RFTW XX, Day 2, May 15, 2008

Gooood Morning RFTW XX Day 2. We awoke to a beautiful Arizona sunrise. Last minute preparations were made for departures with riders fueling up, eating a wonderful breakfast served by Church in the Sun and forming up for our first leg to Marana. There was a memorial service for “Dick” Darnell where a portion of his ashes were turned over to the Southern Route for transport to the Wall in Washington DC. For your information, after Hurricane Katrina, Dick went down to feed the victims, serving about a million people. He was well known for serving food in Williams, AZ, for the Central route for years and then spent the last few years serving food on the Southern Route.

300 registered participants left Phoenix, AZ for the ride to Las Cruces, NM.

After a fuel and beverage stop in Marana, AZ it was off to Wilcox, AZ to visit the many friends that we have met over the last three years. The Marine Corps Color Guard from Tucson, Arizona, presented the Colors and Teresa Goodwin sang a moving rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Lunch was provided and served at the Elks Lodge 2131 under the direction of Exalted Ruler Larry Hamel and his wife Julia along with the membership at large. Fruit was provided by the Chamber of Commerce and water was provided by Doc’s (where we also fueled up prior to lunch) Dunlop Oil Company.

A special Thank You goes out to Chief of Police Jake Weaver and his fellow officers along with the Willcox Fire Department for your escort and support. After a great lunch, it was back in the saddle and off to Savoy, NM for our afternoon fuel stop.

After topping off our tanks and donning rain gear, it was off to Las Cruces, NM, under air escort by the New Mexico National Guard. Special thank you to the Las Cruces Police Department, the New Mexico National Guard under the leadership of Captain Stewart and the gracious hospitality of Barnett’s Harley-Davidson (Kim Barnett and her staff). After dinner, entertainment, and a lot of purchases made by the riders at the Dealership with some unscheduled maintenance on bikes, it was off to the Best Western Hotel for a well deserved rest.

A gracious Thank you to Pic Quick for the generous fuel donation to Run for the Wall XX.

On a different note, we would like to congratulate all of the riders on their safe passage through the State of Arizona.

Person in the Spotlight, Day 2:

We would like to recognize our person in the Spotlight for Day 2 RFTW XX, our friend, fellow rider and Chief of Police for Willcox, AZ, Jake Weaver. Many of us have come to know Jake personally over the past several years and we appreciate his dedication to ensuring our safe travel through his community. Jake’s career has been spent protecting the citizens and properties in Wilcox, AZ and soon he will be returning to active duty to expand that protection to all Americans as he fights the war on terrorism. We wish Jake all the success in the world; when his active duty mission is completed, we hope to see him back in Willcox wearing the stars of the Chief of Police. Thank you for your dedication and service.

Submitted by MSgt Steve Hill, USMC (Ret) “Hawgwash”

A riders' meeting starts the day...first with a prayer, and then with the "AMA moment." After Cowboy speaks to us, the individual platoon leaders meet with their riders to discuss important information, particularly about safety. Photos below taken by Greg Smith.

Above, the Mayor of Las Cruces, Dolores Archuleta, speaks at Barnett's Las Cruces Harley-Davidson where we were for dinner.

The following photos were taken by John McKee:

The following photos were taken by Lynne Fouraker:

The following photos were taken by Anne Perry. The first photo shows the Rotary group which greeted us in Marana. Four of the group were from the Rotary Group Study Exchange, specifically from Fukushima, Japan, and came to honor and visit with our veterans. Also in Marana were a number of Patriot Guard Riders who greeted us with their flags. Thank you all!

Road Guards leading the merchandise trailer stop to ask for directions in Willcox where we ate a great lunch.

As always, it is impossible to know and thank all of the kind folks who help us as we cross the United States. However, here is a list of special people and organizations who helped us in New Mexico:

City of Las Cruces Fire Department
City of Las Cruces Police Department
VFW 10124
VFW 3242
VFW 6917
American Legion Post 10
Barnett's Las Cruces Harley-Davidson
New Mexico National Guard
Best Western Mesilla Valley Inn
Pic Quik of Las Cruces
Dolores Archuleta