This centennial tribute began on July 4, 2019, but was interrupted by mechanical failure in Kansas. The tribute was finally completed in September 2022.
The 2019 Route is below. The 2022 Route is available on a separate page.
- WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2019
- Martinique Hotel to Coney Island (Nathans)
- THURSDAY JULY 4, 2019
- FRIDAY JULY 5, 2019
- SATURDAY JULY 6, 2019
- SUNDAY JULY 7, 2019
- MONDAY JULY 8, 2019
- TUESDAY JULY 9, 2019
- Moundsville, West Virginia, to Pickerington, Ohio
Notes:- The 150-year-old suspension bridge in Wheeling was damaged and could not be used.
- Just short of Hopewell, I collided with a rock, and broke off the clutch pedal, put the Red One on the trailer, and drove to a planned visit to the AMA Museum in Pickerington. The next day, we continued to Yellow Springs to make repairs.
- Moundsville, West Virginia, to Pickerington, Ohio
- FRIDAY JULY 12, 2019
- Yellow Springs, Ohio, to Indianapolis, Indiana
- Note: This segment included a planned stop in at 3450 Clifton Avenue in Cincinnati and the location of the Henderson dealer in Cincinnati in 1919.
- SATURDAY JULY 13, 2019
- SUNDAY JULY 14, 2019
- Hannibal to Kansas City, Missouri
Note: This was planned to be a two-night stop, but safe parking was limited, so we relocated to Olathe, Kansas, for the second night.
- Hannibal to Kansas City, Missouri
- TUESDAY JULY 16, 2019
- Olathe to Burlingame, Kansas
Note: About 1.5 miles south of Burlingame, the crankshaft broke… irreparably, and the bike was put in the trailer for assessment at a suitable stop, after which I made the decision to continue as a “tour” until reaching the Grand Canyon.
- Olathe to Burlingame, Kansas
The rest of the tour in 2019 as far as the Grand Canyon in 2019 generally followed the timeline in the table below. Information about the completion of this tribute in 2022 is available on the 2022 Route page.
Issues With Road Access:
There is some uncertainty as to exact route C.K. took. Some of the roads are no longer there or are inaccessible. Therefore, it will be impossible to ride over all the exact roads upon which C.K. traveled.
We believe we are 95% accurate in terms of riding over the actual road taken and scenery C.K. Shepherd saw in 1919. Problems with the remaining 5% include such things as:
- The old road approaches a waterway over which the bridge was long ago removed.
- The modern road was built over the old road, leaving some sections of the old road visible but not connected for through traffic.
- In some cities, the old road is now a one-way street and we’re going the other way.
- The old road is now on property that is either privately owned or is controlled by government or tribal agencies.
- The condition of the old road is unsafe (for example, a La Bajada Hill in New Mexico).
Issues With Road Use and Condition:
The 2019 route used secondary roads to the maximum extent possible. The only traveling on Interstate highways was when there is no viable alternative to use secondary roads. Over the preceding two years, Captain Hunnibell personally surveyed, photographed, and filmed the entire planned route. This helped ensure that it was a viable route and that participants will be best informed as to key landmarks and the condition of the roads to be ridden on that day. While most roads are paved, there will be a substantial number of dirt and gravel roads used in the West.
The Map:
A transcontinental map of the originally planned route is available in high-resolution form and corresponds generally to the table of of planned enroute and overnight stops below.
Compared to other long-distance motorcycle events, the pace of this ride was rather slow, but would still have cut off about three weeks of C.K.’s elapsed travel time. Most of our expected time savings included avoiding making three stops to fully overhaul the engine! We did not account for catastrophic engine failure however! With some modern safety improvements and performance enhancements, we made much better time over the modern paved roads compared to the 95% dirt and gravel conditions C.K. faced. We expected to be able to average about 40 mph on the open road.
The original planned timeline below reflected time spent at planned mid-day stops for fuel (at least every 75 miles) or other events. The average miles per day was 158.5, but most legs required less than 145 miles of riding in a day. The longest leg was from Indianapolis to Hannibal: 331 miles. Ouch!
