Been Working my Tailfeathers Off! (Round Ireland with a Duck Update)

A wild, windswept journey in search of roots — and wings

Been working my tailfeathers off over here! The sequel to Round America with a Duck is currently in final editing. It is heading to Design this summer, followed by Advance Reader Copies to select media (the media kit is almost ready). It is scheduled for launch — literally — aboard the ferry to Ellis Island in October 2025 on the exact 100th anniversary of my grandfather’s arrival! Get a sneak peek at the Prologue.

Pictured above is the book’s current cover. Here is the map that will be in the book that shows key stops (farm stays, cities) on my journey:

Below is the current back cover copy!

Feral in the 1960s and ’70s, Pattie Baker refused to be caged—pedaling through her youth, and then backpacking across Europe in 1985 on just $20 a day. Decades later, as a newly minted empty nester, she dusted off that same wanderlust and wrote the first memoir in the world about traveling the U.S. via folding bike, buses, trains, and WWOOFing on organic farms—all on that same $20-a-day budget (not adjusted for inflation). She turned 60 along the way, her rubber duck Disco strapped to her handlebars in a country at a crossroads.

Now, in this vulnerable sequel, she brings her wild spirit—and her trusty duck—to Ireland, backpacking across the land of her ancestors exactly 100 years after her grandparents sailed for America. Armed with borrowed bikes, public transit, a heart full of questions, and a hoe, she embarks on a soulful, sometimes hilarious, often deeply moving journey — on that same $20 a day budget. Along the way, she digs into soil, old sorrows, and the saving grace of joy as an act of resistance in a troubled world. She even dares to toss off an ancient curse in hopes of clearing the path for generations to come.

Meet unforgettable strangers. Rediscover lost parts of yourself. And maybe — just maybe — help change the world for the better one heritage word or healing ritual at a time.

⚠️ Warning: May inspire radical self-trust, outside-the-box travel, or singing to cows in the rain.

Trust the journey.

A portion of the proceeds from this book will support the powerful intersection of indigenous language preservation and ecological sustainability worldwide. This book also honors the divine feminism woven through our continuing human history— especially the radical acts of women existing in public space (especially on bikes) and changing the world through joy as an act of resistance.