You’d think that after nearly six years on the road we would know better than to plan ahead. But I made that mistake last summer, when I planned where we would travel after our Greyhounds Rock presentation in Virginia.

Little did we know that Wyatt’s illness would throw our whole season off track. Instead of seeing the Great River Road and moseying back to Stillwell Ranch this winter, we’re here in Southern California for a long-awaited family visit that we didn’t do for Christmas.

And while it’s great seeing la familia and taking care of domestic matters like rig maintenance, I yearn for the solitude of our favorite places like West Texas.

Each morning we’re waking up to awful news about random shootings, neighbors cars getting ripped off and horrifying diesel prices hovering in the $4.75 a gallon range.

Good thing the madness of this area is offset by the fabulous weather and of course, my family.

With fuel prices that stab at our hearts, we’re keeping our travels lean this winter. This weekend we are taking a whirlwind trip up to the Bay Area to see family and a few friends, but we’re not taking the RV.

When March rolls in, we’ll head straight back to Jerry’s Acres for the beauty and peace of the wilderness that we miss so much right now.

In the meantime, we’re pretending the roar of the nearby freeway is the sound of the ocean . . . .