Across America by Motor-Cycle

by C.K. Shepherd

Across America by Motor-Cycle offers a raw, firsthand look at a cross‑country ride through the 1920s American landscape.

A British motorcyclist sets out in 1919 to conquer the continent on two wheels, sharing the thrills, breakdowns, and lessons learned along the way. The book blends practical riding notes with sharp observations about roads, towns, and the people encountered on the open road.

This memoir reads as a vivid travelogue and a candid account of early long‑distance motorcycling. It captures the mood of a postwar era, the challenges of rugged terrain, and the humor that keeps a journey moving through fatigue and delay. Readers will meet the machine, the miles, and the mindset of a rider determined to document the experience honestly. Firsthand travel narrative tracing a solo crossing of the United States by motorcycle. Detailed notes on machinery, repairs, and fuel use from a time of limited road infrastructure. Observations on American life, landscapes, and attitudes from a foreign traveler. Humor and self‑reflective moments that balance adventure with practical guidance. Ideal for readers who enjoy classic travelogues, motorcycling lore, and vivid, on‑the‑road storytelling.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

302 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

Captain Charles Kenilworth "C.K." Shepherd was born on May 31, 1895 at home at 108 Oakfield Road, Balsall Heath, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. The youngest of seven children of Timothy Shepherd and Elizabeth Dale, he served in the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force in World War One and received a field commission and promotions to Captain an Equipment Officer assigned to the Aircraft Engine Repair Shops (ERS) in Pont de l’Arche, near Rouen, France. Following the War, C.K. arrived in America in June 1919 and spent the next two months driving his brand-new Henderson motorcycle from New York to San Francisco. In 1922, he published an instant classic about his journey: Across America by Motor-Cycle.

C.K., as he was known to all who knew him, married Ursula Mary Edwards in September 1922, the same year his Across America by Motor-Cycle book was published. C.K. and Ursula had two daughters (one of whom remains living today), but Ursula died from cancer in 1938. The next year, C.K. changed his name by "deed poll" to Charles Kay Shaw, a name he used for the rest of his life. After Ursula died, he married again, to Honorah Tarpey, and had two children with her.

C.K. was an architect, engineer, author, artist, father, vagabond, and was a strong proponent of "life after death," so when he passed on January 16, 1971, he believed he was just moving on as an enduring spirit.

The above information was supplied by former U.S. Air Force and retired airline Captain Mark Hunnibell, who undertook extensive research into C.K. Shepherd and included much of the information about in his new book, Across America by Motor-Cycle - Fully Annotated Centennial Edition (ASIN: 1948181495) which provides nearly 1,000 new photos, notes, and details about C.K.'s journey in 1919 plus a complete biography of C.K. and a foreword by C.K.'s only son. For more information about C.K. Shepherd and his 1919 trip across America, read the Fully Annotated Centennial Edition and also go to: https://acrossamericabymotorcycle.com....

Reviews

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great tale of true adventure that's also a fascinating snapshot of America in the early 1920s. The author, a British WWI vet, has a great self-deprecating wit, and is a keen observer of Yanks in their native habitat. One part Ted Simon, one part Alastair Cook, and a heaping spoonful of Bertie Wooster, Shepherd is admittedly clueless about motorcycle mechanics, eloquently hateful of bad roads, and exceptionally fond of ice cream. I wish all travel books were this delightful.

[Mark Gowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wonderful journal of a journey taken by a young man soon after WWI is a reminder of how beautiful the English language can be, and perhaps less positively, how language use often degrades with the advent of technology and other aspects of modern life. The journal also reminds the reader of how young American truly is.

The sheer tenacity that it took Shepherd to cross from New York to San Francisco is truly amazing, and on a Henderson motorcycle no less. The story is based upon an adventure partaken on a motorcycle, but the story is so much more than that. it is a history story and a keen look into life in America during the twenties.

Battling dirt roads, loneliness, fatigue, vehicle failure, and facing the utter insanity of such a trip, the book will be familiar to those motorcyclists, even today, that have taken on such adventurous trips. To the inexperienced, the book will be more of an insight into life in America one hundred years ago.

It is an easy read, and an interesting one as well. Put the phone down and pick up a picture filled with insight into a country that we often overlook.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like travel logs you'll love this. Now 100 years later it offers you a glimpse into the challenge of travel soon after the advent of motor powered wheel driven vehicles. Amazing difficulties following what had been the crudest of the ancient trails that crossed all regions and first were game trails, then explorer trails, then finally the crudest of tracks across the country. These trails became iconic US roads and C.K. Shepherd a recently mustered out British Royal Air Force Captain and WWI veteran followed them from New York City to San Francisco to shake out the tense and nervous energy he had accumulated as an RAF fighter pilot. Well written descriptions of his activities and the land around him. If you think you'll like this you will probably also like One Man Caravan by Robert Edison Fulton about his trip around the world on a two cylinder Douglas motorcycle from July 1932 to December 1933.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A witty non-fiction tale of a sarcastic Brit's journey across America by motorcycle in the early 1900's, when roads were hardly more than mud and gravel and signs were strange totems painted on telegraph poles. The intersection of history, culture and technology here to the modern reader is quite a treat.

