Category: Midway Route Photo Gallery

Greetings from the Battle Born State,

The middle of the US is starting to open up which is good news.  The Reunion organizers are busy putting plans together.  Diane and I are already making plans for our trip to Kerrville, TX for the All Riders, Past Present and Future Reunion.  More details can be found on the RFTW Facebook page.

When the 2020 Run was cancelled, I gave you the R.F.T.W Challenge.  The whole Country was pretty much locked down them, making long interstate trips difficult to say the least.  Many of you took up the challenge, ran with it, and a few of you went over the top.  I never thought we might need another challenge like that. 

Sometimes it seems like we can’t catch a break.  Well maybe we did.  In the words of Jedi Master Yoda “there is another”.   Another what, you ask?   Another Vietnam Memorial Wall, in Perryville, MO.  It is a full-scale replica, even down to the misspelled names.  I urge you to check it out at: https://mnvmfund.org/  located at 1172 veterans Memorial Pkwy, Perryville, MO

Yes, there are many such tributes all around the Country, some are traveling.  I had the honor of assembling one such Wall when it came to our capital here in Carson City.  We started at 0400, we were putting in the last bolts at 0800 just as the first school children arrived.   It had no less meaning to us as the original in Washington, D.C.

Missouri (MO) is the Show Me State, let’s Show Them how Run For The Wall riders support our Mission.  So, I have a challenge for you in 2021.  If you are not able to ride to DC, ride to Perryville or any destination with a tribute Wall, send me a picture of you at the Wall.  Oh, by the way, it is only about 320 miles from the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Marseilles, IL (Hint)

Please, if you travel in a group or alone, check the Pandemic Restrictions where you will be traveling through to make sure not in violation.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive

Greetings Again from the Battle Born State,

I think we are all trying to deal with the 2^nd postponement of the 20^th Anniversary RFTW Southern Route to 2022.  One thing we all should do is cancel any hotel reservations we made in anticipation for RFTW 2021.  Some of the room blocks were cancelled, which would have automatically cancelled your reservation.  You should verify that just to be sure you are not charged for a room where you did not stay.

I think also that it is safe to say that the fire that burns within us says “Restrictions be damned, let’s ride”.  If I thought there was any way we could all ride together, I would be right there with you.  We have dealt with Rain, Cold, Blistering Heat, Tornados and even Hail.  How? We adapt and overcome.  But none of that compares with Restrictions on the size of Group Gatherings, that could stop us right in our tracks at any time.  Of course, you are free to ride when and where you like, but I caution you against any large-scale endeavor which could result in unnecessary problems for everyone.  Run For The Wall Southern Route 2021 was cancelled, that is the reality. But we are not giving up on the Mission or are we giving in to the restrictions.  Adapt and Overcome, Be Smart

Normally Deja Vu experiences are fun and interesting, this one, not so much.    By now you have heard the RFTW 2021 has suffered the same fate as 2020.  It was not an easy decision to cancel again.   The Safety of our Riders and Supporters is of paramount importance.  Because of the Pandemic Restriction variances from state to state and county to county, there is no way we could execute our Route as planned.  It would be unethical for me to lead the Southern Route into situations that could potentially, cause harm and /or subject us to serious fines and penalties.  The main culprit is the draconian limitation on Group Gatherings.  Many states are as low as 10 people.

Frustrating to put it mildly.  I honestly thought that the Country would be much more open by now, and wide open by May.   The RFTW President shared a more detailed explanation in his newsletter this morning, you can read it at:

https://rftw.us/presidents-message-february-2021-part-2/

The Board of Directors has asked, and I have agreed to stay on as the Southern Route Coordinator for RFTW 2022, or until we finally put RFTW XXXII in the book.   I Hope and Pray that you ALL will be with us when we go Kick Stands Up May 18, 2022.  We have come too far to give up now.

The FNG Town Hall is still ln for Tomorrow February 27^th  (see flyer below)

Also. stay tuned for upcoming information on ALL Rider Reunions.  Until then……. Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive

Greetings Again form the Battle Born State,

***** Fake News Alert****

I am so happily embarrassed. I just got off the phone with Patti Luttrell, Clyde’s wife. I would have talked to Clyde, but he was busy eating his dinner. I will call him shortly and I am sure that we will have an interesting conversation.

