More Decisions

Weekend trip from 2009

Now that I've decided to make the Run and start in California I've got a few more decisions to make.

• When do I head west and when do I want to arrive in Rancho?
• Which motorcycle do I take?
• Hotels, camping or a combination?
• Do I need any extra equipment like a CB or extra strobe lights on the bike?

Well, the Run departs from Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday, May 15.  I should be there no later than the 13th in case I need an oil change, a tire replaced or something or the other done to the bike. It will take four days to get there so I should leave no later than May 10th.

But, I plan to leave about a week earlier and lay over in Texas visiting family for almost a week. I anticipate leaving early on May 4th, laying over in middle Tennessee (I-40) or Mississippi (I-20) then into Austin or Fort Worth, TX on the 5th.  The route will depend on the weather that weekend.  From there I'll leave on the 10th, meet my brother in Kansas, travel west into Colorado, Utah and into Ranch Cucamonga on the 13th.  Perfect timing!

California or bust!

I'm very fortunate to have two great Honda motorcycles: a 2007 VTX 1800 and a 2008 Goldwing.  I took the VTX on the Run in 2010 and had a blast but each night I had to basically strip the accessories off the bike each night and take off the saddle bags to get into the hotel.  That was a major inconvenience each night and again each morning to get ready to ride.  Having the Goldwing would allow me to lock everything in the trunks and take only one bag into the hotel each night.  Plus the Goldwing is made for comfort for the long haul.  Easy decision - the Goldwing it is.

The Stable

Next up is cost versus comfort versus convenience. Do I pack extra gear and camp, or keep it lean and  stay in motels or a combination of the two.  Well, I'll be on the road for almost three weeks so I'm really into keeping it simple and going for the convenience factor of sticking to motels.  I don't really want to pack a lot of gear so for this trip, I'm going to stick to motels for this trip.

Extra equipment:
I'm not a road guard or support staff so I don't need any special equipment for this trip.  I've got a good MP3 player, GPS, CB and XM radio on the Goldwing - is there anything else I need?  I don't think so.

So, as of now I'm leaving on the Goldwing on May 4th heading to Texas.

RFTW Update #2

Hot off the press - Southern Route Itinerary

The Southern Route has published their itinerary for the Run.

The Southern Route Coordinator, Laurie "Airborne" Clay published their itinerary recently.  It's a downloadable PDF that provides a lot of good information, including:

• Background and history on the Run
• Detailed information about the activities of each day
• Fuel stops
• Information on the stops during the day
• Hotels and overnight information

You can get to the Southern Route itinerary here and other Central Route information here. Be sure to check out the comments and updates from the Route Coordinator. They post lots of good information there: updates on the current Run, tips on what/how to pack for the Run and a how-to ride in formation during the Run.  This last item can be a bit tricky for many riders and is a good refresher.  The Southern Route has it's own website at: http://www.rftwsr-2013.us/

RFTW Update #1

This just in:

The Central Route has published their itinerary for the Run.

This is the 25th anniversary of the Run and Stan “Ironfish” Handley, the Central Route Coordinator, published their itinerary today.

It's a downloadable PDF that provides a lot of good information, including:

• Background and history on the Run
• Detailed information about the activities of each day
• Fuel stops
• Information on the stops during the day
• Hotels and overnight information

You can get to the Central Route itinerary here and other Central Route information here. Be sure to check out the comments and updates from the Route Coordinator. They post lots of good information there: updates on the current Run, tips on what/how to pack for the Run and a how-to ride in formation during the Run.  This last item can be a bit tricky for many riders and is a good refresher.

Hopefully we'll see the Southern Route Itinerary soon.

Decisions Decisions

When it comes to go on the Run or not, the first decision I come to is whether I can go to the west coast and ride all the way back with the group or join the Run somewhere along the way. The easy decision is absolutely yes, go all the way! To do that the simple solution is that I just need to get things sorted out at home and work. Home is easy (great support here) but work is a bit trickier working around the schedules of my clients and customers. Right now my goal is to go "all the way" and I'm planning my schedule around that.

This is what it looks like heading west.

The next decision is whether to take a scenic trip west to the starting point in the suburbs of L.A. or haul ass west bound getting to the start point in three or four days. It's just under 2800 miles from my house to L.A. so I could do that in four easy days or three days of really hard riding. Generally I would like to take the shortest route and fastest time possible to get to the starting point but this year may be different for me. I'll explain that in more detail later.

In 2010 my brother and I decided to join the Run in Western Kansas because that year we didn't want to take too much time off of work - only about 7 days each. I left Virginia on Wednesday afternoon late and met my brother in West Virginia that night. We took off the following morning,  had two days to get to Kansas and once there had a down day to wash the bikes, get an oil change and rest a bit.

Last year while I was recuperating from my hip surgery, my brother rode from WV to California in four days and a half days. He also took time along the route for a short day for an oil change. Another good example of a quick trip run to get to the Run.

This year, because of my decision to go "all the way," I may have to leave the east coast a couple of weeks early to get to the west coast on time. (Darn!) I'll start early to make it an easy trip west so I can still check in at work daily, pound out emails for a few hours along the way and not let too many things fall through the crack. As of now, I plan to be in CA on the Saturday or Sunday before the Run begins.