The Timetable:
| Leg | Date | Description | Est. Miles | Est. Drive Hrs | Est. Depart | Est. Arrive** | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 07/03/2019 | Coney Island Round Trip | 30.7 | 5.0 | 8:00 AM ET | 12:30 PM ET | Round trip from Herald Square to Coney Island |
| 2 | 07/04/2019 | Manhattan to Toms River, NJ | 67.5 | 5.0 | 7:00 AM ET | 12:15 PM ET | Reception in Toms River to receive the newly-wrapped support trailer. |
| 3 | 07/05/2019 | Toms River, NJ, to Philadelphia | 130.9 | 8.0 | 8:00 AM ET | 5:00 PM ET | |
| 4 | 07/06/2019 | Philadelphia to College Park MD | 133.9 | 9.5 | 8:00 AM ET | 5:30 PM ET | Reception at Daniels Restaurant and Open Air Bar in Elkridge, MD, at about 2:30pm |
| 5 | 07/07/2019 | College Park to Cumberland MD | 166.6 | 9.0 | 8:00 AM ET | 5:00 PM ET | |
| 6 | 07/08/2019 | Cumberland MD to Moundsville WV | 132.7 | 6.0 | 8:00 AM ET | 2:30 PM ET | |
| 7 | 07/09/2019 | Moundsville WV to Pickerington OH | 130.9 | 7.5 | 8:00 AM ET | 4:00 PM ET | Reception at American Motorcyclist Association Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington, OH, at about 1:30pm. |
| 8 | 07/10/2019 | Pickerington to Yellow Springs OH | 91.4 | 5.0 | 8:00 AM ET | 1:30 PM ET | 2-Night Stop. Reception at the Springs Motel, in Yellow Springs, OH upon arrival. |
| 07/11/2019 | REST @ Yellow Springs | ||||||
| 9 | 07/12/2019 | Yellow Springs OH to Indianapolis | 190.3 | 8.0 | 8:00 AM ET | 5:00 PM ET | |
| 10 | 07/13/2019 | Indianapolis to Hannibal MO | 331.4 | 9.5 | 8:00 AM ET | 7:00 PM CT | |
| 11 | 07/14/2019 | Hannibal to Kansas City MO | 247.0 | 9.5 | 8:00 AM CT | 6:00 PM CT | 2-Night Stop |
| 07/15/2019 | REST @ Kansas City | ||||||
| 12 | 07/16/2019 | Kansas City to Great Bend KS | 290.4 | 9.5 | 8:00 AM CT | 6:00 PM CT | |
| About 1.5 miles south of Burlingame, Kansas, the crankshaft broke, and the ride became a "tour" that went as far west as the Grand Canyon according to the planned timeline that follows. | |||||||
| 13 | 07/17/2019 | Great Bend to Syracuse KS | 192.8 | 6.5 | 8:00 AM CT | 3:00 PM CT | |
| 14 | 07/18/2019 | Syracuse KS to Royal Gorge CO | 227.3 | 9.5 | 8:00 AM CT | 5:30 PM MT | 3-Nights |
| 15 | 07/19/2019 | Pikes Peak! | 170.0 | 8.0 | 8:00 AM MT | 4:00 PM MT | |
| 07/20/2019 | REST @ Royal Gorge | ||||||
| 16 | 07/21/2019 | Royal Gorge to Trinidad CO | 148.52 | 6.5 | 8:00 AM MT | 3:00 PM MT | |
| 17 | 07/22/2019 | Trinidad CO to Santa Fe NM | 219.6 | 11.5 | 6:00 AM MT | 6:00 PM MT | Raton Pass |
| 18 | 07/23/2019 | Santa Fe to Socorro NM | 146.8 | 8.5 | 8:00 AM MT | 5:00 PM MT | La Bajada Hill |
| 19 | 07/24/2019 | Socorro NM to Holbrook AZ | 246.7 | 9.5 | 8:00 AM MT | 5:30 PM MST | |
| 20 | 07/25/2019 | Holbrook to Flagstaff AZ | 103.5 | 5.0 | 8:00 AM MST | 1:30 PM MST | Meteor Crater then 2-Night Stop |
| 07/26/2019 | REST @ Flagstaff | ||||||
| 21 | 07/27/2019 | Flagstaff to Grand Canyon AZ | 84.4 | 4.0 | 8:00 AM MST | 12:00 Noon MST | 2-Night Stop |
| 07/28/2019 | EXPLORE @ Grand Canyon | ||||||
| After two nights at the Grand Canyon, including dinner with C.K. Shepherd's son, the "tour" was over. Everyone headed home while we ponder what "Part 2" of this adventure will look like after getting the Red One repaired and on the road again later this year. | |||||||
| 22 | 07/29/2019 | Grand Canyon to Peach Springs AZ | 141.0 | 5.0 | 8:00 AM MST | 1:30 PM MST | |
| 23 | 07/30/2019 | Peach Springs AZ to Needles CA | 116.0 | 5.0 | 8:00 AM MST | 2:00 PM PT | |
| 24 | 07/31/2019 | Needles to Barstow CA | 159.4 | 4.5 | 8:00 AM PT | 1:30 PM PT | |
| 25 | 08/01/2019 | Barstow to Los Angeles CA | 142.5 | 7.0 | 8:00 AM PT | 5:00 PM PT | 3-Night Stop |
| 08/02/2019 | REST @ Los Angeles | ||||||
| 08/03/2019 | REST @ Los Angeles | ||||||
| 26 | 08/04/2019 | Los Angeles to Pismo Beach CA | 204.9 | 10.5 | 8:00 AM PT | 5:30 PM PT | |
| 27 | 08/05/2019 | Pismo Beach to Salinas CA | 143.3 | 5.5 | 8:00 AM PT | 3:00 PM PT | |
| 28 | 08/06/2019 | Salinas to San Francisco CA | 109.6 | 6.5 | 8:00 AM PT | 3:30 PM PT | |
| 08/07/2019 | Totals: | 4500 | 204.5 | ** All estimated arrival times are approximate. | |||