Run for the Wall Update

Well, it has been two days since I posted anything on Blogger, mainly because me and the computer were in two different locations. I am now back in the saddle again and should be able to post regularly again. If you do not see a post, please be patient. Some of these trips are a bit wearing, and I may fall asleep before I get much typed.

Currently I am traveling across this wonderful country of ours on a motorcycle. I am participating in an annual event called Run for the Wall. For the next several days, I will be updating you on our progress across the country, and will describe to you some of the wonderful things we see and experience.

This last Tuesday evening, in anticipation of the beginning of the Run for the Wall leaving Rancho Cucamonga, California, we were treated to a wonderful dinner and got to meet two Medal of Honor Recipients, John Baca, US Army and Richard Pittman, USMC. It is really an honor to be able to meet one Medal of Honor Recipient, meeting two in on location is a very great experience. Both of these men were very humble and wished the riders well and safe journeys on their way to the "Wall".

Wednesday morning dawned without rain or major fog (for a change). We all staged at the Victoria Gardens Mall in Rancho Cucamonga in preparation for our trip to Washington D.C. At this staging, we had both routes (Central and Southern) and we got to greet each other and wish each route a safe journey. We said tearful goodbyes to our friends, and are looking forward to joining up with them again in Washington, D.C.. For those of you wondering, Central Route basically takes I-40 across the country to D.C. and the Southern Route takes I-10 / I-20 to D.C. We have friends that alternate which route they take since we all end up at the same ending point at the same time.

After we organized and staged in Rancho Cucamonga, the Central Route headed out first on their journey, and the Southern Route left about 10 minutes after that. The overcast skies started clearing as we neared Palm Springs, CA. By the time we got to Coachella, CA, the weather was beautiful, not too hot, and not too cold. Actually, it was pretty warm in the sun, but not nearly as hot as it has been or prior years' runs. At Coachella, we had our first 2010 Southern Route riders meeting and got introduced to all the leadership element. We then headed off to our lunch stop in Blythe, California.

In Blythe, it looks like the whole town stops what they are doing and comes out to greet the 250+ riders rolling through their town. As we ride through the streets, people are leaning out the store entrances waving flags, many are lining the streets waving and clapping for the riders and veterans. This is the first official "Welcome Home" that the Run for the Wall riders receive. This may be the first welcome home, but it will not be their last. Lunch was provided by the organizations of Blythe and it was a wonderful and filling meal. The children of Blythe sang for the riders and we had several presentations while everyone was resting and eating.

Tonopah, Arizona was our next stop. There we basically stopped to fill up our motorcycles and to drink more water. While riding through the desert, it is critical that everyone drink large amounts of water. You dehydrate very quickly when riding a motorcycle in the heat. Our evening stop was in Tolleson, AZ, where dinner was again provided. By now, the riders were very tired and basically ate and wandered off to their respective hotel rooms to rest up for the next day.

We are currently on the Southern Route and will be providing updates to you regarding that route. If you are interested in reading more about Run for the Wall, go to http://www.rftw.org/. For the Central route's reports, you can click on the word "Sit Reps" on the left hand side and choose Central Route 2010 for their updated reports. If you want to follow the daily Situation Reports (Sit Reps) along with pictures on the Southern Route, you can go to http://www.rftwsr-2010.us/ . The pictures are usually updated nightly, after we have completed the day of riding.

Until tomorrow...