Hello Central Route Riders.
Greetings from California’s beautiful Carpinteria State Beach! I hope this finds you all healthy and well. I just returned from Denver, Colorado, where I attended an RFTW face-to-face board meeting. The good news is that preparations are well underway for all four routes for our 2022 run. This was the first meeting with five new board members. They may be new to the board, but all have been in various leadership positions on all three routes for many years.
One of the topics for discussion was a new streamlined registration that is slated to go online by 9/11/21. Keep in mind that regardless of whether you registered for the last two cancelled runs, you will still will need to register for 2021. A thirty dollar fee will be due at the time you register. Keep in mind that this fee buys a lot of meals and gas and pays for our “event” insurance. I recommend that you register as early as possible to help our state coordinators’ planning efforts. The first question every supporting organization along the way asks is how many riders we expect.
Our Angel Fire Reunion, held Labor Day weekend is fast approaching. Registration is open on the RFTW site at the following link: https://forms.glehttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMUuBi1tpIoaCPq1yg-h-YJ6tgODgbHOoB3RqILCgCdrhqyw/viewform/
Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, Saturday night dinner is paid in full! So far over 100 people have registered. We are still looking for people with brick-laying experience. If you’ve never been on the run, you are still welcome to join us. It will be a good opportunity to meet the RFTW family and to be of service to veterans. This memorial site is breathtakingly beautiful in the mountains outside of Taos. I hope to see you there.
It is with a heavy heart that I pass on the news that RFTW’s beloved chaplain, Rupert Harrell, passed away due to cancer and the effects of Agent Orange. Many of you may not know that Rupert made it his mission to work with fellow Viet Nam veterans, even escorting some back to Viet Nam to facilitate their healing. Rupert was proud of his service with the 101st Airborne, and was the recipient of two bronze starts and two purple hearts. In every sense of the word, Rupert was a true hero. He was my friend, and I will miss him.
Stay Safe. God Bless the United States of America.
Tom “Boomps” Miller
RFTW Central Route Coordinator