Bottom line is …. OUR Clyde Luttrell is very much alive. I was given some bad intel. No one to blame but myself. I wanted to correct this ASAP.

Greetings from The Battle Born State,

I apologize up front for the somber tone of this newsletter.  I only wish that the good news flooded in as fast as the bad news.

Just last week I found out that Don “9 Ball” Morris passed away.  He was one of our most beloved Southern Route Riders, a Road Guard, and our 2006 Southern Route Coordinator.  He and is lovely wife Della aka “Pocket” were mainstays for many years on the Run.  Les “Easy” Williams wrote a beautiful tribute to Don in his most recent President’s Message.

Yesterday I learned that we lost Clyde “Rock” Luttrell one of Southern Route’s Tennessee State Coordinators.  You may not remember his name, but you would surely recognize his face, and we all enjoyed the fruits of his labor.  “Rock” was instrumental in organizing the Donuts & Coffee and PB&J stop in Knoxville, TN.  Definitely one of the Riders’ most anticipated stops. Please Pray for their Families that they find Peace.

Today I was told that one of our Texas riders, Hal “Grumpy” DuPuy was t-boned by an inattentive cage driver pulling out from a parking lot.  I spoke to his wife earlier; he is in stable condition and will be admitted to the hospital.  He likely has a fractured bone in his elbow and endured several x-rays and CT Scan.  They are awaiting the results.  His ride did not fare so well.  He can definitely use a whole lotta Healing Prayers.

As I write this, I realize that if my Dad was still alive, we would be celebrating his 100^th birthday this month.

It is obvious that there are a great many things that are out of our control.  But one thing we can control is how we take care if ourselves.  I urge you to see your Primary Care Provider for a check-up before the Run and consider getting a Covid-19 Vaccination.  With today’s technology doctors can detect many issued before they become more serious.

On a more positive note, planning and preparations for Southern Route are moving forward.  Our State Coordinators are meeting with Supporters every day.  #RFTWStrong

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive.

Greetings from the Snowy Northern Nevada Tundra,

First off, for the FNGs, thank you for the questions sent to me, KEEP them coming.  As promised here is the link for you to register for the Zoom FNG Town Hall.  You must pre-register, we are limited to the number of participants so sign up NOW.  If we approach our maximum, we can (and probably will) bump up the limit so that no one will be left out.   

You are invited to a Zoom meeting. 

When: Feb 27, 2021 02:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) 

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pf-CorTsiGtMnCsWU5U8eaB-MAEZWtE85

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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In case you did not know, the bulk of the funding for our School / Educational Grants come from raffle ticket sales, both the 50/50 and the Prize Raffles.  Most of the prizes are donated by our Riders but some come from Companies and Groups who support the Mission.  We can always use more, so I am asking you to talk to the people that you do business with and see if they would like to donate any item(s) for our Prize or Daily Raffles.  Just bring the items with you and turn them over to one of our Rousers.  This time we will have Jessa “Baby Buzz” Mullen-Bradford as our 50/50 Rouser.  She will be very busy, so we are also looking for an Outgoing and Dedicated Raffle Rouser to share the duties.  If you are interested, please send me an email. 

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Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive

Greetings to ALL Southern Route FNGs.

All Route Coordinators (RCs) produce and publish an Introduction Video on their hub of the www.rftw.us website.  If you have not already checked them out, you should.  There is literally a ton of other information on our website (I had it weighed).  All of our RFTW Merchandise is available there, along with the Forum, Announcements and RC Newsletters.

I think everyone has felt like the “New Kid” at some time in their life, First day of high school, college, new job maybe even boot camp.  Being a “Fun New Guy or Gal: (FNG) on Run For The Wall (RFTW) is not much different.  There is a lot that you may not know, and we don’t expect that you do.  I would be a rich man if I had a nickel for every time I heard “Gee, I wish I knew that before my FNG year”.  We learn best from our experiences.  But Experience is a cruel teacher first the test, then the lesson.

The problem is that, due to time constraints, our FNG briefing in Ontario is never long enough to get to everyone’s questions.   

