Category: Central Route Coordinator News

Greetings from The San Bernardino National Forest!

I returned from our “Face-to-Face” Board of Directors Meeting in Dallas, Texas, last week, where a number of items were brought to my attention. One of the topics of discussion concerns those riders who bring their dogs. Because there were dogs running loose last year, the BOD instituted a rule stating that all dogs must be on leash at all times. I hope this says enough about this topic.  I wouldn’t want any innocent dog (be it service, comfort, or other) to be sent home because his or her owner can’t abide by this edict.

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Another change for this year involves our arrival in Arlington, Virginia, at the Holiday Inn. Due to limited parking space at the hotel, riders from all three routes are instructed to stay on their bikes. Those who have reservations at the Holiday Inn will be directed to the underground parking lot. Those who are staying at other hotels will be directed back onto the street to go to their respective hotels. This is all in an effort to avoid the problems we’ve had in past years.

As most of you are aware, 2019 was Rolling Thunder’s last year.  AMVETS will be hosting 2020’s Memorial Day Weekend Demonstration Ride named Rolling to Remember.  ( https://www.rollingtoremember.com/ ) As of this writing, we have no detailed information about any RFTW involvement. Those of you who are planning to ride the Sand Box Route know that both events commence on Sunday.

The following information should be of concern to all our riders who plan to camp along the way. We are still looking for a Camping Coordinator. We are in need of an experienced rider who has camped with us enough to advise others about conditions in various campgrounds. For this valuable service, our Assistant Route Coordinator, Bruce Bartolomeo, has promised to donate half his RFTW salary. Please give him a call if you’d like to take advantage of his generous offer.

If you’ve been on the run for a number of years, and would like to take a leadership position to help guide our RFTW organization, there are three Board of Director positions opening up this summer.  To apply, submit your resume to Dave Klemme (Papa Smurf) at dave.klemme@rftw.us No Later than 31 March.

Last item: What is the condition of YOUR motorcycle? I know some of you, like Barry, Bruce, Nick, and Mike have purchased new motorcycles for our 2020 run. But the rest of us need to make sure that we get our bikes into the shop to make sure they’re in top condition for 6000+ mile mission.  I trust you are all still working on your own personal health care goals, and will also be in your top condition by the time May arrives.

Ride safely,
Tom (Boomps) Miller
Run for the Wall
Central Route Coordinator 2020

Greetings from Southern California! The days are getting shorter and the nights longer; as they say in The North, “Winter is coming!” More importantly, Spring follows, and you cold weather folks can look forward to riding again! I hope you are remembering what I advised about getting in physical shape and honing your riding skills by taking advantage of an advanced riding course when weather permits.

After looking again at our RFTW website, I see that we still have openings on our Staging and Fuel Crews. If you filled out a Volunteer form and have not heard back from a team leader, please reach out to them directly. Their contact information is listed on the Central Route Hub on the RFTW website under Central Route Contacts. We are also creating a new position for a “Camping Coordinator.” This person will be responsible for having and distributing all the camping information for each of our overnight stops. If you have been camping with Central Route for a number of years and are interested in this position, I would love to hear from you.

Also, if you have not done so yet, please officially Register for the 2020 Run, this helps us and our supporters plan for meals, stops, etc.

Our hotel list is being finalized, as I write this newsletter. It should be out by the end of the month. I encourage you to make reservations in the hotels on our list, as they support RFTW, but I also understand the need to stay within a budget. If you are looking to cut costs by sharing a room, you might locate perspective roommates by checking on our website first under “Scuttlebutt,” then go to “Forums” on the drop down list, and then “General Discussion”.

From my family to yours, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Regards,
Tom “Boomps” Miller
Run for the Wall®
2020 Central Route Coordinator

For you new people, and our FNGs… Here is one of the RFTW Promo Videos.  A small taste of what’s to come..

 

Greetings from Southern California! Fall has arrived, temperatures have dropped to the mid 80s, and we are one month closer to May!

The biggest news I have this month is that we have changed our Day 4 overnight stop. We will overnight in Limon, Colorado instead of Goodland, Kansas. This decision did not come easily, because we all love that Goodland layover. The citizens of Goodland and the program at Northwest Technical College provide us with a delicious supper and hearty breakfast, space for camping, facilities for showers, and space for a church service on Sunday morning. They decorate the gymnasium in red, white, and blue and their elementary school children contribute their artwork and letters. It is a reception that we all deeply appreciate.

