C. Jane Taylor is the author of Spirit Traffic: A Mother’s Journey of Self-Discovery and Letting Go, a memoir about a 10,000-mile cross-country motorcycle trip with her husband, John, and their son Emmett. We released an excerpt from Spirit traffica chapter titled “Isaac and Eli” about two curious young boys they met in Indiana, in the April 2022 issue of Rider. We also interviewed Jane for the Rider Magazine Insider podcast.

In May, Jane and John packed up their BMW F650 GS motorcycles, said goodbye to their Vermont home (and dog Dewey) and hit the road for a book tour. They first drove east to Maine, then west to Chicago, where they were hosted by Steven Goode, who wrote the article “The Great American Deli Schlep” published in the December 2021 issue of Rider.

They drove south to Springfield, Missouri, where they witnessed the BMWMOA national gathering. Along the way, Jane gave readings to people’s homes, cafes, and motorcycle dealerships. John was her riding partner, tour manager and cheerleader.

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After battling high winds in Kansas, traversing the Rockies in Colorado, and enduring blast furnace heat in Tucson, Arizona, and Palm Desert, California, they found cool respite in the coastal town of Ventura, where Jane and John were hosted by Rider Editor Greg Drevenstedt and his wife Carrie.

On Sunday July 10, Jane gave a reading to stamp books, a local independent bookstore in Ventura. Were present for a long time Rider contributor Bill Stermer, several members of the Ventura County Chapter of STAR Touring & Riding, and other runners and local residents. A motorcyclist who could not be present sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his absence. After the reading, a small group joined Jane and John at a local Mexican restaurant for dinner and conversation.

The next day, Jane and John packed up their gear and fired up their BMWs. Attached to the large dry bags perched on their back seats, signs read “National Book Tour” and feature large QR codes that direct curious people to Jane’s website. They spent a few hours on Highway 33 – one of the best motorcycling roads in Southern California – then headed north along the coast, towards Highway 1 along the coast of Big Sur.

Jane has readings planned in the Bay Area, an interview with the Motorcycles & Misfits Podcast in Santa Cruz, and many other stops over the next five weeks in California, Nevada, Oregon and Montana. Jane and John will travel at least another 5,000 miles before returning to Vermont.

Check book the program of visits and see if Jane and John will be in your area. (Please note that some readings require an invitation, so inquire via the website.) If you can, attend a reading and show your support – buy a book and have Jane sign it. Whether or not you can attend a reading, please support their efforts by purchasing a book. Better yet, buy two or more and give copies to your friends. Spirit traffic is also available as an ebook or audiobook.

For more information, visit cjanetaylor.com.