Detroit, Michigan – June 16
 

Clancy thought not much of the miles between Chicago and Detroit, nor did I. 100 years ago the road seemed to have been as boring as it was today.

Photo # 1 below shows how most of the countryside looked through Indiana and Ohio, and then driving north to the Detroit area where we will spend the night. The most interesting aspect of the nearly 300 miles covered today might have been reading the advertising on the road signs, or looking at the types of cars stopping in the service plazas where I filled the gas tank.

The most boring section is shown in photograph # 2, where the Toll Road had been under construction and speed slowed down to 50 mph.

Like Clancy, I did not think much of the area I was passing through. On the upside, there was plenty of time to allow the brain to focus on the research to be done tomorrow.

Centenary commemorative haiku
 

Packed and prepped to roll
we'll meet with CarlStearnsClancy
A century hence

Detroit, Michigan to Buffalo, New York: Stinky day - June 16
 

Our team was joined today by two fascinating BMW riders, Phil (photograph # 1 below) and Karen (photograph # 2 below) Ager. Retired military, both brought considerable research and investigative assets to our efforts to unearth tall tales, fishy claims and outright lies as we hunted the greater Detroit area.

Research had been assisted earlier by numerous other professionals. My sources included contacts with some individuals at one time associated with the former DETROIT FREE PRESS, a well respected publication dating back to 1831. I had long known that if these types were investigating or following a thread they were like starving Doberman Pinchers digging for a buried bone.

One of our goals for the day was to find the original Henderson Motorcycle Company factory location in downtown Detroit, to where Clancy returned in 1913 and showed off his well traveled 1912 model. He claimed his motorcycle was “looked up to in mute admiration by its many younger brothers who had appeared upon the scene during its long and brilliant absence.”


Photograph # 3 below shows what our team found where the former factory had been, the tall dark glass buildings known as The Renaissance Center. We knew it was the right location, nearly on the water, at the corners of East Jefferson and Brush streets (N42.32997, W83.03382). A slight wind coming off the water of the Lake Erie seemed to confirm that at one time there was the hustle and noise involved with manufacturing the venerable Henderson motorcycles, the wind whispering “Yes, Clancy and his 1912 Henderson were here.”


Also blowing in the wind were some of the other truths we were seeking, ranging from sordid politics and corruption to why the city is today considered one of the most dangerous in the United States. It may have been the birth of some of this urban sickness that prompted Henderson Company owner Ignatz Schwinn to long ago move the motorcycle manufacturing facility from Detroit to Chicago.


Our team made a pit stop during the day of adventure at a service area well away from the lower intestine of Detroit, pictured in # 4 below. While they parked their bodies in the shade of a tree and reflected on the findings of the day (photograph # 5 below), I too reflected on discoveries and promised results of further investigations. While the group was trying to decide whether Clancy had been sitting on the exact spot where they were sitting, I was reflecting on various leads my sources had been following, they telling me some information I had been given years earlier was suspiciously stinky.


Stinky became real as I approached our June 17 Clancy Centenary Ride Team sitting or reclining in the grass. They asked me to join them. I politely declined, telling them that while they may have found a Clancy resting spot of 100 years earlier, they were in fact sitting in the exact spot known 100 years later as the Pet Exercise Area. They did not appear to believe me, so I went back to the sign I had seen and took photograph # 6 below.


When our team departed for Buffalo, New York, our next stop, I offered to stay near the front of the Pet Exercise Area reclining group as we drove the 350 miles, respectful of the sensitivity my journalist’s nasal passages have to stinky stuff, whether verbal or natural.

Cheers to the Centenal riders
 

Thanks for the update, Greg.
I'm in Buffalo currently trying to take you up on the offer you made at TheRidersCorner to ride with the Clancy Centenal ride but having trouble getting your location.
What an Adventure just finding you. I can imagine the fun you're having finding Clancy's trail.

We Really Enjoyed Our Time Together!
 

We were privileged to join the Carl Clancy Group Ride from Dearborn, MI to Cleveland on Monday. They’re a genial troop of very well traveled ADV riders. Thanks for allowing us to tag along for such a "short jaunt" guys! Best wishes as your wonderful 100th anniversary Carl Clancy circumnavigation concludes in NYC. We had to bugger off to KY for a family gathering, and we sadly won’t be at Bob’s BMW in Jessup, MD for the small post-conclusion ceremony.

Picture 1 taken as we departed the old but charming Dearborn Inn.
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/...ps87c50835.jpg

Group shot taken at a petrol stop in NW Ohio.
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/...ps472dd39e.jpg

The CC Riders following Richard Livermore and Dr Greg Frazier toward Cleveland and then up to Buffalo.
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4efe9078.jpg

Here are 2 not-so "Action" videos of Monday's ride along I-80 east in Ohio...