However, by overnighting in Limon, we cut 109 miles off a very long day and add it to Day 5, which is a relatively short one. In my opinion, that ride through eastern Colorado and western Kansas is one of the most grueling stretches of the entire run. By postponing the last leg of it until Day 5, we tackle it first thing in the morning, when we are all fresher and the winds aren’t as strong. This change also gives us more time between our breakfast and lunch stops on Day 5. Some RFTW old-timers may remember that we actually used to overnight in Limon. Though I believe this change will make things easier and safer in the long run, an overnight change like this does require a huge amount of work from the state coordinators. I would like to give a shout out to Tom (Twitch) Brunette and Carl (Rusty) Brown for their persistent efforts.

There may be other gas stop or lunch stop changes along the way as our state coordinators finalize plans through their state. I’ll keep you apprised as our plans evolve. As a reminder, the hotel list for all overnight stops will be published around the end of the year, and the final itinerary will be completed in early spring. Last year’s itinerary is still available on the website. Speaking of the website, I noticed there were still some openings in our staging and fuel teams. If you were thinking of volunteering, I recommend you do it sooner rather than later, as these teams do fill up.

Last month I urged you to start getting in shape physically for our 2020 RFTW. This month I would like to encourage you to start working on riding skills. If it’s been a while since you’ve taken an advanced riding course, I strongly encourage you to find one in your area and complete it prior to May. It’s easy for us to develop and slip into bad riding habits. Rider courses help us recognize and overcome these. A consistent theme in our After Action reports was the complaint that some riders did not know how to ride in a pack. A way to overcome this and gain experience is to join clubs or groups that do ride in a pack, such as Patriot Guard.

You have a lot to do in the next 204 days! Get busy!

Regards,
Tom “Boomps” Miller
Run for the Wall®
2020 Central Route Coordinator

Greetings from sunny Southern California! My name is Tom Miller, and it is my honor and privilege to have been selected as the 2020 RFTW Central Route Coordinator. For those of you who don’t know me, my first run in 2008 was “A Once in a Lifetime Experience” that I have repeated every year since. I spent two years on the Staging Crew, followed by eight years as a Road Guard, the last three as Road Guard Captain. I served under Eamon Tansey in 2019 as Assistant Route Coordinator.

As an 18-year-old, I enlisted in the United States Army in 1967. From March 1968 to March 1969, I served with the First Cav Division as an Infantry Squad Leader. After returning from Vietnam, I spent the last 14 months of my enlistment as a Drill Sergeant in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. I have always been proud of my service, and proud of all my brothers and sisters who have served our country, and all those family and friends who have supported our military. This is why Run for the Wall has been so important in my life for the last 13 years.

Joining me as part of your Leadership Team are Bruce Bartolomeo, as Assistant Route Coordinator, Kirk Olson as Road Guard Captain, and Jenny Ward, as Leadership Support Lead. All three of these talented individuals bring a lot of experience, enthusiasm, and dedication to the job, and I feel fortunate to have them with us.

The finalized itinerary for all RFTW Routes, including Central Route, will  be complete and published in the early spring.  Take a look at the posted 2019 itinerary.  2020 will most likely be the same with some possible adjustments.  Just date adjust for 2020.  We leave Ontario, CA on Wednesday morning, May 13, 2020 and arrive Washington, DC the Friday afternoon of May 22, 2020.  If you are new to RFTW and want to get a feel for what riding with us and RFTW is like, please also check out, the New Participant tab and the 10-Days in May section of the RFTW website.  There you will also find an FAQ section.

As of this writing, our teams and crews are being put together, so if you are thinking of volunteering to serve the Run, now is the time. The 2020 RFTW Central Route Volunteer Form is on the Central Route Hub of the RFTW website. The form explains minimum requirements for each job. If you meet the requirements, I encourage you to complete the form and hit the submit button.

On the subject of volunteering, we had a great reunion at Angel Fire and Eagle Nest, New Mexico over Labor Day Weekend. The Central Route has a long-standing tradition of coming together during that weekend to volunteer our service at the New Mexico Vietnam Veterans Memorial. During our time there, we lined the sidewalks with over 500 personalized bricks dedicated to former and current military personnel. This brings the total number of bricks respectfully placed by RFTW participants to over 5,000. VietnamVeteransMemorial.org

I know we’re 236 days out, but it is never too early to start getting in shape for the Run. Those of you, who are coming back from past runs, know well how grueling those ten days on the road can be, especially in adverse weather conditions. I encourage you to start an exercise program and stick with it for the long haul! I know two long time RFTW vets who have a good-natured bet going to see which one of them can lose the most weight before May! Whatever it takes to stay healthy enough to ride!

