From every corner of the country, we ride out of the darkness — together.
You don't have to live in Florida. Riders come in from Maine, Washington, California — from wherever you are.
The Ride Out of the Darkness® Travel Train is a nationwide relay of riders and drivers who cross the country in groups and arrive in Lakeland, Florida together — for one weekend, for one purpose: honoring lives lost to suicide, standing with the families left behind, and getting real mental health resources into people's hands.
Last year 636 riders came in from 37 states. This October we go again.
If you've ever felt alone in the dark, this ride is for you.
Maybe you've lost someone to suicide. Maybe you've fought to stay here yourself. Maybe you're carrying something heavy that most people never see.
You are not the only one — and you are not too far away to belong here. This whole thing exists to remind you of one thing: no one has to ride alone.
It began with one family who refused to let the loss be the end.
"On April 2, 2019, I lost my youngest sister, Kristen, to suicide. She used to sign her name Love Surrounds You. After she was gone, I was barely holding on myself.
At my lowest, something in me whispered: you are not done. Connect with people. Create something. Do this for Kristen. Do this for yourself. I had never ridden a motorcycle alone — but I was drowning, and I needed something to wake up my soul. Motorcycles became my therapy. The road became my breath.
That year, about thirty people joined me for a small memorial ride — strangers who felt like family within minutes. That day wasn't just for Kristen. It was for every person who has ever felt alone. It was for me, too."
What is the Travel Train?
The Ride Out of the Darkness® Travel Train is a nationwide movement. Riders and drivers travel in groups from different states and long distance cities to arrive together in Lakeland, Florida for one powerful purpose. Honor lives lost. Support families. Bring real resources to the community.
Some will ride from Maine, Washington, California, and beyond. Crossing thousands of miles through rain, heat, and long days on the road. Just to roll in together.
This is not just a ride. It is a mission.
Every mile is a statement.
Every rider is a beacon of hope.
Every storm we pass through is proof that we do not ride alone.
Never heard of Ride Out of the Darkness®? Start here.
Ride Out of the Darkness® is the national gathering at the heart of Love Surrounds You®, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit for suicide prevention, mental health, remembrance, and community healing. It began in 2020 as a small memorial ride — about 30 people — and has grown into a movement of thousands riding in from across the country.
It's built on one simple truth: we all live from one of two places — love or fear. Fear isolates. Love reconnects. Everything here exists to move people, even for one weekend, from fear back into love — and to remind them they are not alone.
At the rally you'll find real people and real resources: therapists and counselors, veteran groups, faith and recovery communities, holistic and healing practitioners, and families remembering the ones they've lost. Healing isn't one-size-fits-all — so every path is welcome.
Who rides the Travel Train?
If you're reading this from another state and wondering whether you belong here — you do. This page exists for you.
Anywhere in the country
You don't have to live in Florida. Riders come in from Maine, Washington, California, and everywhere between. If you're far away, that's exactly who the Travel Train is for.
You don't have to have lost someone
Whether you're grieving, struggling, healing, or you just want to stand with people who understand — you belong here. Everyone is welcome.
Any vehicle
Motorcycles, trikes, Jeeps, cars, trucks — it's a whole multi-vehicle community. Four wheels ride the Train too.
You'll never ride alone
A Captain leads your route. You roll out with a group from near you, and you arrive in Lakeland together.
Yes. Wherever you are.
The Travel Train isn't one route. It's dozens of them, forming across the country and feeding into each other as they move south. You don't need a group — you need a starting point, and there's very likely already one near you.
- Find a group departing from your city. Look for the route closest to you in the directory below — there's very likely one already forming near you.
- Choose a meetup location along the route. Your route's captain sets the spots where riders join. Pick the one that works for you.
- Register for the official event and say "YES" to the Travel Train. A ride ticket is required — motorcycle/3-wheel or four-wheel (cars and trucks ride too). There's no separate Travel Train sign-up; you check "Travel Train: Yes" and pick your starting location right inside your ticket at LoveSurroundsYou.org.
- Join the Travel Train Facebook Group. This is where you'll get your route, meetup times, and updates — and meet the riders you'll roll out with.
- Ride together. Arrive together. Check in smoother together. You'll never ride alone — your captain leads the way to Lakeland.
A ride ticket is required to join the Travel Train, and passengers must be registered separately.
Leading the Train
OJ Utter
Father · Husband · Marine Veteran · Mental Health Advocate · Biker
As Travel Train Director, OJ coordinates every route into Lakeland — because the travel isn't separate from the event, it's part of the experience. A father of four, husband of 31 years, grandfather of two, and Marine veteran, he brings the discipline, sacrifice, and brotherhood of the Corps to everything he leads.
Originally from Nebraska and now in Florida, he lives a simple belief: strength isn't just endurance — it's being willing to speak up, reach out, and stand beside others, so no one rides alone and everyone feels worthy of love and life.
Have questions before the ride? Reach out to OJ directly:
The routes rolling toward Lakeland
Find the group closest to you, meet your captain, and grab the route itinerary. Don't see your state yet? New routes are forming — join the Facebook group and we'll help you start one.
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Read their full story
Rebecca Gargan and Michael Henderson's story begins long before titles, careers, or responsibilities. It starts on a Mississippi playground, where a five-year-old boy named Michael Henderson teased a four-year-old girl named Rebecca Slayter. Over the years, the teasing turned into a friendship that followed them through childhood, adolescence, and the hallways of their high school. Michael still jokes about how he "wouldn't date freshman girls," and Rebecca still laughs at how seriously he meant it.
