Purple Mountains: America from a Motorcycle

By Notch Miyake

Book Overview

Spinning out the steady rhythm of the yellow line in his wake, author Notch Miyake takes advantage of a change in his circumstances to experience the United States from the seat of his BMW GS. In... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1884313280
• ISBN13: 9781884313288
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Whitehorse Pr
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

One man on his Journey

The book is exactly what I thought it would be, an insight into motorcycle travel across the US on your own, meeting all sorts of people and keeping off the freeways. An excellent read.

Purple Mountains

This well-crafted, literate, and beautifully edited work is a personal story that, viewed broadly, is a deeply patriotic celebration of America. No flag-waving or speeches. Just the opportunity to pursue a big dream...of a man on a motorcycle, across the United States. Massive expanse, individualism, and freedom: the combination is uniquely American. Those who need help planning and cannot think for themselves should look elsewhere. What differentiates and distinguishes this excellent work are reunions, reflections and the use of color. The reunions with family and friends often meld with the reflections (thanks to the discipline of daily journal entries), yielding the opportunity to reveal his American experience along with his Japanese roots in Hawaii (where the dream started). What could be more Japanese-American than the image of a teenage boy of Japanese parents flying low around Hawaii on a motorcycle? Bikers always feel more alive on their machines, and being alive, as C.S. Lewis puts it, we have "the privilege of always moving, yet never leaving anything behind. Whatever we have been, in some sort we are still." And he is a brave man. Mr. Miyake does not dwell on his (meritorious) Naval service in Viet Nam, but merely uses it modestly to amplify the relationship he has with those fellow vets he will visit. The third distinguishing feature is the use of color, and it is striking. Miyake paints America. No one could fault him if he emphasized the black of asphalt or somber earth tones, sort of a unifying strip of color for his journey. But the dominant color of the book - irrespective of the title - is green. And it is probably a tip of the hat to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Miyake is his own man, and has traveled from Rochester, N.Y. to Alaska and back, the twin magnets of wife and hearth drawing powerfully.All this folds up neatly into a well-made origami of an American eagle, perhaps a symbol of who he is...a best-blend of Japanese and American culture and values, strong accent on American.

No Mints on the Pillow for this Motorcycle Rider

After reading "Purple Mountains", I began planning my first long trip on a motorcycle. Up to now, I've restricted my riding to a one-day journey. This author grew up in Hawaii - where long motorcycle trips are close to impossible. But through his eyes you will see the richness of the land and people of America like you have never seen them before. Author Notch Miyake describes his three month solo journey around our country. But it is not a travelogue. Instead, Notch uses all five senses to help you feel how riding a motorcycle around our country (not our cities) can bring depth to a person's life. Four things the author avoided: cities, expressways, hotels, and fast-food. Rather, he took the crooked road - the less traveled road - to experience America like few others have. Campgrounds and mom-and-pop restaurants are the background for most of his people encounters. This way, he was able to exchange stories with local people - some motorcycle riders - but mainly people who wished they could break out - and be a touring rider. After reading Notch's revealing book, you will want to escape from the "Disney World Trail", and other top tourist destinations, and see the breadth and depth of America's people and the beauty of their land.