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).
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.
SPECIAL NOTICE: A Jacket was found on the highway about 60 miles out of Santa Fe. We found two key fobs in the pocket. Pictures below.
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.
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 Midway Family!
I am sending this newsletter to reschedule the Midway open forum Zoom meeting that I had scheduled for next Tuesday May 3rd. I apologize because I accidently scheduled this meeting over the Sandbox route’s meeting.
I have rescheduled the meeting for the next day, Wednesday May 4th at 19:00 central time. I hope this time works for you. I am looking forward to seeing all of you. The link for the meeting is:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81907143838?pwd=bGZTRVFYcGNoQ216NnJnN0VWZ2s4dz09
Meeting ID: 819 0714 3838
Passcode: 176119
Is it May yet? …….. Almost!!!
Honor, Hope & Healing
Ken “Six String” Dugas
Midway Route Coordinator
Greetings Midway Family!
I am so excited that we will finally be back together in Ontario soon and will once again be riding for our RFTW mission. We have adapted and overcome so many challenges and had to make several changes on our route. To this day, we continue to face challenges that we must overcome. I am confident that our Midway team will be ready, and we will have a great 2022 mission. Much to cover in this newsletter so please bear with me.
We have had several, unexpected, last-minute cancellations from several leadership and support people. Positions that have opened up include Platoon leadership positions (particularly tail gunners), staging team, road guards, outreach, ambassadors and promotion team members. If you are interested in stepping up to volunteer for a leadership or support position, please email me at ken.dugas@rftw.us and we can discuss the position of interest and need. I will then direct you to the right point of contact. Our team leaders would appreciate the help!
I have scheduled an open forum Midway Zoom meeting for Tuesday May 3rd at 19:00 central time. The main purpose of this meeting is to discuss riding expectations, procedures, concerns, morning meetings, welcome FNGs and do our best to answer any questions. The link to join the Zoom meeting is below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84148438127?pwd=TGNNR0dMREN0ellSTG1COEQ0aVhzUT09
Meeting ID: 841 4843 8127
Passcode: 918155
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,84148438127#,,,,*918155# US (Chicago)
A couple of new things for Midway this year:
We will have a “Missing Man Honor Mat”. This mat will have a clear pouch for you to place a bio and/or picture of the person you are riding for. It will be placed on the ground in the position of the “Missing Man” at every stop we make. The intent is to help people have a better understanding of the “Missing Man” formation of the “Lead Element” and emphasize its meaning and importance of our mission.
If you are interested in riding a leg in the “Missing Man” formation for someone, please contact our Missing Man Coordinator, Sue “Odds” Chapin at sjandrew1992@gmail.com.
Midway will have a flag presented to us in Ontario to take to the “Wall”. I would like for FNGs to participate with this by having a different FNG carry the flag every leg of our route. I want FNGs to feel welcomed and a part of our family and mission. This “flag to the wall” will be coordinated by our Honor Guard Coordinator, Ray “Cornman” Cornmesser. If you would like to participate, please contact “Cornman” at cornman88@hotmail.com. Anyone can participate but FNGs will be given priority.
Some good news to share, with our continued efforts to fund raise and some generous donors, Midway fuel cost should not be a factor for you not coming. I cannot say that all fuel will be paid for like in the past, however, the high cost of fuel will not be a factor for our route. You will have help with the fuel cost. However, please make sure you bring extra money if you can so that you can support our raffles, 50/50 and auctions. Every day you have chances to win something! These fundraisers during the route help to support our riders, hosts, children in Milan and Falcon and our mission. Your participation is always appreciated.
Finally, please go to rftw.us website. Under “run details” tab, you will find the emergency information form. I would encourage you to download the form, complete it, and make two copies of it. One will be for wearing around your neck and the other is good to have in your bike. This is something you can do before you get to Ontario. It is good information for you to have with you during your ride out to Ontario and will be one less thing you need to do in Ontario. Also, many of you have registered but did not complete the on-line waiver form. This form is also on the website under “run details” then “RFTW Registration”. If you have not completed the waiver, please do so ASAP. If you are not sure, it will not hurt to do so again.
I look forward to seeing all of you soon! Safe travels.
Have I told you lately?………I love my Midway family!
Honor, Hope & Healing
Ken ” Six String” Dugas
Midway Route Coordinator
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
Greetings RFTW family,
Great news, I am sure you have heard by now, but RFTW 2022 is officially on! We ride again!
Itineraries are in review and will be published soon. We are still working on last-minute changes!
Please register now. Getting an early count of how many will be on our routes helps with the planning and lets our hosts know how many to prepare for. ALL Registration will be online and paperless. As part of the online registration process, you will “digitally” sign the Waiver Form and make payment before your Registration is complete. You can pay by credit card; you do not need a PayPal account to pay by card. Registration fee is $30, starting May 1, 2022, it goes up to $50. In Ontario (Or wherever you start), since you are pre-registered, all you need to do is “Check In”. At check in you will need: Your Driver’s License with the proper endorsement for the vehicle you are riding if required in your state of residency. Also, Your Current Registration and Proof of Insurance, these last two items are acceptable in digital form. All of the above cannot expire before the end of the Run.
All participants going to Riverside in Ontario must be registered.
