RBTS

The Raging Bull Texas Stampede VI

January 14-17, 2010
Starting in San Marcos, Texas

SATURDAY
January 16

If all goes as planned, this will be a very special day.

The last 'leg' of Friday's Raging Bull is considered by the
Tourmaster to be the best driving road in the hill country.

The "I Can't Get Enough" crowd will get a pre-breakfast
chance to run it again -- in both directions -- for 31 miles!

It is going to be an amazing morning drive.

This will also be an excellent opportunity for people
to be positioned along the route to take pictures
and video of the group driving by.

Sunday's most important meal of the day will be a tasty
Mexican breakfast at a favorite local eatery.

After breakfast all day Saturday we'll test the Raging Bull's
limits for a whopping 345 more miles.

We will drive on nearly 200 miles of roads never driven
before by any group, ever.

You will realize why when we get there.

Lunch will be at a favorite local spot along the border.

After lunch, we'll go to an official federal border crossing station and get
a group photo right on the dividing line between the United States and Mexico.
And the views there will give you a high.

After visiting the border and a restroom break,
we will embark upon the longest non-stop driving leg in Stampede history.

It should be unforgettable. For reasons the Tourmaster cannot divulge here.

Following that historic run, we'll get off the saddle for some much needed rest.
The Tourmaster needs to make one more trip to the area to decide
on our hitchin' post for that night.

Regardless of where we stay overnight, an off-duty police officer
from the Del Rio Police Department (with full arrest authority and his cruiser)
will watch over our precious metal from 7 pm to 7 am in a well-lit sectioned-off
area of the hotel's parking lot.

For dinner, the Tourmaster has some special plans involving members of
the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
(which operates under the Department of Homeland Security).

Del Rio is right next to the U.S./Mexico border so the CBP has a large presence in the entire area along the border. The uniformed men and women of CBP make up the largest law enforcement organization in the nation and take a solemn vow to secure the homeland from terrorists and other threats.
Del Rio is also home to Laughlin Air Force Base (AFB), the largest pilot training base in the USAF, which is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). On weekdays, their airfield sees more takeoffs and landings than any other airport in the country.

The Tourmaster believes that words are not sufficient to describe his gratitude and appreciation for the dedication, bravery, and tireless work by servicemen and women in the CBP and all branches of the armed forces to protect our country.

Since we will be visiting Del Rio, the Tourmaster would like to take this opportunity to honor the service of at least a few selected fine men and women serving our country as members of the CBP and as Airmen at Laughlin AFB by inviting them (and their spouses, if any) to join us as our guests for dinner on Saturday.

The Tourmaster has already received a very positive response from Laughlin AFB.
He is waiting on a response from the CBP.

Each participant of the Stampede will have the opportunity to invite one (or more) Airman from Laughlin AFB (and his or her spouse) as their guest for dinner.
If you would like to invite one or more Airman (and his or her spouse, if any) as your guest for dinner, please email the Tourmaster directly to express your interest. Please feel free to specify if you would like to host someone with a particular background e.g. just returned from tour of duty, extraordinary service experience, enlisted Airman, senior officer, etc.
The Public Affairs office at Laughlin AFB will work with supervisors to choose the most deserving Airman to be your guest.
You will be informed of your guest's name and background in advance of the dinner.
Your guest will meet you at the restaurant (TBA.)
The hosting Stampede participant will take care of the guest's (and spouse's, if any) dinner expenses. This expense is not expected to exceed $60 per Airman (and spouse, if any.)
No media will be invited in order to properly honor the guests and faciliate a relaxed conversation between you and your guests.
The Tourmaster's involvement will be limited to matching an Airman to a hosting Stampede participant.

The Tourmaster hopes that many of you (hopefully, at least five of you) will come forward to invite at least one Airman from Laughlin AFB. While he knows you spend hundreds of dollars to attend the Stampede, if you can afford it, he believes that $60 is a small price to pay for this unique and special opportunity to personally honor and thank Airmen serving and protecting our country both here and abroad.

This page will be updated with similar information pertaining to the US Customs and Border Protection as soon as the Tourmaster finalizes arrangements with them.

The dinner location will be announced as soon as arrangements are completed. After dinner, the entire group including our guests will be invited to continue our conversation at our hotel's lounge or other appropriate venue.