Category: Central Route Coordinator News

Greetings to all of our Central Route Family!

This will be my last official communique as 2022 Central Route Coordinator. When I started this process in 2019, I did not expect it to last so long. We were three years in the making, but in the ten days that we actually executed the run, I can state emphatically that those three years were worth it! I had so much help from so many people, it would be impossible to name everyone, as I would be afraid I would forget someone. I do want to give a shoutout to all the FNGs who started out with us in Ontario, and stayed with us all the way to Washington DC. Together we rode through the wind and rain and the snow in Raton Pass. We dodged both forest fires and snowstorms! You are a very special group, and I was proud to lead you across the country.

I’d also like to thank those of you who composed and submitted an “After Action Report” (AAR). Know that those reports are read by every board member, and have served to make positive changes to the way we conduct the run. After all, its is your run. If you have thought about submitting an AAR, but have not done so, now is the time. The forms are available on our website. The board still has one more meeting in June, before the new board is in place in July.

Finally, I am happy to report that the board approved Paul Marshall to serve as our Central Route Coordinator for 2023. Paul has worked tirelessly for the last two years, as my Assistant Route Coordinator. The success of Run XXXll was due in no small part to the efforts of Paul. I know he will do an awesome job as our Route Coordinator in 2023.

I hope you have more fun planned for the rest of the summer. Mine includes six weeks camp hosting at Carpinteria State Beach. If you are in the area, stop by to say, “Hi!” I hope to see you in May.

God Bless the United States of America.

Tom “Boomps” Miller
2022 RFTW Central Route Coordinator

NEW UPDATE!

NEW UPDATED Time Line/Schedule for the morning of Day 4 – Saturday May 21 2022

1100 – Staging

1130 – All Riders Morning Brief

1145 – Platoon Brief

1200 – KSU (hopefully)

The previously scheduled morning fuel stop at Crossroads Truck Stop has been CANCELLED! Please fuel your vehicles on your own before staging.

Due to inclement weather our departure from Raton has been pushed accordingly:

UPDATED Time Line/Schedule for the morning of Day 4 – Saturday May 21 2022

1030 – STAGING

1100 – All Riders Morning Brief

1130 – Platoon Brief

1200 – KSU

Since we will be missing our lunch stop please make sure you eat before we depart and bring a snack (if possible).

Attention All Central Route Riders

Time Line/Schedule for the morning of Day 4 – Saturday May 21 2022

FUEL
Fuel at Crossroads truck stop 855 Clayton Rd. East side of I-25 exit 451.
0800 – 0810: Advance groups/Road Guards/Staging first.
0810 – 0840: Pack riders (Do not show up prior to 0810.)
Fueling will end at 0840.

STAGING
Stage after fuel on Clayton Rd. West side of I-25 same place as years past. Look for staging team.

0845 – Riders Brief
Caddy-corner from the Tourist information center (Abandoned Texan Motel) on Clayton Rd.

0915 – Platoon Brief

0930 – Welcoming Speeches Mayor & other’s

0955 – KSU

This time line is not normally the way we work but we are working under unusual circumstances. This time-line will allow us to keep the pack on schedule for the rest of the day.

If this is your jacket please report to the sound stage in the morning with a crisp $5 bill.

Events in Northern New Mexico along the Central Route have led to a very difficult discission. Keeping my eye on the news, fire maps and talking with folks on the ground, the fires burning 10 miles South of Angel Fire and creeping closer, went from 40% to 29% contained. The Angel Fire Resort is being taken over by the Forest Service Incident Command. All LEO support has been pulled from the RFTW and reassigned to the fires. We will NOT BE GOING TO ANGEL FIRE/EAGLE NEST for the night.

Change in route is as follows. This will be for Friday 20 May

• RT-66 Casino through Albuquerque to North I-25 no Change.
• I-25 Exit # 252 Black Mesa Casino. Fuel 35 miles Lunch????
• I-25 Exit # 419 Russell’s Truck and travel center. Fuel 167 miles
• I-25 Exit # 451 Raton. Fuel Donated 35 miles.
• Stageing on Clayton Rd in AM. Time TBD

Hotel list

Best Western 575-445-8501 473 Clayton Rd, Raton $144.00 plus Tax
Quality Inn 575-445-4200 533 Clayton Rd, Raton
Casa Lemus 575-445-2737 350 Clayton Rd, Raton
Robin Hood 575-455-5577 1354 2nd St. Raton
Microtel Inn & Suites 575-303-4479 1640 Cedar St. Raton
Super 8 575-445-2355 1610 Cedar St. Raton
Travel Lodge 505-738-4180 1600 Cedar St. Raton
Holiday Inn Exp & Suites 575-445-1500 101 Card Ave.

Raton has plenty of rooms.

Make sure you cancel reservation in Angel Fire/Eagle Nest/Red River or any other place you have reservations made.