Please allow me to discuss an uncomfortable topic. Unfortunately, we are dealing with high inflation numbers and skyrocketing fuel costs. Sadly, several riders have had to cancel their plans for RFTW due to fuel costs and other financial concerns. Participants in RFTW have always been responsible for covering the cost of their fuel. However, Midway participants have been very blessed by having most, if not all, of their fuel stops donated. Keep in mind, donated is not the same as free. Someone paid for this fuel, and it is much more costly these days.
With that said, many are working on their budgets for our mission. I wanted to come up with a plan to address fuel costs to help individuals with their planning. Due to our fundraising efforts, the Midway route will be contributing to the costs of our rider’s fuel. All money that we raised for fuel will be used for fuel! We have 21 fuel stops on Midway. For the 21 fuel stops, you will be charged a flat fee of $15.00 per stop. This will allow you to have money prepared and ready to give to the fuel team. (No change will be given for fuel). This will help our fuel stops be more efficient and give platoons more time for rest and hydration. Any amount due over this will be paid by the Midway route. Rest assured that participants will come out on the good end of this deal! As we move towards the end of our route, money raised that was not used, will go towards donated fuel stops. I want to help our participants as much as possible with fuel costs. You will not have 21 fuel stops to pay but I hope this helps you to budget your fuel costs. Keep in mind that you will need to fuel every night on your own, plus your cost to get to the Run and back home. (Plan subject to change if needed)
It is not too early to make sure your bikes are serviced and in good condition for a cross country trip. Keep in mind that this ride is demanding. It is a good idea to get some saddle time in and get yourself in riding shape as well! More RC Newsletters to come. Keep checking the RFTW.US website for updates.
I am looking forward to seeing all of you again and meeting the FNGs.
I love my Midway family!
Is it May yet?
Ken “Six String” Dugas
RFTW Midway Route Coordinator
Hope this newsletter finds all of you well and eager to ride! On Saturday, March 12, our RFTW Board members made the unanimous decision Run XXXII is a “GO” in May 2022! Our hard working state coordinators are finishing up the last details so that we can get the itinerary approved and published.
IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL registration MUST be done electronically. NO “paper” registration will be done on site. If you register right now, it will cost you $30; beginning May 1, the price goes up to $50.
No matter where you join the run, there will be a “check-in” process rather than a “registration” process. You will need:
Without ANY of these three, you will NOT be permitted to join us. I recommend you take photos of each of these three documents in case of an emergency, as they will be acceptable at the check-in table.
Last month I asked riders who had trailers if they would consider loaning them to us for chase drivers to haul disabled bikes. We had an overwhelmingly positive response, and now have a full complement of chase vehicles ready to roll. The generosity of our RFTW riders never ceases to amaze me.
We have over 330 Central Route riders registered as of this writing, and are 63 days until KSU (Kick Stands UP)! If you haven’t had a chance to enroll in a Riders Training Course, I urge you to find one in your area. As I stated last month, 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
Greetings from hot, cold, rainy, sunshiny, South Louisiana. If you don’t like the weather here, just wait a minute, it will change. We can have all four seasons in a week!
Excitement is building as we get closer to our May mission. Last week, we had a Zoom meeting with our Midway Leadership team. Everyone is working hard getting our Midway route ready. Our teams are looking good. However, we do have a few needs. We may have some positions available on our Ambassador team. These are very special positions and require a lot of leadership experience on our route. If you are interested in being considered for one of these positions, please send an email with your RFTW experience and contact information to Dan ‘Papa Hawg” Underhill at aspendan@yahoo.com.
We are short a platoon leadership team. Our Platoon Coordinator looks for people with leadership skills and great riding skills. This position also needs people who have gone “All the Way” before. If interested in being considered for one of these positions, please send an email with your RFTW and riding experience to Dan “TapOut:” Sifford at j.d.sifford@att.net
Our Promotion team leader, Lane Flynn could also use some help. If you have interest in helping with our raffles, promotions, and fundraising, please contact her at leflynn@aol.com.
Speaking of fundraising, let me remind everyone that our hotel raffle is going on right now. The prize for this raffle is $1000.00, which is approximately the amount it will take to pay for your hotels excluding your stays in Ontario and Arlington. The money raised from this raffle will go to support the children from Milan Elementary and the Falcon Children’s home which host us. I think our route would agree that these children are a great place for us to invest.
The cost per ticket is $10.00 or you can purchase 10 tickets for $50.00! If you purchase $100.00 worth, you will get 25 tickets. If you purchase 10 tickets or more before the end of February, you will receive 2 extra tickets (per 10) for free. The tickets will be capped at 30 per person to make it as fair as possible. If you would like to purchase Hotel raffle tickets, please make check out to RFTW and send to:
Ken Dugas
9849 Loblolly Pines Lane
Denham Springs, La. 70726
You may also electronically send the money through Zelle by using my email: kdugas@pharmasafe.com. Please send me an email at ken.dugas@rftw.us to let me know if you are sending money.
Thank you in advance for your support of this great fundraising cause.
We will be scheduling more virtual team meetings as well as a rider’s meeting prior to everyone heading to Ontario. Please keep checking my newsletters and emails for meeting schedules when published.
Our next face to face Board of Directors meeting will be on March 12th. I am looking forward to discussing and finalizing our plans for our 2022 mission. I will update you after that meeting with any news. Everyone is excited about finally riding again in May!
Honor, Hope and Healing
Ken “Six String” Dugas
Midway 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.
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
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Midway Route Photos from previous runs are no longer available.
We apologize for this inconvenience.
We will post Midway Route Photos from 2025 here following this year’s run.