Look at all the friends you have heading east

The other decision is to determine which route you want to take coming back - the Central or Southern routes. I'm pretty sure I'll come back the Central Route but I'll go over that in another post.

RFTW - Routes and Overnight Stops

(Click on map to enlarge)

The Run operates over two routes - the Southern and the Central. 

Both routes are different in their scenery, challenges, weather, traffic and stops. The stops are what make the Run what it is. Visits to Veteran's Administration hospitals, VFW's, American Legion's, and just having lunch on the town square at the town park provide a chance to visit with and thank fellow veterans for their service...more on that later.

Here's a breakout of the two routes and their evening stops. We’ll cover highlights of the stops along the route each day in another post. More information on each route can be found at:

Southern Route:

·        Itinerary

·        Hotels

Central Route:

·        Itinerary

·        Hotels

RFTW Southern Route

Wednesday, MAY 15, 2013

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA to TOLLESON, AZ

Thursday, MAY 16, 2013

Morning Rider's Briefing

TOLLESON, AZ to LAS CRUCES, NM

Note: As of this posting, the Las Cruces stop wasn’t posted but I suspect it will be shortly.  I’ll update when it is.

Friday, MAY 17, 2013

LAS CRUCES, NM to ODESSA, TX

Saturday, MAY 18, 2013

ODESSA, TX to GRAND PRAIRIE, TX

Sunday, MAY 19, 2013

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX to MONROE, LA

Monday, MAY 20, 2013

MONROE, LA to MERIDIAN, MS

Tuesday, MAY 21, 2013

MERIDIAN, MS to CHATTANOOGA, TN

Wednesday, MAY 22, 2013

CHATTANOOGA, TN to WYTHEVILLE, VA

Thursday, MAY 23, 2013

WYTHEVILLE, VA to SALEM, VA

Friday, MAY 24, 2013

SALEM, VA to WASHINGTON, DC (ARLINGTON, VA)

RFTW Central Route
Wednesday, MAY 15, 2013

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA to WILLIAMS, AZ

Thursday, MAY 16, 2013

WILLIAMS, AZ to GALLUP, NM

Friday, MAY 17, 2013

GALLUP, NM to EAGLE NEST, NM

Saturday, MAY 18, 2013

Fuel Stop - Controlled Chaos

EAGLE NEST, NM to GOODLAND, KS

Sunday, MAY 19, 2013

GOODLAND, KS to JUNCTION CITY, KS

Monday, MAY 20, 2013

JUNCTION CITY, KS to WENTZVILLE, MO

Tuesday, MAY 21, 2013

WENTZVILLE, MO to CORYDON, IN

Wednesday, MAY 22, 2013

CORYDON, IN to HURRICANE, WV

Thursday, MAY 23, 2013

HURRICANE, WV to LEWISBURG, WV

Friday, MAY 24, 2013

LEWISBURG, WV to WASHINGTON, DC (ARLINGTON, VA)

What about you?

I got an email today asking when I first rode in the Run, I'm basically a rookie, but here's my story.

I live in the far western suburbs of Washington, DC in the Virginia Blue Ridge.  A great motorcycle riding area.  My brother, who lives in West Virginia near Charleston, rode to Rancho Cucamonga, CA in May 2009, joined up and completed the Run, ending up at my house at the end of that journey. While sitting on the patio enjoying our favorite beverages and cigars that Memorial Day weekend to celebrate the endeavor and honor our comrades, we decided to participate together in the Run the next year (2010).

So in May of 2011 I took off from Virginia on a cold, rainy afternoon and headed to West Virginia where I met up with Jeff and we set off to join the run.

Somewhere along the way

Because of our work schedules, we knew we couldn't make it to California to join up at he start so we decided to ride to Goodland, KS and join on the fifth day. One stop we did make along the route west was in Leavenworth, KS to visit our father's grave. He was with both of us on the "Run to the Run" and the "Run For the Wall".

Veteran's Cemetery, Leavenworth, KS

We joined up with the Run as planned, got our registration processed, attended the daily rider's meeting and started the journey back east bound. Riding along the flat lands of Kansas (our home state), across the rolling hills and farmland of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Into the scenic mountains of Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia. Riding in multiple platoons of motorcycles that grew each day meeting new friends, remembering the friends that weren't with us on this ride and humbling riding for those who can't as only the Run can do.

A gas stop in the heartland

We all rode into DC on the Friday before Memorial Day and met up with our fellow riders the next day on the Mall in Washington, DC.

Preparing for photos, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC

Welcome home!

What is RFTW?

Why we do what we do...

RFTW is the Run For the Wall.

Run For The Wall:Recognizes the sacrifices and contributions made by all veterans who have served our nation. Veterans of recent conflicts and those currently on active duty are especially welcome to join us as we ride for those who cannot.

Mission Statement: To promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends, to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA) from all wars, and to support our military personnel all over the world.

Philosophy: We strive to maintain a safe, supportive and private atmosphere in which all participants can reflect and heal on their journey to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. in the hope that they can return home to a new beginning.

Goals: 

1. To guide the participants across America.
2. To educate future generations as to the importance of accountability in wartime actions emphasizing that no one should be left behind.

Additional information can be found at www.rftw.org

Welcome home!