Book Tour: SoCal to Seattle
After a great book debut at Dilworth Billiards in North Carolina 12/8, I jumped on a flight the next morning for the West Coast to promote “Live Full Throttle” in cities where the International Motorcycle Show is touring.
Long Beach
Southern California was my first stop, and the show in Long Beach is one of the largest on the tour because so many companies have a presence in SoCal.
In addition to signing books and finding distributors for it, I met social media friends for the first time in real life (including moto-journalist Adam Mercado, aka @LeanAngles) shown here.
I saw several marvelous bikes in the “Dream Pavilion”including the Moto Guzzi v7 Racer, which made me swoon a little. I love the looks of a classic bike and of course the Italians are wonderful designers. My friend Neale Bayly, a moto-journalist, tells me it’s a sweet ride too.
Friday night I signed books at Yellow Devil Gear Exchange just a mile from the show. Yellow Devil has a terrific concept–a motorcycle swap and consignment shop with some brand new merchandise sprinkled in for good measure. You can find everything from helmets to racing suits and vintage “motorabelia” like posters and key chains.
San Francisco
After a quick flight up the coast Sunday night, I spent Monday with photographer Christina Shook, who collaborated with me on Live Full Throttle. We brainstormed book marketing while getting pedicures in Orinda (eat your heart out corporate marketing drones in your gopher cubes!). Later that night, over bowls of chili with friends, I rehearsed my book tour presentation. Thanks to their feedback and suggestions, the reception it got in Portland and Seattle at the end of the week was unanimously positive.
Motorcycle Gear Shopping
In an effort to improve my “big city” commuter skills I took BART (the train) from Christina’s to San Francisco’s Mission District, where I ate breakfast at the terribly-named but deliciously-stocked Pork Store with my friend Joanne Donn (aka @GearChic). Fortunately I didn’t have to make any transfers in my commutes. A lesson for another day.
Joanne then helped me find new Rev’It motorcycle pants at Scuderia West, also in the Mission District. What a treat, having a personal shopper! She knew which brands offer the functionality I need in cuts for my “American” proportions and emphasized the importance of proper fit. It hadn’t really occurred to me how dangerous my now-baggy gear had become (I’ve lost weight since I bought the gear in 2010), but skid pads slide away from the areas you want to protect when baggy gear meets the pavement. Ouch.
Marin County Cancer Institute
The next day was spent with friends across the bay in Novato, who took me to the Marin County Cancer Insitute, where one of them is being treated for breast cancer. I learned that Marin County is a breast cancer “hot spot,” which means the incidence of breast cancer per capita is extremely high.
After touring the Institute, I met Cancer Resource Specialist Diane Brandon (pictured right), who enthusiastically placed a copy of “Live Full Throttle” in the resource center and introduced me to the gift shop team, recommending the book for sale there. I fully expect to see the book in the gift shop soon!
Portland
Another quick flight brought me to Portland, where I signed books at Latus Motors, a Harley-Davidson dealership. 
My dear friend Nadine, who put me up at her farm and arranged the signing with Latus, ordered cupcakes with pink frosting ribbons from Safeway and we were both surprised when she picked up this cupcake cake instead. I’ve never seen so much frosting in my life!
Latus has a strong community of riders and in spite of rain and cold the week before Christmas, about 20 of them turned out to hear me talk about the Conga rides I’ve taken over the last two summers and the story behind “Live Full Throttle.” As with Long Beach, many of them were social media friends that I was happy to hug in the flesh.
New Friends Facing Cancer
In the middle of my talk, one woman dashed in with fresh news that a neighbor had just that day been diagnosed with cancer and asked me to quickly sign a book so that she could take it to him.
As often happens, one woman bought two books, one for herself and another for her sister. She had breast cancer a few years ago and her sister has a recent diagnosis.
An oncology nurse, whose father has cancer, surprised herself by crying during my talk. She thanked me for putting her in touch with feelings that her profession has caused her to sometimes repress.
