Chuck has been planning this trip since even before he and Christine moved into their home in Bristol, Maine, in June 1997. But motorcycling is a relatively recent addition to his list of activities.
"As a matter of fact," he says, "I first got into motorcycling during a Citibank posting in Tokyo back in the early 80's. After a few months of commuting by subway to Tokyo's financial district, I figured there had to be a better way. I admired the gumption of a colleague who did it by motorcycle, and that was the inspiration which got me into this sort of thing. I still remember the day the Honda factory rep delivered my brand new (but tiny -- all of 50cc) motorcycle to my apartment building and handed me the operator's manual -- all in Japanese. My attempts to ask how to ride the thing were met with bewildered looks, and I'm sure he was thinking, 'Is this guy nuts, or what?'
"But I did manage to venture into Tokyo traffic the following Saturday morning and made it to my office and back in one piece. And from then on, my commuting was much more fun than being packed like a sardine into the notoriously crowded and hot subway cars. Plus it gave me another outlet for weekend touring into the Japanese countryside, where I'd stay for a Saturday night at the equivalent of a bed and breakfast in some remote village."
So how did he get from that modest beginning to this upcoming grand adventure? Partly the influence of one of his daughter's former boyfriends, who is a motorcycling enthusiast, and partly just a sense of adventure, he says.
"I had observed this fellow who was dating my daughter and saw what a great time he had with his motorcycling. Well, I thought, if he can do it...and so the idea was born. The next year while on vacation in Maine I bought my first real bike, a 1986 Honda Interceptor VF500F -- considered by many the king of the mid-sized sport bikes back in its prime. I took some riding lessons to upgrade my riding skills and got my license in the fall of 1995.
"I started riding my 'new' bike in 1996, so I'm just now in my fifth season. But not long after I started riding, I began thinking about a trip around the country. At first it was going to be fairly straightforward -- just a cross-country trip and back, or maybe even a big loop around the perimeter. Then as time went by the plan became more ambitious -- why not all 48 contiguous states? And of course the four corners while I'm at it.
"Then last fall a new angle popped into the picture. Living in Bristol, Maine, I got to thinking about how many Bristols there must be in the country, and wouldn't it be neat to visit them all during my trip -- thinking there were maybe a dozen or so. Well, according to various maps and reference sources I consulted, there were 33 Bristols! Some of them were hardly more than a speck on a map and of questionable authenticity. I researched those without zip codes -- consulting local postmasters, librarians, historical society people, and the like -- to make sure there really was a 'there' there, and in so doing disqualified 7 of the 33. But I still ended up with 26. Happily, the trip routing didn't get too messed up, even with all of them on the itinerary."
And what about the spirit of adventure that prompted this? Chuck says that must be inherited partly from his Mayflower ancestors and partly from his father, who was one of the first American fighter pilots in World War I.
"In most things I'm a pretty risk averse guy," he says. "On the other hand, careers I used to dream about but never pursued included flying navy jets off aircraft carriers, and being a foreign correspondent for The New York Times. Even when I worked in New York for Citibank, I was constantly pestering the brass to send me overseas. They finally did, I think, just to get rid of me.
"And the motorcycling is just an extension of this desire to do something a little more daring than what occupies most of my life day in and day out. So, after riding here for a season in the summer of 1997, after we had just moved to Bristol Mills, I bought another used bike, this time a 1993 Honda CBR1000F, which is a serious sport bike -- training wheels for my big trip, I said at the time. It's been great fun for riding around the back roads of Maine, but wouldn't be particularly suitable for cross-country touring. So last summer I got a new Triumph Trophy 1200 to make the trip with."
And how does his wife feel about this new love in his life? Won't she get lonely while he's zigzagging around the country? Far from it, he says. "Christine has been a saint in every respect and totally supportive of my adventure. She's a basketmaker by profession and has persuaded some of her colleagues to visit during my absence. And visits by kids and granddaughters, plus trips to join me on two occasions -- once in Florida and again in Washington -- will help keep her out of trouble."
After this grand odyssey is over, Chuck hopes to publish a photo-essay of the experience. He's recently taken up a new career in photography, rekindling a life-long love affair with the camera and the darkroom, and sees this trip as a rare opportunity to blend his photographic skills with some writing talent.
"I will be crossing paths with people in every nook and cranny of the country, and I want to take advantage of that to record what their hopes and dreams are at the dawn of a new millennium. I know that sounds like a rather grand theme, but that's my plan. And although I will be photographing some of America's most spectacular and fabled sights, it's the faces of America that will be the most fascinating subjects for me. I hope I can do it all justice."
Sounds good. But isn't there a chance he might just want to stay put in one of those gorgeous settings, high above the rush of daily life, with the setting sun silhouetting his Trophy at the rim of the Grand Canyon or somewhere similar?
"Not on your life! Christine and I have seen a lot of this world, and I can tell you there's no place on earth we'd rather live than in this enchanted place we call home."
