The Conclusion Begins!
Newsletter No. 19
July 29, 2022
"At long last, I am in the final stages of planning and preparation to continue my tribute to C.K. Shepherd’s 1919 epic transcontinental journey across America on his 1919 Henderson Four. I originally began this tribute ride on the 4th of July 2019 riding my own 1919 Henderson (“the Red One”), but an unexpected and catastrophic crankshaft failure in Burlingame, Kansas, literally stopped me in my tracks. Although Mark and Loring Hill had the Red One back up and running by December 2019 and I planned to continue the ride in 2020, the onset of COVID-19 dashed those plans. Now, two years later, I have the bike and the plans ready to honorably conclude this tribute to a true pioneer “adventure motorcyclist,” Captain C.K. Shepherd.
I have assembled a dedicated team for support. Willie Fernandez is back. Willie drove the support truck in 2019 and has been pushing this little project along all these years. Lloyd Hill has also returned and is committed to accompany me on his own bike on some of the most challenging sections out west. One of Willie’s friends, Glen Pyle, will be shadowing me on his bike as an all-important safety rider for the entire journey.
Since it took us a few days in 2019 to get the daily rhythm down, we’ve scheduled a few “practice rides” over the next few weeks in August to nail everything down so the actual journey will be as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
In addition to the practice rides, over the next few weeks, I will be producing a detailed route schedule and map so that you can reliably see if you might be able to catch me as I drive by (or even join up for a bit!). If you can’t come out yourself, I’ll have tracking equipment with me so you can always see where I am with a simple click on the web site (I will be updating the web site soon with more information about the 2022 continuation).
Best Wishes,
Mark"