Greetings from Weatherford, Texas!
It’s finally MAY!!! It feels like it hasn’t been May in three years, but it’s finally here! We’ve all shared a long journey of triumph and frustration as many of us have enjoyed reunions and gatherings that were always enjoyable but never quite made up for the Mission as we execute it on the Run in May. But the long dry spell is over, and we’ll soon be gathering in Ontario and then again in DC to kick off the long-awaited Routes.
SandBox Route Leadership Team
I cannot possibly bring enough praise and gratitude to the Leadership Team that has been in constant contact with me and their respective counterparts for almost three years now preparing for this Mission. Early on we spoke about the 3 P’s that formed the basic steps to success – Plan, Prepare, Perform. What this team naturally did to further that success was apply 2 more P’s – Patience & Perseverance. For the last 3 years, this team has faithfully sought and developed new and innovative ways to improve on the Plan that was ready the year before and pursued original and more effective ways to Prepare for its execution. Now that it’s May, we are all locked and loaded to Perform. I have asked a lot of this Team and they have always answered the call. When we kick off this mission, from Arlington on 29 MAY, you’ll see for yourself!
SandBox Registration
SandBox Registration is closed (for now). Our current registration stands at 271 Bikes (4 spots left to fill), 9 Trucks and Autos (including Support Vehicles) and 325 People. Over the past seven months since registration started on 11 SEP 2021, I have processed 144 people through StandBy List, all of whom were provided opportunity to register. Surprisingly 34 did not follow through to do so. For those who may still wish to join the SandBox Route, I will resume registration after arriving in Ontario and we have a better understanding of where we stand with actual checked-in participants.
StandBy List… All that being said – IT IS STILL NOT TOO LATE! Unfortunately, there will inevitably be no-shows as folks have last minute conflicts that may prevent them from joining us. I will still be filling open spots later this month drawing from e-mails sent to me at sb-registration@rftw.us. To get on that list, send an e-mail there telling me two things – 1) Your full name, and 2) Whether you are registering as a motorcycle rider, motorcycle passenger, or if you will be in a 4-wheeler. That’s all I need to get you on the StandBy Registration list – the rest will come when you actually register.
Unregistered Pop-in at the Stops… As a reminder, some folks have told me that since they didn’t register, they plan to just follow along and pop-in at the lunch or dinner stops. Please don’t plan on doing that. The registration limitation is not about how many bikes we can lead down the road. That limitation is based on the capacity of our supporters to provide accommodations for meals, seating, staging, etc. Even if you are not registered and not wearing a SandBox Wristband, you are no less a part of the RFTW Family – but your role this year will be to support from a distance. If we ALL do it right this year, there will be many more opportunities to join the Route!
SandBox Route Pre-Run Meetings Schedule
- Monday, 16MAY2022 (Ontario, California Host Hotel)
- 0800-0900: ALL SandBox Route Leadership meeting with RC & ARC – Ponderosa Meeting Room
- 1000-1100: ALL SandBox and Southern Route Platoon Leadership (PL, APL & TG) – Ponderosa Meeting Room
- Saturday, 28MAY2022 (Arlington, Virginia Host Hotel)
- 0830: All Hands – Lincoln Memorial – RFTW All Hands Assembly
- 0900: All Hands – Lincoln Memorial – RFTW Group Photo
- Immediately following Photo – Mission Accomplished Plaque Presentation at Vietnam Memorial Wall
- 1200-1500: Holiday Inn Lobby – SandBox Route Participant Check In
- 1200-1500: Holiday Inn Lobby – SandBox Route QuarterMaster Gear Checkout
- 1500-1530: Holiday Inn Conference Room – All SandBox Road Guard Meeting
- 1530-1600: Holiday Inn Conference Room – SandBox Team Leader Meeting with RC (Regular Tuesday Night Monthly Meeting Group – you know who you are!)
- 1600-1700: Holiday Inn Conference Room – MANDATORY ALL SandBox Route Leadership
- 1700-1800: Holiday Inn Conference Room – MANDATORY ALL SandBox Route Leadership & Participants
- 1800-On: Enjoy your evening!
- Sunday, 29MAY2022 (Arlington, Virginia Host Hotel)
- 0545: Team and Platoon Leadership Staging at Holiday Inn Lower Parking area – Don’t be late!
- 0600: Staging for All Riders at Holiday Inn Lower Parking Area – Please DO NOT show up early!
- 0700: All RFTW Leadership & Riders Assembly – MANDATORY
- 0740: Platoon Meetings for all Riders – Mandatory
- 0800: KSU – The Inaugural Run of the SandBox Route gets underway!
Remainder of the schedule may be found in your Itinerary Book – READ IT!!!
Biographies
What’s your story? If you’ve ever sat and talked with very many of our RFTW Family, then you’ve surely heard some interesting stories about how people were drawn to the Run and likely even more amazing stories about what they found here that made them keep coming back. Magic of the Run? You bet it’s a real thing! Shirley “Top Sarge” Scott and Carol Olmstead are our California State Coordinators and they have put out a call for Biographical Stories from our Riders – who you are, where you are from, what’s your background and what’s your story of the Run? Anything that you’d like to share. Put it into a page form and e-mail to them and they’ll compile into a binder that will be available in the Ontario host hotel lobby to give a little better insight on the wonderful people and amazing stories that make our family special. As we get back together after a 2 year break, there’s bound to be some good ones. So… What’s your story? Send to: carollolmstead@ymail.com or angelluvers@att.net
Counting Down the Days
We are now 28 days and a wake up away from KSU out of DC. Y’all stay safe, stay well, and… I hope you’re ready – MAY IS HERE!
Remember, all roads lead to all roads so wherever you go, TOGETHER WE RIDE!
WALL 2 WALL!
Bugs out!
