Welcome back winter friends! More than a week before Thanksgiving and already we're seeing large numbers of rigs on the road, a sure sign that our friends from the North Country are filtering back to their winter "home away from home". And we're glad to see you! The summer in Texas during your absense was very dry, increasing a serious drought condition across much of the state. But we knew you were coming and ordered up a whole lot of rainshowers to refill the lakes, rivers and reservoirs before your return. For the most part, we're nearly 'caught up' - as they say in Texas - with the moisture needed to make the fall and winter a healthy one for the land. We're grateful for the rain, but feel even better now that our "other" drought is ending, namely, our seasonal friends. A random check across the state indicates the same positive report about early visitor arrivals. Especially in the Hill Country and along the coast and in the Valley, early bird visitors are arriving in substantial numbers, hopefully an indication you might be spending a little more time down south this year. We hope so. Another indicator of a promising and busy winter visitor season is the number of park reservations being reported. In the Valley, for example, the larger RV parks and resorts are reporting they are either full or nearly full-booked for the season already. And a check across the state with various community chambers of commerce and visitor's bureaus reveals there has been an unprecented number of inquiries from seasonal visitors this year compared to previous years. And that's not all our little unofficial survey turned up. We managed to catch up with a few roadsters over the last couple of weeks and asked them about their plans this year and how that might differ from previous years. We caught up with Ed and Alma LeMay from Canada at a roadside rest stop on Interstate 37 last weekend. In a sleek Holiday Rambler motorcoach they looked to be packed for action with road bikes hanging from the rear. It looked like they were packed for a reasonably long stay. The LeMays say they will headquarter in Port Aransas for the winter - at least until March. But they are quick to point out they plan traveling to other areas of the state before the Christmas holidays, their sight set on some cool destinations like Galveston, Jefferson, Palu Duro Canyon near Amarillo and a jaunt out west to Big Bend. With a stop in the Hill Country on their way back, they hope to entrench on the Island before the actual holidays arrive. Tom and Kathleen McMahon from Tulsa fit into the same barrel. We ran into them on the River Walk in San Antonio over the weekend. WHat are a pair of Okies doing wintering in Texas? "You must not know how cold in gets in Oklahoma," says Tom. "They say this is going to be a cold, hard winter and we love the beach, so we're headed to the coast." The couple own a condo on the lower coast and have been making the trip to Texas on a regular basis for the last eight years. "We come down in the summer too. But we spend a little longer here in the winter than any other season," Tom adds. The McMahons were in San Antonio - their "favorite city" - for two weeks of river walking and history adventuring. Big fans of colonial history, they plan on traveling to Big Bend for a week while visiting this season and say they will probably make it to Houston at least once for the culture and the shopping. These couples and others we managed to talk to over the last week indicate the economy is certainly a factor when it comes to how much time they will spend in Texas this winter season. But more than the length of stay, most indicated they were concerned about rising fuel prices nd the escalating costs of hotels and lodging. "We normally spend a few weekends hitting the big cities - especially San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas," reports Red Thomlinson. He and his lovely wife Martha have been coming to Texas for the winter for the past "20 years or more". Neither look a day older than 55, but the Thomlinson say they manage to "mix a little business" with most of our trips. From Chicago, the two are semi-retired antique buyers and say they can't resist taking to the road in a rental car to hit many rural areas and spending some "quality time" in the cities as they pass through. Red says they normally stay "at the best hotels and eat at the best restaurants" when in the city, and they plan to do the sme thing this year with a twist. "We're not overly concerned about the economy, but we should be more frugal in our travels and this year we're going to try try a couple of smaller inns instead of going the four star hotel route every night. But definitely spoiled, so I'm sure we'll hit our usual fvorite grand hotels," he added. Of course there are still plenty of "traditional" winter visitors who will hauling down their rigs and hooking up at a single location for the season. But many of them say they will make a few side trips and head out a couple of weekend excursions while wintering in Texas this year. At wintertexansonline.com, we' re just glad to see you whether it's for a week, a month, a season or a life time - and regardless whether you spend you time in one location or travel across the state to discover a wealth of adventure that Texas offers. Welcome back - and happy travels.