First Phil Passes the Group:
Phil Rides Up Beside Carl Clancy Riders Video by philager | Photobucket

Then the CC Riders all pass Phil:
CC Riders Then Pass Phil Video by philager | Photobucket

Sláinte! (Gaelic)
Phil & Karen

Well it was well worth the effort to connect with the ClancyCentenalRide at Niagara State Park overlooking the Falls. George and I are on the far right side....
Attachment 10142

We are seeing a view similar to what Carl saw a century back minus a few feet. One hundred years of water damage subtracted some of the falls but none of the height.

We rode Clancy's route east after George broke off to go get a replacement rear tire. Route 5 is nothing like it was all thise decades ago and we payed the price of those "advancements" in the form of stop and go traffic for almost and hour in order to get out of the Buffalo area and out into open countryside.
Then the lunch stop.
Attachment 10143
...woops! They don't serve food at this bar.
Lets try again:
Attachment 10144

It was really great meeting you guys. Have a fun and successful rest of your ride. Sorry I can't make the media event at Penn Station in NYC.

GS3 on TapaTalk

Buffalo, New York to Watkins Glen, New York - June 18
 

Two new researchers joined our team June 18, connecting at Niagara Falls, where Clancy visited a century ago. George Catt, from Kingman, Arizona, was on his 174,000 mile young 2001 Honda ST 1100A. A retired “Documentation Specialist,” Catt added a new element to our research group, that of someone who could verify the veracity of documents.

The other addition was Daniel DiGiacomo, from Staten Island, New York, a former Environmental Conservationist for the state of New York. I had met with both Catt and DiGiacomo earlier in the year halfway around the globe at the Rider’s Corner Restaurant and Bar in Chiang Mai, Thailand where the seed was planted for some of our mutual research projects.

After his pal Catt vectored off early in the day in search of a new tire 600 miles away, DiGiacomo, on his 2008 Suzuki DL650 stayed with our team over state Route 5 as we moved eastwards. He was often pointing out environmentally significant locations that Clancy would have passed, like 150 year-old trees.

DiGiacomo, pictured on the left in photograph # 1 below, was being reminded by Catt, on the right, before Catt headed west, not to accept any undocumented old wooden nickels as he wandered with us over the Clancy Trail.

Route 5 was the “Old Buffalo Highway,” therefore the one Clancy had used 100 years earlier to leave Buffalo and drive east. I found the Diegelman Motors shop, shown in photograph # 2 below, just off Route 5, having long been closed. At one time it was obvious the repair shop had been a thriving business. Today all that was thriving were the mosquitoes, which, along with a barely readable Private Property sign, ran me off the property.

Once Catt left us the rest of the day was a meandering competition between the 1200 cc Bavarian Adventure behemoths and the three significantly smaller 650 cc Japanese models (two 1983 Honda CX650 twins and Suzuki DL650 single). As we hammered Route 5 at speeds never exceeding 55 mph, and often in the 15 mph and 30 mph range, I reflected on how we were often traveling at the same speeds Clancy had on his 934 cc Henderson.

The breath taking speeds required nourishment for some of the pilots. The lead motorhead decided that a roadside restaurant named Scooters was deserving of the groups dollars for a mid day pit stop, shown in photograph # 3 below. While noshing they opined why the day before the Pope had blessed a certain brand of motorcycles. In the spirit of Clancy, this writer will refer to the other brand as Clancy did, “a well-known twin.”

Our day ended in Watkins Glen, New York, well off Route 5, but a town mentioned as purportedly on the Clancy Trail. Another town nearby was also mentioned, that of Reading, New York, little more than a spit in the road today. Why Clancy vectored off the direct route to Syracuse, New York to drive south to Reading and Watkins Glen remains a mystery. One theory put forth was that Clancy, the ever curious, wanted to see the southern tip of Seneca Lake. Other theories were that he visited another Henderson dealership or a friend. My favorite theory was that since Clancy had been from sea to sea and had time and the Henderson was running well enough, he could easily make the detour to see what he could see.

Watkins Glen, New York To Albany, New York - June 19
 

Our day started clear and cool on the shores of blue Seneca Lake, a perfect day for motorcycling, as seen in photo # 1 below.

The June 19 tour took us back north to Route 5 through rolling hills and rich green farmland fields as pictured in # 2 below.

Once on Route 5, traveling east towards Albany, we discovered a cement and macadam road-world that Clancy would have undoubtedly shaken his head at in wonderment, as did we, seen here as photograph # 3.

We found a free motorcycle touring map of the area we were traveling through, shown in photograph # 4. Viewing the suggested routes in the map (photograph # 5) we found some included Route 5, and sections of congestion and ugly traffic were wisely avoided. 100 years earlier Clancy could have used this map for its many points of interest and suggested pit stops, including those of motorcycle dealerships for a “well-known twin.” Clancy might have stopped at the dealerships and challenged owners and riders to a competition with his Henderson, or sell them a Henderson dealership.

