Following Jupiter

Pre-post Note:  Gray and Susan are alive, well, and blogging!  They've put a couple of posts up recently, so if you haven't checked in since last Tuesday be sure to scroll down and check out the new content!  Now, on with the show...

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I've decided to try something a little different today: a book review!  Don't worry though, I'm not straying too far from the path here as this is, in fact, a book about travel.

I just recently finished reading Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon, and will give you a quick summary.  The esteemed Mr. Simon set out in 1973 to travel around the world on a motorcycle.  He accomplished this feat on a 500cc Triumph Tiger 100, travelling approximately 103,000km over the course of four years, and detailed the adventure in the aforementioned book.  The route started in London, passed quickly south through France and Italy (familiar territory for Simon) and made the jump into Tunisia.  From there he travelled East along Northern Africa, and then South along the East coast.  When he got to South Africa he got a ship to Brazil and travelled South then North covering a huge amount of South America before heading through Central America and into the United States.  He caught another ship in California to Australia, did a tour of duty there, and then proceeded to hop through Malaysia and into India.  From there it was a straight shot through the Middle East and back in to Europe.  Quite the adventure!

The fascination with this story for me runs very deep, and goes far beyond the simple love of travel and motorcycles.  It's true that I've had a growing desire to get a bigger bike (something I'm actively working on still) and attempt some long-distance travel via motorcycle, and I've got a lot of inspiration just from the logistics of Simon's epic voyage.  Taking the motorcycle out of the equation though, I still find the concept of global travel thrilling, and more than a little intimidating.  It's an amazing thing to be able to walk away from everything and just wander the earth, and I've wondered for a very long time if I could ever have it in me to accomplish a similar task.  Sadly, Jupiter's Travels has failed to answer that question for me.  While there are some hints there about the methods of getting around the world with very limited support and resources, ultimately it's something that still eludes me.  I think I'm starting to understand that such a trip, with all it's limitations also requires a limitation on planning.  I'd always tried to piece together how you can plan things like food and accomodation so far in advance... and you can't.  It just can't be done, and that's the trick.  More than anything else I think that's the hard part of a truly epic adventure - letting go of the plan.  I like to have everything figured out before I go somewhere.  I REALLY like it.  EVERYTHING.  I think that's been my greatest barrier to the concept of true adventure, why the "how" of it has always eluded me.  Even with that revelation it still seems like a slightly alien concept.  I've been trying to divine the key skills that make up the global traveller; what must a man learn in order to successfully make his way around the world?  I'm beginning to wonder if the sole ingredient here is courage.  Perhaps that's all there is to it.  Just jump in with both feet, and once you're on the road the will to survive will keep you going.

Another area of great interest to me in Jupiter's Travels was looking at the book as the work of a fellow travel writer.  I actually had a difficult time writing that last statement... it seems just a bit pompous to suggest that I am in some way the peer of Ted Simon, Patron Saint of Insane Motorcyclists, but a boy can dream.  What really caught my attention as I read Simon's accountings of his journey was the honesty, and it took me awhile to realize it for what it was.  He was not in any way shy about detailing incidences where he was foolish or rude, and made no qualms about describing how despondant he could get at various points along the road.  Just as easily as he would describe a great kindness from one person he would detail the horrible, unjust thoughts he'd have about another just because he was in a black mood.  At first I looked down my nose at this sort of behaviour, as if by writing it about The Hero of the Story he was in some way justifying his thoughts and actions.  It took me awhile to realize that he was just being perfectly honest about the state of mind he was in at any moment in time.  He managed to rise above the temptation to write himself as the Legendary Hero and just showed himself as he was on the journey - the good and the bad.  I've been in some truly remarkable places, been surrounded by calm and beauty and been unable to enjoy it because of some deep shadow over my thoughts that just made me want to go home, sleep in my own bed, and play on my computer.  If nothing else it was very uplifting to know that even one of this world's great adventurers has experienced this same feeling, and is equally as baffled by the experience as I am.

So, as a complete work I found Jupiter's Travels to be quite engaging.  It spoke to me as a traveller, a writer, and a motorcyclist.  If you put yourself in any of those categories I'm sure you'd get a lot of enjoyment out of reading Simon's works.  Little snippets from the book, as well as notes on his more recent journey can be found on Ted Simon's personal page:  http://www.jupitalia.com/default.html

I found it interesting that the entire trip around the world was accomplished on a 500cc bike since that's actually what I've been looking at upgrading to.  I'm currently balancing out the pros and cons of the Kawasaki Ninja 500, and the Suzuki GS500F right now.  Not that I wouldn't mind following in Ted Simon's footsteps and getting a Triumph!

My consumption of media in the Motorcycle Adventure genre has continued since then as I've started watching Long Way Round, a TV show inspired by Jupiter's Travels.  In it actors Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor travel from London to New York on motorcycles.  So far I'm really enjoying it.  Between Jupiter's Travels and Long Way Round I'm absolutely DYING for a road trip right now!

So, that's all for now everyone.  I've read something that's captivated my mind, made me realize areas where I need to grow as a traveller and a writer, made me question my mettle, and ultimately left me inspired.  I hope you all have a lovely week, and again I encourage you to check back regularly for updates from Graydyn and Susan, and don't forget to go read their earlier posts and give them your support on their great adventure!  As for me, I'll see you all next Tuesday!