On an upbeat note, I also met a wish grantor for “Make A Wish” and learned about the training and screening processes she went through to make wishes come true for children with life-threatening illnesses.
I’m grateful for the people and stories that keep coming into and blessing my life. As I’ve said before, motorcycling brought me to the cancer community quite unexpectedly. I’m here for a reason that is not clear to me just yet, and trust that I can be a channel for good as I continue walking this path.
Seattle
I love traveling by train, so I was delighted to learn that for $51 I could travel from Portland to Seattle on Amtrak’s Cascades line. Here’s a picture from the dining car.
Continuing my big-city commuter education, I jumped on a city bus instead of renting a car or hiring a cab to get to the apartment I had rented in the Lakeside area of Seattle. I find mass transportation to be sooooo convenient (and cheap). I wish my city, Charlotte, had a more complete system. We have a meager bus service and a tiny line of light rail. That’s it. I digress.
Speaking at the International Motorcycle Show
Saturday morning I opened the show with a talk on recommendations for newbie riders. After all, three months after I passed my licensing course last year I set off on a coast-to-coast journey, and repeated it this year, returning unschathed both times.
Since these trips involved fundraising with my Conga friends, I talked about traveling with a pink bra strapped across my bike’s windshield and gave some of the back story of “Live Full Throttle.” One of the women in the audience burst into tears when I told this story, then returned several minutes later to finish hearing what I had to say. Since she didn’t approach me, I am unsure what provoked her tears, but I bet was related to cancer.
Later that day I signed books at Ride West, a top-drawer BMW Dealership in Seattle. My Conga sis, Karen, joined me there and we horsed around on the bikes and talked to riders about don’t-miss routes in the NorthWest. Honestly, if you can’t be ON your motorcycle, the next best thing is to be at a motorcycle shop mixing it up with fellow riders!
Touring Seattle
Karen stayed with me through Monday, and as a Seattle native, took me to all the great spots in the city, including Pike Street Market. Note the two passing ferries in Elliott Bay, which I shot from Queen Anne’s Hill.
Seattle is a vibrant city and I have a little list of things to do next time I return, but I couldn’t live anywhere with so little direct sunlight. I had formed the idea that it rains a lot there, but was mistaken. However, the topography snags clouds, which both blocks sunlight and traps moisture. Karen tells me that the locals call it a “sunbreak” when the sun breaks through the clouds. No wonder they like strong coffee.
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
Monday we toured the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA), where Karen is a patient (and whose doctor LOVES “Live Full Throttle”).
The SCCA’s patient areas are situated with lovely views of Elliott Bay through floor-to-ceiling windows. Eclectic art adorns the walls and corridors. I particularly enjoyed stepping into the little sanctuary, where visitors can sit on meditation cushions or chairs as they contemplate books and mementos from the world’s religions. Here’s a snapshot of the focal point. Note the kid-sized table and chairs below the adult-sized versions. After all, cancer affects people of all ages.
SCCA is a beautiful place and serves the only hospital food that I’ve ever truly enjoyed. Why do hospitals serve gray, greasy, over-processed and otherwise unhealth food, anyway? Another digression.
After speaking with the managers of the book and gift stores at SCCA, it looks like I’ll be back in Seattle in March for a book signing event. I may try to combine it with a visit to the EuroMoto show in nearby Lynnwood.
So this is how I combine motorcycling, writing, and humanitarianism. I am a truly fortunate woman.
Please tell me if you would like to host a speaking and signing event or if you know someone else who would. The rest of the IMS tour cities are listed here but I’m not limited to signing only in those cities.
Lessons from the Road
Helmet time often produces deep thought. On my motorcycle for 40 days this summer, I had a lot of helmet time. Among other things, I pondered relationships, physics, environmental economics, disease, mortality and the direction I want to take my life.
Fear as a motivator
I thought about the role of fear in our lives and how it seems to motivate people more than anything else. Americans seem to particularly fear failure. Surrounded by crumbling institutions, people are living their lives as if there’s no margin for error.
