On our way to Christmas we were stopped by a sign "Road Closed Ahead." That was Christmas, Florida, a small community on highway U.S. 50 between Orlando and Titusville. Don and Gloria Martin were traveling with us and we did not want to drive through congestion in Orlando or busy highway U.S. 1 along the Atlantic coast. We chose back roads and were just miles from Christmas when we encountered the sign on highway 520. It was windy and the sky showed signs of rain so we were disappointed we could not reach Christmas. After driving to St. Cloud we parked in a large lot and got out our maps. We found another route about forty miles longer and the skies opened before finally getting to Christmas so we set up camp in rain.

That was not the first time we found the road closed ahead and had to alter plans. Undoubtable, it will not be the last time. Many times in life we encounter "road closed ahead" and change plans either because we "want to" or because we "have to." This last year we had one of each type. We stopped in Louisville for surgery to remove a plate and reconstruct my jaw and found I had cancer. Six months later after two major surgeries and radiation treatments we hit the road again. That was a change in plans because we "had to." Later in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi we had rain 26 out of 30 days with more rain in the forecast so we turned the motorhome west and drove to the desert in Arizona. That was a change because we "wanted to."

The good thing about traveling fulltime in a motorhome is we can change plans with a minute's notice whither we "want to" or "have to."