Six reasons a book about planes is really for motorcyclists

If you aren't familiar with Peter Egan's work, then perhaps "Landings in America: Two People, One Summer, and a Piper Cub — A Flying Memoir" isn't the place to start. This is after all, an online motorcycle publication. But if you're reading Common Tread and have never heard of Peter Egan, I've got other questions about your life choices. Then again, in fairness to you, it's been over a decade since Peter published his "farewell" piece, "Thirty-Three and a Third Revolutions," in the pages of Cycle World magazine, back when Cycle World actually had… pages.

Before I spend any more time waxing poetic about my feelings towards him (there is a Highside/Lowside podcast episode for that), let me just say that if you're a newer rider who's never heard of him, and you enjoy reading Common Tread, you will most certainly enjoy the musings of one of the most celebrated storytellers in the world of motorcycling. And perhaps a more appropriate place to start your journey would be his more motorcycle-focused "Leanings" (or "Leanings 2," or "Leanings 3") a collection of his motorcycle columns and feature articles spanning his three decades at said magazine.

Before Editor Lance accuses me of burying the lede [Ed: Too late.], let me shift gears. Mr. Egan wrote a new book, a book about his summer vacation in 1987. Unlike the unimaginative masses who might use a week off of work to head to the beach or take a trip to the mountains, Peter and his wife, Barb, cashed in six weeks of PTO to traverse the United States in a 1945 Piper Cub. Their journey takes the reader not just across the country, but back in time, to a version of America that was already beginning to slip away with the "progress" of the 1980s.

Whether you're reading this as a long-time fan or a newcomer to his work, Peter Egan doesn't disappoint. Here are six reasons why you should cozy up with "Landings in America" this winter.

Barb Egan. — You can almost hear, "Up against the Wall, Redneck" playing in the background. Photo by Peter Egan.

Wanderlust hits hard regardless of the vehicle

It's winter. And unless you're one of the lucky ones who live in a climate where you can ride all winter long, chances are your bike is parked away in your garage, sipping on the voltage from a trickle charger. But absence makes the heart grow fonder and I always found the winter to be the best time to find inspiration for those springtime rides.

The stories in this book fueled that inspiration in me. Reading about all of the historic hotels, small towns, and old friends Pete and Barb ran into along the way had my mind spinning. The Egans bring you along for the ride in a way that makes you feel like you are there with them: the sense of excitement discovering the Lazy K Ranch in Arizona, or escaping the Texan heat drinking beers in a Luckenbach bar, or spending the tense night at the Holly Ridge Airport getting hassled by drunks. You're not just reading the words, you're in the story.

The way Peter writes about an old military base he hadn't seen since basic training for Vietnam will leave you with a sense of yearning. Maybe not for joining the military in Vietnam-era America, but for revisiting landmarks in your own story, which takes me to my next point.

Spurgeon and Nicole Dunbar. — Our first holiday away, teaching Nikki to drive a manual transmission on the beach of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Photo by Spurgeon Dunbar.

Chances are you've been to the places in this book

While you might not be familiar with all of the places where Peter and Barb touched down, I'd be willing to bet there are one or two that will bring on a wave of nostalgia. For myself there were a few.

Peter explaining what a "swamp cooler" was had me reminiscing about the time I rode a Triumph Street Twin across the South and spent a night in an old hotel after exploring the bar scene of Pascagoula, Mississippi. Or when they were island-hopping up the Outer Banks, I pulled out old photos and a map to relive the first big trip my wife, Nicole, and I took together, where I taught her how to drive my old manual transmission truck on the beach.

And when they landed at the airport in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, I couldn't help but think that Peter would be proud to learn that the same airport is now home base to the Durty Dabbers annual dual-sport ride, one of the oldest dual-sport events in the country. In fact, Peter's trip in 1987 was just four years prior to the event's inauguration in 1991.

Nostalgia for an America that's disappeared

As I mentioned in the beginning, there is a lot of nostalgia in this book for folks of all ages. Peter writes in a way that allows the reader a glimpse of the world as it was in 1987 yet with the perspective of a narrator living in 2025.

A quick Google search shows that the aforementioned Lazy K Ranch has been consumed by Tucson, Arizona expansion. Riverside Raceway in Southern California is now housing developments and shopping centers. Even the way Peter talked about the charm of "old Florida" showcased his nostalgia in 1987 for his childhood family road trips and how much had changed.

The truth is, the world is changing faster than ever. And books like this help us remember what we're leaving behind in the name of progress.

Jerry Jeff Walker - Viva Terlingua — Jerry Jeff Walker is never a bad choice for background music. Photo by Spurgeon Dunbar.

There are some great musical references

One of the things I've always admired about Peter's writing is his ability to write a story about motorcycling that is really a story about his favorite music. To that end, I've tried to emulate this in my own works but my loving editor usually reins me in.

To that end, all I will say is that if you are a music lover, you will not be disappointed with the soundtrack Peter paints with his words. You might even discover a new band or two to listen to while reading. For example, Jerry Jeff Walker's "Viva Terlingua" pairs excellently with the journey through Texas.

Mini Spurg reading Peter Egan with the book upside down — Mini Spurg is still figuring out the reading part, but he enjoys the photos. Photo by Spurgeon Dunbar.

There are pictures

The pictures are great. Even if you're like Mini Spurg and can't read, you'll get a kick out of the photos.

This is an autobiography disguised as a book about flying

Having loosely kept in touch with Peter since having him on the podcast, I wrote him an e-mail to let him know that in an effort to support his retirement I bought his new book about flying. And in that message I offered up a list of my initial thoughts, the first two of which were as follows:

This is an autobiography disguised as a book about flying.
This is a love story about Barb disguised as an autobiography.

Both are true.

cover of the book — "Landings in America" might be a good holiday gift for a motorcycling (or flying) friend, if you're looking for a last-minute idea. Octane Press photo.

Growing up in a house where Cycle World was standard coffee table reading, I felt like Peter's column, "Leanings," was like receiving a regular letter from a favorite uncle filling me in on his monthly exploits. I got to know him through his stories, but I had unanswered questions. This book not only answers a lot of the questions I've had lingering about the man who has so positively influenced generations of motorcyclists, but it also goes further than I was expecting.

There is a vulnerability in this work. A man reflecting on a life well lived with a partner worth knowing. Whereas Barb has been a side player in some of Peter's motorcycle and automotive work, she's fully present in this book. You get to know them as a young couple in college falling in love. You meet Barb's parents and get to witness Peter trying to win them over. You get a much fuller sense of who Barb is and what she means to Peter and how she's shaped his story.

The reader gets a front-row seat to a couple coming to terms with the life they've lived for their first 38 years and how a summer vacation flying a 1945 Piper Cub across the country transformed the life they have lived for the last 38 years. And it's all fascinating.