I almost took my life after a business that I owned failed and took down family and friends financially. A lot of people can relate to that experience, sadly. I’ve drained the dregs of failure’s cup and have decided to move onto a different beverage.
During my 9559 miles of summer I thought about my life’s lessons and how easily I could contextualize them with motorcycling metaphors. Helmet time has that effect on me. Here’s a start:
- Lean in, lean out: Techniques used to control the motorcycle also apply to life
- Everything wobbles: But a wobble doesn’t inevitably lead to a spill
- Blind corners abound: Ride your best ride and take uncertainty as it comes
- Exploit the detours: They’re usually providential
- Embrace the switchbacks: The safest way to the mountaintop isn’t the shortest
Taking those lessons on the road
People are fascinated by motorcycle travel, especially when undertaken by someone who breaks their stereotypes of who’s a biker. In the last year I’ve been asked to speak to business and community groups and been interviewed for newspapers, radio and television. Thanks to helmet time I’ve decided to reach out with the lessons I’ve learned in a more proactive manner, through a book, keynotes and presentations. Here’s who I’m reaching out to:
- Teams getting together to review results or chart a new direction will frame the wobbles, detours and blind corners of the past while mapping a series of switchbacks to the top
- Groups concerned with personal growth will glean takeaways for how to better lean in or out as they navigate through detours, blind corners and switchbacks
- Organizations kicking off a new initiative will accept that wobbles, detours and blind corners are an inevitable part of the journey and that there is no straight path to the pinnacle — only switchbacks
Summer on the Road for Breast Cancer Causes and a Book
I’m riding my motorcycle across 20 American states and 4 Canadian provinces through July 28 raising money for breast cancer causes with other American and Canadian motorcyclists .
While on the road I’ll also be interviewing women motorcyclists who’ve battled cancer for a book I’m writing called Live Full Throttle: What you can learn about life from women who’ve survived cancer.
I took a similar trip last summer and managed to keep my clients projects moving and I’m equally committed to keeping the plates spinning this year. Please be a little patient as I return phone calls and emails with some time delays…but always within 24 hours. Most of my time will be spent in Mountain and Pacific time zones.
Check out my itinerary here and let me know if I’m in your town so we can grab a cuppa.
Please support my causes generously. One woman in eight is affected by breast cancer.
The Tradeoffs Road Trip Give-Back Partnership
HELP! I need a non-profit/charity partner on this summer’s Tradeoffs Road Trip.
I’ll be going coast to coast interviewing financial traders for the book I’m co-writing with Matt Davio, “Tradeoffs: Leveraging the Longs & Shorts of Life.”
I want to raise funds for an organization that helps those who find themselves at the other side of the financial spectrum from the traders. Here’s what comes to mind:
- Low-wage earners (Habitat for Humanity)
- Millions at risk of foreclosure (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America)
- Billions who need better financial literacy (Institute for Financial Literacy)
- An organization whose programs include credit counseling along with other essential human services (United Family Services)
I haven’t fully defined the means by which I’ll raise money for the worthy partner, as I’m sure they’ll have great ideas of their own. That said, the corporate sponsors of the trip should be happy to kick in something for a worthy cause in addition to some of the grassroots efforts I can put into play, including:
- Motorcycle riders/clubs sponsoring a leg of the 8000 mile journey
- Sponsored Tweetups
- Side “wagers” on road incidents like flat tires, number of rattlesnakes encountered, whether it snows in SD while I’m at Mt. Rushmore, etc
Please weigh in with a cause or organization that fits the theme of the Tradeoffs Road Trip.
Yes, I Laid It Down
Now that I’m “street legal” I’m motorcycle shopping for the TRADEOFFS ROAD TRIP.
Here’s a little video of me doing the “quick stop” exercise in this past weekend’s course.
Tamela’s “Quick Stop” from TamelaRich on Vimeo.
Let the shopping begin
Yesterday I drove a sweet Triumph Bonneville. I felt sort of like I’d moved from a Shetland pony to a Thoroughbred race horse in the course of a weekend. I’m no gearhead, but even I know that 865cc means a LOT of engine.
