I realized recently that one aspect of travel that I like almost as much as traveling itself, is the planning and the anticipation, the looking-forward-to. Where, when, how, what, with whom? Where will we go? When—what season of the year? How—will we get there? And what exactly will we do once we get there, and with whom?

I love getting the maps, this time from AAA, and plotting the travel on my wall map.

This Thanksgiving we’re flying into El Paso, and then, thanks to my big brother, who likes driving and loves road trips, before family Thanksgiving in El Paso, we’re taking a road trip to Marfa, Marathon, and Big Bend National Park. All the West Texas hot spots!

It’s my brother’s gift to my husband, who is from Kentucky and Washington DC, and hasn’t seen this area. It’s five weeks away, but I already have our hiking poles and cameras ready for Big Bend, which is supposed to be spectacular.