So, we are creating an opportunity to get a head start on the process.  Starting at 2:00PM PST, Saturday, February 27, 2021 we will host an FNG Town Hall on Zoom.  We are calling ALL Southern Route FNGs to join in.  You may just hear something, that your buddy forgot to tell you.  There will be more details to follow in subsequent newsletters. 

Here’s how you can help.  Email me bob.nelson@rftw.us  your questions in advance, so we can prioritize the most pressing questions first.   We will not mention your name, but we may say where you are from so include that information in your email.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Positive

Greetings to ALL Registered RFTW Riders.

Our Registration Team needs your help.  It seems that over 500 of us who have registered in 2020, now have items such as Driver’s License, Vehicle Registration and/or Insurance that will expire before May 19, 2021.  The good news is that we can easily correct this.  Just simply follow the directions below:

Changes that need to be made on your existing pre-registration form (new bike, updated expiration dates on license, insurance, route change, etc.) should be directed to the newly established Contact Form https://rftw.us/contact/ category.  

1. Enter your Name and Email Address.
2. The Message box should contain ONLY CHANGES TO YOUR REGISTRATION FORM
3. under Where should this contact be directed? Click the circle labeled “RFTW 2021 – Registration Revisions”
4.  Since you are not a robot, check the box appropriately.
5. Submit 

The registration team will monitor these contact emails, revise your existing form and re-send it to you.    They will do this until the cut-off date of April 30th, 2021.

If you see that you will NOT be participating in the 2021 Run, please complete a “Contact Form” under the same category and advise them.   They will then delete your registration, so that accurate participant numbers can be obtained.   This is critical information to the Route Coordinators, so please contact them if you are unable to go.  Thank you for your help.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy

Hi Everybody,

Well, we are only 128 days before Kick Stands Up (KSU).  The Southern Route Hotel List was posted On-Time with only one minor glitch, which was fixed before most riders even saw it.  BUT, for some reason there are a few riders who think we were still stopping in Chandler, AZ on Day 1.  The correct answer is Casa Grande, AZ.

If you have looked at our www.rftw.us website, you will have noticed that the Southern Route pre-registration number is at 455.  I really appreciate the enthusiasm, so we may be looking to expand the number of platoons rather than overcrowd.  With that said we are seeking potential volunteers within Platoon Leadership.  Applicants must have gone All The Way (ATW) at least one time, preferably on the Southern Route.  Also, you will need to have a working mounted CB Radio by KSU.  If interested contact Big Vic our Platoon Coordinator at srplatooncoordinator@gmail.com

Southern Route is looking to fill a new position if the right volunteer can be found.  Leadership Support Driver, basically a chase vehicle for Outreach Missions.  Ideally a pickup with a trailer capable of transporting 1-2 motorcycles.  The reason for a smaller rig is that many of the Outreach locations have extremely limited parking and traverse narrow and winding roads.  Please contact me for more information about this position.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy

Happy New Year to My RFTW Family,

Tomorrow we will say Hello, Hola, Aloha,  Kamusta,  Bonjour,  Hallo, or in any language, Greetings to 2021. We are so happy to see you.  Just so there is no doubt in anyone’s mind, the Run For The Wall Board of Directors and All Route Coordinators are fully committed to RFTW XXXII 2021. 

A major milestone is the publication of the Route’s Hotel List.  This will happen about Midnight Eastern Time on January 1, 2021 on the www.rftw.us  website under the Southern Route Hub.

****Very Important, Please Read****

The 2021 Hotel List is the culmination of the hard work of our Southern Route State Coordinators.  Every effort was made to garner the best rates available.  We do not have contracts of agreements with every property on this list, but the price ranges listed should reflect actual available rates.  Room block sizes vary from place to place.  Once that hotel’s block is sold out, that’s it for that hotel.

Every year is different, and this year is no exception.  Along the Southern Route, owners have had to deal with Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Fires, Drought, Floods, Civil Unrest and Governmental Restrictions due to the pandemic.   They will do everything they can to complete your reservation.  There is NO Excuse for being rude to these folks.  Keep in mind, that the person you are dealing with can only do what they are allowed to within their system.  It takes years to cultivate relationships with our hotels and can be destroyed with one bad experience.  Thank You for your cooperation.

Final Thoughts for 2020…..