Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon

I finished reading this book almost two months ago, and I am still heartbroken that it's over. I keep it on the edge of my bookshelf, so I can reach out and flip through it when I'm lonely for it.

I started reading Jupiter's Travel book in December of last year. I wish I could tell you a magical story of how the book came to me, but I genuinely think I just saw it on Thriftbooks and said, "Yes, please."

Since acquiring this book, I've learned it is a magical relic: a magic carpet for some and a crystal ball for others. Anyone who rides a motorcycle, really rides a motorcycle, has read or at the very least has heard of it.

I'm not a motorcycle person. I may be becoming one.

Since reading this book, I've narrowed my motorcycle of choice to two models, quoted private driving lessons, and sought out the perfect rain gear for a woman of my height and size. I've saved a helmet in a shopping cart, researched protective gear, and asked the internet on more than one occasion which countries are safest for women to travel through alone by motorcycle.

One could say the book worked on me, too.

At times, the text was alarmingly dry; at others, surprisingly spiritual.

When we begin our travels with Simon, he’s a motorcycle novice. We’re with him as he learns to repair his own bike with what are, most of the time, the wrong tools. He questions his heart, his sexuality, his personality, and his purpose.

Something I found remarkable about this book and Simon’s experience is that he took off on this journey in his early 40s. When you think of someone adventuring around the world by motorcycle, your mind goes to someone in their early 20s. Knowing this made all the self-realizations he shared much more meaningful to me as a reader in my mid-forties. There is so much more to know about yourself, even after 40 years of life.

I'm sad that I’ll never get to read this for the first time again, but I’m excited to travel with Jupiter again.

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