It didn’t necessarily get off to a great start. Pulling out of the dealership, the ultra-responsive throttle on that big engine got ahead of me and, horrors, I laid it down.
Dealing with adversity
You can judge a person pretty well by the way they deal with adversity. Having survived childbirth, teenagers, three tours of duty in corporate America and closing down an unprofitable business, I’ve had plenty of experience. I picked the bike up (by myself, all 495 pounds of it), apologized for the lapse and waited for the berating to begin. Thankfully it was not forthcoming.
The owner of the dealership was concerned about me and shrugged off the broken clutch handle. Nary a raised eyebrow. He pushed the bike back to the shop, got a technician to replace the handle, and off we went for my test drive. This bodes well — if I buy the Bonnie it will definitely be from Mark Engle.
What I like about the Bonnie: it’s a bike I can grow into without growing out of. I like the sweet purr of the engine — don’t try to sell me something that grumbles or whines. Both my feet touch the ground when I’m astride. I know I can pick it up by myself (!) and it’s pretty. There, I said it, “it’s pretty.”
I’m also planning to test drive a BMW G650, a CAN-AM Spyder and a Suzuki V-Strom 650.
Any other suggestions out there, bikers? Remember, I’ve got a 28″ inseam and a cruiser is bad for my back. It’ll have to be a standard or touring bike.
Announcing Tradeoffs: The Road Trip
Those who subscribe to my newsletter got the worldwide announcement first: I’m writing a book and promoting it with an 8000-mile, 19-state road trip!
Tradeoffs: Leveraging the Longs & Shorts of Life
Financial trader Matt Davio and I will use the language and practices of those who trade for a living to frame life’s tradeoffs: time for money, freedom for convention, risk for reward, and money for goods and services. Matt’s been interviewing subjects on his website for about six months now, and I’ll do my part from the road (mostly).
Every week I’ll be video blogging about where I’ve been, who I met and what I’ve learned.
In a post-meltdown world where so many people feel the stakes are higher and the margin for error more narrow than ever before, Tradeoffs will introduce a general interest reader to how traders view “scalp,” “swing,” “directional,” “fade” or “breakout” trading setups, how they mitigate risk, and how they live with the outcomes of their trades to do everything from choosing a career, mate and preschool, to helping a parent deal with end-of-life decisions.
Traveling America’s most storied highways
From NC I’ll travel through TN and AR to pick up what’s left of the old Route 66 beginning in OK. I’ll travel through TX, NM then veer north in Kingman, AZ to take in the Hoover Dam en route to Las Vegas for a layover with my parents and sister.
From Vegas, I’ll head west-northwest via the legendary Pacific Coast Highway to Eugene OR. After a layover with my co-author and his family in Bend, OR, I’ll head to Denver, CO to visit friends before heading east.
On the way back I’ll visit Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments, interview executives at the CME Group in Chicago, then head south to a suburb of Columbus, OH where I’ll visit with my brother (who rides BMWs) and his family.
The final leg of my journey will carry me through the West VirginiaTurnpike (Blue Ridge Mountains) and western VA before landing home in Charlotte.
That’s at least nineteen states, three time zones and a good 8000 miles.
Along the way I’ll frequent Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins and other famous Roadfood joints and occasionally couch surf with the community of financial traders who follow me on Twitter and my blog. I’ll include videos in my blog a couple of times a week and tweet daily. Most people will never take a trip like this, so I’ll do my best to bring you along (in the virtual sense).
Want to be interviewed, host an event or suggest a layover?
Want to sponsor part of this great adventure or know a company that might? Here’s what we’ve come up with so far:
- Motorcycle and gear sponsors
- Hospitality sponsors (food, hotels)
- Petrol products sponsors (fuel, oil)
- Related products: brokerage, mobile trading platforms, financial newsletters
And clients, I’ll be able to work from the road. I’ve got your back — even from two time zones away.
