t’s the first week of March and after the amount of rain Mother Nature’s dumped on SoCal in the past two months—as much as I love winter—I’m finally glad Spring is on the horizon. Besides, with natural gas prices what they are now, I can’t afford to heat my house anymore this year, let alone grill a steak on the barbecue!

Leaving the climate politics out of the equation, the warmer weather means the outdoor show season is upon us once again. As I write this, I’m preparing for my second annual Reunion Truck Show in Chandler, Arizona, and folks in Texas are gearing up for the Lone Star Nationals in Fort Worth (not to mention the huge Lone Star Throwdown a couple weeks prior). Suffice it to say, it’s time to end any hibernation periods, break out the dusters, top those fluids, check your tire pressure, and hit the streets!

I realize that we West Coasters don’t have it quite so bad, and for those (unlike me) with trucks that run and drive you are oftentimes able to “hit the streets” year-round. But for you readers who really endure brutal winters, there’s definitely some downtime to deal with each year as winter rolls around.

For those of you who happen to fall under that abovementioned hibernating category, I’m sure you have an annual Spring routine—the usual exterior detailing and so forth—but being able to stretch your truck’s legs on some clear, unsalted roads must be a great feeling! Which brings me to the topic of this month’s editorial.

March is my annual registration/insurance bill month: like, ALL of my vehicles’ registrations AND insurance policies are due in March … before I get any resemblance of a tax return back (which barely covers a fraction to begin with). Getting hit that hard in the bank account has a severe affect on any extracurricular activities I normally engage in the following months. Well, this year March has hit harder than ever, which means my projects will also be affected as far as any major parts acquisitions are concerned. (Thankfully, [automotive] gas prices have settled a tad in California, but when your hobby vehicles aren’t roadworthy that’s not a huge concern!)

My point is, I know the economy has surely seen better times. I’m hoping and praying that the majority of you will not be adversely affected across the board, and that I’ll be seeing plenty of familiar faces at the events I’ll be covering this season. As of now, along with a handful of local events (which will hopefully include Brother’s in June!), the out-of-state itinerary looks like the C10 Nationals in Texas (May), NSRA Nationals in Kentucky (August), and the inaugural Triple Crown of Rodding in Tennessee (September). Of course, no matter what the finances may be come the end of summer, Dino’s Git Down is an absolute must, especially after last year’s hugely successful move!

No matter what, fingers crossed we Keep On Truckin’!