Regards,
Tom “Boomps” Miller
Run for the Wall®
2020 Central Route Coordinator

Central Route

Only 23 days to go and 587 people are registered  for Central Route

Only 23 days to go before you start on the greatest motorcycle ride in the world.

If you are an FNG please read the New Participant section on the webpage “RFTW.US”, 10 days in May and FAQs.

Don’t forget to pre-register! Pre-Registration ends on April 30th at midnight.  This will help those organizing the Run with knowing the number of meals and fueling spots to cater for. This will also save you $20.00.  You don’t have to pay your registration fee until you turn up at your starting point.

1. Prepare your bike, tires, etc.
2. Start drinking extra water
3. Don’t over pack

This is a great experience and to fully appreciate it please enter the Run with an open mind and no negative attitudes. To operate this route takes a lot of effort on our volunteer leadership, so if you are directed to do something or move somewhere just do it.  While on the Run during the day there is no time to explain why you are being asked to do something. When we arrive at our destination for the night please feel free to ask as many questions as you would like.  Our Leadership teams are there to help you.

Cars and Slingshots are very welcome on the Run and if registered can participate in all our events.

Important: Vehicles and slingshots cannot travel in the Pack or fuel with the Pack. The best spot would be a couple of miles ahead of the Pack.

 Note:  Even if you preregister, you still must bring all your documents to the registration point, license (motorcycle endorsed) bike registration, up to date insurance. If you are bringing a minor you must have a notarized permission letter.

This has to be checked by registration in-person before you are assigned a platoon.

Every year we have some folks who turn up who forgot their docs.

If you do not have the proper documentation, you cannot participate in RFTW.

It would be a shame after planning for this great mission.

Looking forward to seeing you in May

Eamon “ Boomer” Tansey
Central Route Coordinator 2019

Central Route    Mar 2019

 

Only 74 days to go

Points of interests.

 

Safety

 

1. Start drinking more water
2. Increase your exercise
3. Learn to ride in a group, especially side by side.
4. Plan to have your bike checked, tires, brakes etc.

On the Run

1. Have $100.00 in ones, fives and tens for fuel. (no change given)
2. Cars and slingshots are very welcome but can’t ride in the main pack and must fuel separately
3. Don’t over pack
4. Notify your credit card providers that you will be travelling. Make a copy of all docs and keep it at home, i.e. credit cards, license, registration etc.
5. Follow instructions from leadership, Platoon leaders, Roadguards, Fuelers, Stageing etc. They are all there to ensure your safety.
6. Thank all of the people at towns and stops across the country that donates their time and contributions to make this the ride of a lifetime.
7. Leave all stops cleaner than when we arrive, pick up all trash.
8. Prepared to be overwhelmed by the welcome and patriotism you will receive

 

Note:  Even if you preregister, you still must bring all your documents to the registration point, license (motorcycle endorsed) bike registration, up to date insurance. If you are bringing a minor you must have a notarized permission letter.

This has to be checked out before you are assigned a platoon.

Every year we have some folks who turn up who forgot their docs and that is a shame after planning for this great mission.

If you do not have the proper documentation; you cannot participate in RFTW.

 

 

 

Central Route    FEB

 

Only 100 days to go

 

 

 

The time will go very fast so this is the time to prepare yourself and the bike for the Run, tires etc.

 

Packing- often one of the mistakes new people to the Run (FNGs) make is packing too much. The old adage of putting out what you think you need and then taking half out is very true. You will pick up t-shirts along the way some are given to us others we will buy. I take along 3 or 4 rolls of quarters and some laundry pods. There are laundry facilities along the route. There are tips for riders on the Forum (rftw.us)detailed by veteran riders.

 

 

Don’t forget to pre-register; this will help those organizing the Run with knowing the number of meals and fueling spots to cater for. This will also save you $20.00 plus you don’t have to pay until you turn up at your starting point.

 

Note:  Even if you pre-register, you still must bring all your documents to the registration point, license (motorcycle endorsed) bike registration, up to date insurance. If you are bringing a minor you must have a notarize permission letter.

This has to be checked out before you are assigned a platoon.

 

Every year we have some folks who turn up who forgot their docs and that is a shame after planning for this great mission.

If you do not have the proper documentation; you cannot participate in RFTW.