*Several items need to be finalized and being worked out.

Greetings to all of our Central Route Family!

Since last posting, we have registered about a hundred more riders to our 2022 RFTW Central Route. Hopefully, you are one of them. As of May 1, Registration fees go from $30 to $50. The 2022 Itinerary has been posted on our website’s Central Route Hub. Once again I am amazed at the amazing work our state coordinators have done to put this together.

If you’ve already looked at our itinerary, you’ll see one major change for Saturday, May 28. We will not be going into Arlington Cemetery as a group. What we WILL be doing is meeting with all RFTW riders at the Lincoln Memorial at 8:30 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. group photo. Following this, we will all walk to the Viet Nam Wall to present our “Mission Accomplished plaque. At that time, any individuals wishing to go visit Arlington National Cemetery may go on their own.

I hope all of you will have your bikes and yourselves in shape within the next thirty days. Remember to start hydrating. You can’t just start drinking water on the first day of the run to stay healthy throughout.

I look forward to seeing you in May. Kick Stands Up in @35 days! Stay Safe. God Bless the United States of America.

Tom “Boomps” Miller
RFTW Central Route Coordinator

Hello Central Route Riders,

Belated Happy New Year Greetings to you all!

I have delayed updating my newsletter until I had some good news to report. Our RFTW Board of Directors will not make an official announcement regarding the 2022 run starting in Ontario and going to Washington DC until their March 2022 board meeting. As you can ascertain from watching the news, Covid restrictions are falling away daily. We just watched the Super Bowl televised in California with 78,000 maskless people cheering. This leaves me with a high degree of confidence that Run XXXII will go as planned.

We have 264 Central Route riders registered as of this writing. I believe this is a little under our norm, as many of you may be waiting for official word from our Board of Directors. I have already made my reservations, and am counting down the days until May 18!

In the last letter I asked for a Camping Coordinator. I am happy to report that Steve Andros, our Arizona State Coordinator, stepped up to meet our needs. If you need something done, ask a busy man! Steve wrote up a 3-page description of the campsites along our route, including costs and amenities. Any of you who are planning to camp should be able to access that information on our website, or email Steve at steve@gren-a-e.com.

We are in need of chase truck drivers!

Traditionally, we leave Ontario with three or four chase trucks, and currently we’re down to two. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of an unexpected breakdown, you know that those chase truck drivers are real heroes. We do have a volunteer with a truck, but no trailer, who is willing to serve, so if you have a trailer you would like to offer for our use, it would be much appreciated. In the years I have been on the run, I had a flat tire, dead battery from leaving the ignition on, and a cracked radiator. I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen to any of you who happen to have a trailer you don’t want to offer up!

For those of you who would like to increase your level of participation, our Staging and Fuel Teams are also in need of additional volunteers. Unfortunately, these positions are not open to FNGs.

Finally, please consider enrolling in a Riders Training Course (mandatory for Road Guards). Riding in formation is difficult because it requires a higher level of concentration than a normal Sunday HOG ride. Some of you don’t get much riding in the winter, and we missed two RFTW years due to Covid, so this could be a really important safety measure for you.

I look forward to seeing you in May. Stay Safe. God Bless the United States of America.

Tom “Boomps” Miller
RFTW Central Route Coordinator

Hello Central Route Riders.
Greetings from Rainy Southern California!
I know most of you think it never rains in Southern California, but I guarantee that it
does! I actually wore my motorcycle gear outside the other day because I had to unplug a
drain in my backyard, and that’s the best rain protection I own! Jan and I are leaving today to spend 3 days in the mountains with the grandkids. I hope all of you have some fun
holiday plans of your own.

Now, down to business! If you have not registered yet, please do so as soon as possible! It
is important that we get our numbers as close to reality as possible, as it affects all our
planning and preparation for the places we will be visiting. State coordinators have ben
working hard to get all of our hotels lined up. It seems they change managers often in
that industry, and coordinators have to reestablish contacts with new players. The hotel
list will be published right after the first of January. When you call, please be courteous
and patient, as hotels will be receiving hundreds of calls from RFTW folks. Remember
each of us represents our RFTW organization, and we do not want to burn any bridges
with our hotel folks.

I am in need of a Camping Coordinator! If you are one of those hearty individuals who
camp along the way, please reach out to myself or Paul Marshall, so that we can get your
name and contact information on our website. At our FNG Zoom meeting this month, we
had a number of questions about camping, and every route is a little different. Please
consider stepping up!

As of right now, the Board of Directors and all four Route Coordinators are committed to
having Run XXXII start in Ontario in May and go all the way to DC. If you hear any rumors
to the contrary, check with a board member or myself or Paul. If it’s not published on the
website, it’s not happening.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I look forward to seeing you
in May. Stay Safe. God Bless the United States of America.

Tom “Boomps” Miller
RFTW Central Route Coordinator