After graduation, life carried them in different directions. Michael enlisted in the United States Army, stepping into a world defined by discipline, service, and sacrifice. Rebecca began her career with the United States Navy, working closely with Marines who deployed to and returned from war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Though separated by distance and duty, both were shaped by the realities of military life and the weight of responsibility that comes with serving others.
Their connection to Ride Out of the Darkness is not abstract. It is personal, painful, and deeply rooted in lived experience. In 2025, Michael lost his best friend and beloved wife, Tricia Henderson, to suicide. Tricia was a vivacious redhead with a laugh that filled rooms and a spirit that lifted everyone around her. Her loss changed Michael's world and revealed the urgent need for community, compassion, and support for those struggling in silence.
Rebecca's experience mirrors that heartbreak. During her years supporting Marines, she witnessed many return from combat only to face battles at home they could not overcome. She saw strong, capable service members succumb to the devastating statistic of veteran suicide. The grief of those losses stayed with her, shaping her understanding of how critical connection and support truly are.
When Rebecca and Michael reunited years later, they found themselves drawn to the same mission: ensuring no one feels alone in their darkest moments. Their lifelong friendship, their military service, and their shared losses became the foundation of their commitment to Ride Out of the Darkness.
Today, as Texas Travel Train Captains, Rebecca and Michael guide riders through each stage of their journey with empathy, steadiness, and a deep sense of purpose. They honor Tricia's memory, the Marines Rebecca served alongside, and every life touched by suicide. Their work is more than logistics or coordination — it is a promise to show up for others, to build community, and to help create a world where hope is easier to reach.
New state? Join the Facebook group and we'll help you start one.
The whole country, arriving together.
The 6th Annual Ride Out of the Darkness® rolls October 3, 2026 — Auburndale Speedway to SUN 'n FUN Fly-In Airport in Lakeland, Florida. In 2025 it drew more than 3,000 people.
The Travel Train arrives the day before — that moment, watching riders roll in from every direction after days on the road, is the whole thing in one picture.
Love Surrounds You® is the reminder. Ride Out of the Darkness® is the action. It's a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and every mile ridden funds real mental health resources, healing, and support for the families left behind.
Every route is powered by volunteers.
The Travel Train runs on people who give their time. Every role exists for one reason: so no one rides alone, and every mile is safe, supported, and welcoming.
Travel Train Director
Leads every route into Lakeland and keeps the whole operation moving as one — turning individual journeys into a unified movement.
Travel Train Captains
One per state or region. Your captain plans the route, leads the ride, welcomes newcomers, and assigns a Sweep Rider who rides last so no one is ever left behind.
Stop & Dealership Coordinator
Lines up the meet-up and rest stops along each route — dealerships, restaurants, and any business that wants to welcome the Train.
Hotel & Lodging Coordinator
Secures group-rate hotels along the routes so riders have a safe, affordable place to rest.
Fuel & Rest Stop Coordinator
Plans fuel and rest breaks so no one runs low or gets stranded on a long day.
Communications Coordinator
Runs the group chats and live updates — routes, weather, and timing — so everyone stays informed on the road.
This is what arriving together looks like.
636 riders. 37 states. One arrival in Lakeland.
How the Travel Train began
In 2022, Amanda and Mari connected on TikTok through a shared love for motorcycles and a shared commitment to mental health awareness.
Mari reached out with a simple idea. What if the journey to the event was just as meaningful as the event itself. That idea became the Travel Train.
What started with a few riders has grown into a nationwide movement. Riders and drivers from long distance cities and multiple states choose to roll in together to Lakeland, Florida. Not for attention. For purpose.
From one idea. To riders from across the country traveling together.
From a few bikes. To a growing nationwide movement.
From one mission. To thousands of miles ridden for those we have lost. For those still fighting. For those who need to know they are not alone.
Follow the Travel Train with Mari: Instagram @my_turn_moto · TikTok @my_turn_moto
Everyone has a place in this.
Four wheels ride too
No bike? No problem. Four-wheel vehicle registration is open — cars and trucks ride the Train too.
Register a VehicleSponsor a rider
Not everyone can afford a multi-day journey. Your donation helps cover fuel, travel, and the basics that let someone take part safely — so a rider from a state we've never reached can be there. When you give, more riders show up, more families feel supported, and more people get connected to real resources.
Sponsor a RiderDon't see a captain in your state? This could be you.
A Travel Train Captain is a torchbearer — guiding their state's riders out of the darkness and into the light. They plan the route, set the meetup points, welcome every newcomer, and make sure no one rides alone.
Become a Travel Train Captain for Your StateWelcome the Travel Train to your town.
Stops are the heartbeat of every route — a place to fuel up, eat, rest, and be welcomed. They're often Harley-Davidson dealerships, but they don't have to be. Indian dealerships, restaurants, shops — anyone who wants to invite the Train to stop, eat, and visit is welcome. And hotels along the routes can host riders overnight at a group rate.
Invite the Travel Train to stop
Dealerships, restaurants, and businesses along a route can host riders for a meet-up, meal, or rest stop — and get seen by a community traveling with purpose.
Become a StopOffer lodging for riders
Hotels near a route or the rally can host riders overnight at a group rate in support of the mission.
Offer LodgingYou're not too far away. You're just not here yet.
Find your route, roll out with your group, and arrive with all of us in Lakeland.
Register NowRemember: register by September 7 for your shirt to arrive before the ride.