Across America by Motor-Cycle Newsletter No. 3

Published: Mon, 04/22/19

NEWSLETTER NO. 3
APRIL 22, 2019

Hi folks! It has been a while since my last newsletter, so long that you may have wondered what has happened. The truth is that I have been so busy working on stuff that I have not had any time to write about it. I have what seems like a small break in the action today, so I want to update you on a few things.

IN THIS ISSUE:

New Web Site is Live!
Heading to Oley
The Route
The Hudson River Ferry Dream
New Book Update
From Here

New Web Site is Live: The new web site is now online. I still need to revise and enhance some content, but the new site provides a wealth of information about this entire event. I encourage you to stop by the site and let me know what you think!

Heading to Oley, Pennsylvania: My motorcycle has been under the TLC of Mark Hill and his crew at 4th Coast Fours since earlier this month when a bunch of the starter gear teeth broke off and ended up in the transmission. Mark Hill is going to bring the bike to the annual national meet of the Perkiomen Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America in Oley, Pennsylvania. We expect to do a bit of riding around the area in addition to displaying the bike and providing meet-goers with information about the upcoming journey.

The Route: I am about 75% complete on a highly technical review and analysis of the route and timeline for this summer. I am doing this to try to ensure the schedule is viable, that fuel and other stops are identified and, ultimately, so that people will be able to reliably find and join up with me along the way. On Sunday, I completed the last segment of over-the-road surveying, photography, and filming and will be incorporating that data into the route analysis and timeline. Additionally, I have begun booking and making plans for overnight accommodations for me and the crew along the way (although the reservations for the two nights at the Grand Canyon have been in place since last July).

The Hudson River Ferry Dream: As a result of a number of what have slowly become insurmountable obstacles, my dream of replicating C.K.’s ride across the Hudson River is all but dead. If you are unaware, there is no longer any scheduled ferry service across the Hudson that will take cars or motorcycles. Although I had found a suitable commercial boat operator with whom I could privately contract with for crossing, the availability of a suitable vessel is only part of it. I need a launch and landing spot. It turns out that New York is just a little busy on the 4th of July. Who knew? Even though there are a few marinas that might normally be able to have a tug/barge to dock and board me and my bike, all the slips are booked for several days before and after the 4th of July, and at least one has a five-day minimum booking. As a result, barring some miracle, I will be leaving Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel. In truth, this will provide for a much simpler (and faster) launch operation, but it is disappointing to reach the end of the road on this dream.

The Fully Annotated Centennial Edition of Across America by Motor-Cycle: Most unfortunately, this aspect of the project has been delayed and has occupied far more of my time than I ever thought possible. I have retained a professional indexer to prepare an index. As I send this, he is poring over the 400+ pages of material to create a useful index of hundreds of entries so that readers can find all the references to key locations and events, both in the original 1922 book and the detailed annotations that are inserted after each chapter. I am presently awaiting the notice of the publisher’s intended production schedule. In the meantime, I am engaging in advance publicity for the event with the expectation the book will launch well before my journey begins. In fact, I just finished being interviewed for the podcast Keeping It Real With Alexander Garrett.

From Here: A soon as I get the web site stabilized (cleaning up the content, filling in the calendar, etc.), I will have more time to send out newsletters and will have more to report as the date of the journey grows near, but you can always subscribe to the YouTube channel, like the Facebook page, follow the Instagram stories, and even place the web site on your RSS feed to have updates available in real time.

I do not know what may have happened, but there has been a recent uptick in sales of the 1922 book, most notably the audio book. We'll never run out, but if you're interested in this project, these resources are really entertaining "homework." Get your copies here:

Paperback

Kindle eBook

Audiobook

Questions? Comments? Please let me hear from you if there is something you would like to know more about or get involved in some way.

Until next time!

Sincerely,

Captain Mark Hunnibell
[email protected]
937-234-7320