Albany, New York to Newburgh, New York - June 20
 

Clancy vectored off the direct route to New York City to visit for one night with his family in the Berkshire Hills, but left the social event void of any description.

Today we did much the same, although not as a group. I needed some alone time, a time to refresh my cranial batteries from the last 18 days of fun and adventure traveling with a group instead of in my normal solo mode. I also wanted to reflect on the highs, lows and in betweens Clancy had experienced, like the bad roads, drunkards in Butte, Montana, numerous crashes, bad or no food, lack of amenities with no safety net and traveling into the unknown. Picture # 1 below shows how I chose to do my solo cranial hard drive defragmentation while reflecting at speed.

A stop at a gas station found me looking at a coin operated ice cream machine. Remembering how Clancy and Robert Allen liked to stop and eat ice cream, I smiled when looking at photograph # 2 below. I wondered what Clancy or Allen would think of the coin operated ice cream machine of the 21st Century.

I came upon a group of riders on the “well-known twin” machines as Clancy had described the brand of motorcycle in his references to them. Photograph # 3 below shows how I followed them at their legally sedate speed.

Photograph # 4 shows how I had morphed with the cosmic spirit of the Clancy adventure 100 years earlier – I passed all of the well-known twins, giving them a friendly wave as I left them behind.

This day closed with a private party, a secret celebration with the members of The Clancy Centenary Ride Team. Under a media blackout, the evening was spent in The Center Of The AViD Motorcycle Traveler Universe And Farewell Celebration For The Clancy Centenary Ride. The only members of the media allowed in, other than those represented by Team members, were Editors from BACKRAODS MOTORCYCLE TOUR MAGAZINE www.backroadsusa.com , which exclusively reports on Motorcycles, Travel and Adventure.

Private Dinner and Stuff
 

Great to see you again Greg, as well as meet all the riders and friends in attendance. Good tales shared and catching up done. bier

Congrats on your most prestigious award - treasure it; it can be used as a weapon in hostile environments.

John, thank you so much for the goodie bag I took home :clap:

Safe journeys into the bowels of NYC and passage out. Hope to catch up with everyone at some point in life.

Finally, a parting shot of the mascots of Monkey with a Gun wishing the Irish bon voyage.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...1&d=1371822627

Newburgh, New York to New York City – Mission Accomplished and Media Frenzy - June 21
 

Two members from the Board of Directors of the Motorcyclepedia Museum served as our guides into the lower intestine of New York City, Larry Mosca, photograph # 1 below, and Pete Miller, photograph #2 below. Miller, a retired Chief of Police from Highland Falls, New York, blessed us with his 2011 “well-known make,” a 2011 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide.

Our group managed to finish the USA leg of The Clancy Centenary Ride, 5,600 miles from San Francisco, where we had left on June 2, with a “Mission Accomplished” feeling. Soon after we parked we were surrounded by well-wishers and photographers, all wanting quotes, photographs or autographs. It was a media frenzy which lasted about 20 minutes until we had to leave the unauthorized parking zone we had taken over. Photograph # 3 below shows our group at Pennsylvania Station, from where Clancy and Story departed in 1912 on their global circumnavigation.

Photograph # 4 below is me holding the pennant from Feargal O’Neill and Joe Walsh which had been carried around the world. When Anna Livermore, also holding the pennant, asked what I was going to do with it, I told her I thought it was deserving of another trip around the world, which is what Richard Livermore and I are beginning.

While The Clancy Centenary Ride is now officially over, Richard and I will keep working our way around the world on THE GREAT AROUND THE WORLD ADVENTURE RALLY http://bit.ly/1QhmgA1. My next destination is Florida, where my motorcycle will go into an extended sleep on long pit stop.

Clancy Authors Meet In Hanoi, April 2016
 

Geoff Hill and I connected in Hanoi on April 6 & 7. Since we had parted at Penn Station in New York City, June 21, 2013 two new Clancy books had been published.

The first, IN CLANCY’S BOOTS, was written by Hill and recounts his and Gary Walker’s ride around the world following Clancy’s tracks while carrying the boots Clancy wore 100 years earlier.


The second, THE GASOLINE TRAMP or AROUND THE WORLD ON A MOTORCYCLE (1912-1913) was the result of finding an unpublished Clancy manuscript, editing, adding to and re-writing some of the original chapters of MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURER, the 2010 book which spawned the Clancy Centenary Ride described above.


Both THE GASOLINE TRAMP and IN CLANCY’S BOOTS are available in e-book or print copy form.


Hill was in Hanoi to start a motorcycle ride south over some of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. I was in Hanoi researching an elusive thread (read that as “a wild rumor”) that a 1912 Henderson similar to the one Clancy piloted around the world was hidden in the back of small motorcycle repair shop.