[Scot Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a biker myself, I absolutely loved this book. The writer really conveys what it was like riding across the US at the start of the 20th century.
I was in awe how he could repair his machine at the side of the road with only a basic toolset. It was inspiring to hear what the west and mid west was like back then and how few roads there actually were. It really is a great adventure read.

[Alonzo Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does a bored Englishman do when he is at lose ends following the Great War? He buys himself a motorcycle and drives from New York to LA (and then to San Francisco).

Does he regret the journey? Given the problems he has with his vehicle (which is quite the lemon — the manufacturer was having labor troubles), the postal service, and the awful roads of 1919 America, yes, maybe. But the book is a fascinating picture of how difficult a cross country trip was just after ww I.

[Michael A. Simmons, Sr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable tale

A fun read about an adventuresome RAF Captain and his coast to coast Odyssey by motorcycle in 1922. Well worth your time!

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the tale of a Brit who, having completed WWI with some cash in his pocket, chose to spend a good part of 1919 riding a Henderson 4 motorcycle across the U.S. As a narrative, it is hilarious. Shepherd's dry sense of humor and foreigner's perspective on the American character are priceless, and I'll probably read the book again one day just for that, because I haven't seen another travel writer (until Hunter S. Thompson and his bevy of gonzo copycats) that can carry off this type of cultural perspective. The book is also a memorable slice of American history, though, because it was written literally at the dawn of the American highway. By 1925 you could actually do an American road trip. In 1919, though, the Lincoln Highway, the Yellowstone Trail and all those other famous highways were just routes - they weren't yet roads. Shepherd's descriptions of what passed for roads during his journey along the Pikes Peak Highway are unforgettable, and will make you appreciate even the homely country gravel road in a way you never did before. The vignettes of people and places he encounters along the way are similarly engaging, carrying you back to a way of life now lost, the honeymoon days of Americans and their cars (by the way, this book also answers the question of what came first, the car or the road. It was the car, and Henry Ford's genius was that he built an affordable car that didn't need roads to travel across the landscape.) BTW - this book, the 1922 edition, can be downloaded from Project Gutenberg. It includes a number of photographs.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first hand experience of Captain Shepherd RAF and his experiences as the first man to cross America from the east coast to the west coast on a two wheel motor cycle.

The roads, specifically the condition, feature prominently, but more to confirm in the readers mind just how much of a trail blazing effort this motor cycle journey was.

Its 1919, the war is over, and to deal with the peace Capt Shepherd realises his childhood dream to see the Grand Canyon and the observatory that would later claim credit for discovering the planet Pluto.

Many, dream of going on an adventure, Shepherd lived his dream.

Its an easy read, one that left me wanting more at the end, and that is the sign of a good book.

[JDK1962 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable.

A bit too much focus on road quality, but if you ride motorcycles, this is definitely a worthwhile read (infinitely superior to Gary Paulsen's _Zero to Sixty_, for example). The historical perspective on the state of US roads in 1919 is a real eye-opener.

BTW, this book is out of copyright, so it's possible to get a free and legal PDF scan of the book (or an e-reader version) online at www archive org. Don't pay $15-$20.

There's a bit of Bertie Wooster in Mr. Shepherd, though Bertram would have sold the motorcycle and purchased a first class rail ticket to San Francisco very early on.

[Dana Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great road trip from New York to San Francisco by way of Los Angeles - all done in 1913 on a 4 cylinder Henderson motorcycle. The roads were horrendous but the views and spirit of the country and the cities and the food are all recognizable. When he comes to Downtown L.A. it's hard not to believe he is talking about today. Hollywood and the Ocean. The roads are better now and motorcycles are more reliable but more is the same than has changed

Serviceable writing, not the best. It's not a compelling tale but I'm glad I read this and can happily recommend it to anyone who has an interest.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1919, a British RAF captain named C.K. Shepherd rode a motorcycle across America -- a time when roads beyond the eastern seaboard were often muddy paths and inaccurately mapped. His endurance and perhaps stubbornness are impressive, and today's readers will wonder at the conditions he had to face. His narrative is actually well written and never flags for long.

[Mark Garvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story

I love all things motorcycle and especially traveling. This is a but "dated" in that it was written in 1919. But is a great read even so. It is amazing to read the tale of a man and a motorcycle crossing the usa with few actual roads. I could duplicate the journey today with my much smaller but more powerful machine in a few days.
Thank you Capt Shepherd RAF