reading something about a guy who rode a Triumph Tiger cub from England to S Africa - years later when I was in the British Embassy in Cairo he was re-tracing his trip with his son on two Tiger Cubs
Lee

[johnr]

Simon makes me wonder why I self-limit so much.  Maybe the book came to me for a reason.  Been working on that.

"Man is the master of limitation"  Basha

[ohiorider]

I met Ted at a triumph rally and have a signed copy of his book.

I'm going to read it again

Picked up a copy at Mid Ohio several years ago.  Ted signed it at his booth.

[Texas Turnip]

"Blue Highways". My style of riding then and still is.

Tex

[Fuzzy]

It is also a great listen. I "read" it as an audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed it. The inspiration for Long Way Round, which is also tons of fun.
Blue Highways has been on my reading list forever. Got to get to it..soon

[Lannis]

Read this when I was at school years ago - just loved it - if I remember correctly he hid a handgun in the bike somewhere and after his travels the bike was stolen - eventually he got the bike back with the gun still hidden in it (in the sump?) -

Ted Simon wouldn't have carried a gun just on general principles.   Robert Fulton did, though, between the skid plate and engine of his Douglas ...

Lannis

[pebra]

I'm not disparaging other books and adventures, but I'd like to mention the books of the Danish adventurers Hjalte Tin and Nina Rasmussen.
They travelled from Los Angeles to Peru and across the Andes to Rio in the early eighties  -  on motorbikes. Their two children were mere toddlers and had to be strapped in front of the rider.
On one of their later adventures they rode from Cape Town to Cairo, by then the eldest kid would ride his own bike.
Very bold, and great adventures. They made other great journeys, too, among them on motorbikes with kids through the Soviet Union and the far East.
Great reads. Some of their books have been translated to German, but I don't think any have been translated to English.

[maquette]

I always liked Danny Liska's "Two Wheels to Adventure" and Helge Pedersen's  "10 Years on Two Wheels". Like Lannis, I never could connect with Simon, but I struggled through most of his book.

[JJ]

"Jupiter's Travels" - one of the the best!! :1: - - and imagine he did that for >4 years on a 500cc Triumph!!   

[ScepticalScotty]

"Jupiters Travels" was an inspiration to me, and nowadays I buy motorcycle travel books wherever I find them. I have a good little collection now. Very much like the humour of Lois Pryce, and her 2 books I have are excellent and sort of the opposite of LWR (which is fine in its own way).

[jbell]

Met Ted 20 or so years ago at a very small rally here in Texas.  What a surprise to see him there.  Super nice guy.  Good to read that he is still on the circuit and still the jovial and amiable fellow.

[PJPR01]

"Jupiters Travels" was an inspiration to me, and nowadays I buy motorcycle travel books wherever I find them. I have a good little collection now. Very much like the humour of Lois Pryce, and her 2 books I have are excellent and sort of the opposite of LWR (which is fine in its own way).

If you like Lois, you'll probably enjoy Austin Vince as well (her husband the last time I checked, he of Mondo Enduro and other films).  Both of them have made delightful appearances at Overland Expo as well in the past, with Austin hosting for a couple of years the Adventure Film Festival at the Expo.  Fun, humorous, engaging the both of them indeed! 

I think if my memory serves me correctly that Charley Boorman (?) was there one year, lots of folks from ADV Rider also show up, from the 1st Expo back in 2009 in Prescott down to south of Tucson in Amado and then for the last several years at Mormon Lake south of Flagstaff.  The first one had hardly any motorcyclists to this year's with literally 100's of them, it truly has grown nicely. 

Highly recommend making it out to one of them either in Flagstaff, Arizona for Overland Expo West or now (2 years running) at the Biltmore estate in Asheville, North Carolina for Overland Expo East.

Lots of great people, interesting and some very original vehicles, motorcycles, gadgets, books, movies...super vibe for the whole weekend...and always with some unexpected surprises and weather occasionally.  Last year, we left Scottsdale on a beautiful sunny day, and by the time we had hit the altitude for Sedona and veered off towards Mormon Lake via the fireroads, it was snowing!

[ScepticalScotty]

Ah yes I've met Austin and I have the Mondo Enduro book which aint bad in its own way. Also met Sam Manicom who is an interesting fellow and Julia & Kevin Sanders. And a hell of a fine writer named Peter Henshaw....

Making it to Austin could be tricky though.....from Devon United Kingdom its a long way.