It happened this past week, when I joined my wife, Barbara, and her parents, Ruth and Ellis Sutton, for a nearly 3,000-mile tour of seven states: Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Kansas.

What we saw on the southwestern side of the trip blew me away. There were snowbirds everywhere. The biggest shock for me came in Maricopa, Ariz., a town south of Phoenix where I had lived as a child.

In the year I was there -- 1948 -- the town's population was less than 200, which would compare to the present day size of Haigler.

Maricopa today? I couldn't believe it. The once-tiny Arizona town has mushroomed to multiple thousands of people, with non-stop traffic leading through the one-time village to the nearby Indian casino. We were there Friday night, and the hotel-cafe my parents owned was gone, replaced by a line of restaurants and convenience stores.

Maricopa's not alone. Every town we passed through -- from St. George, Utah, south through Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico -- is exploding in size.

It's no wonder, as retirees from the north -- particularly Canada and the northern tier of American states -- are flocking to the Southwest in massive numbers.

The major cities -- Las Vegas, Phoenix and Albuquerque -- are so big that traffic often slows to a trickle while the home folks and snowbirds compete for Interstate space.

And, the scary thing is, there's much more growth to come. According to a sociologist from New Jersey -- who I visited with in 'Vegas -- the number of people on Social Security will double in the next 10 years, rising from 35 million today to 70 million in 2017.

Even more scary? Yes, at least that's the outlook for the Southwest. But, the rapid rise in retirement numbers should be good news for the towns of the middle and western United States. Why? Because, very soon, senior citizens are going to grow tired of the congestion and cost of living in the Sun Belt.

That will open a door of opportunity for the towns of the Golden Plains, where there are a range of temperatures, but abundant days of sunshine, offering an assortment of retirement living options.

We need to start getting ready now. Whether yours is a smaller town -- the size of Palisade, Stratton or Maywood -- or a bigger place -- like McCook, Colby or Holdrege -- you need to take a serious look at what your town has to offer retirees. Because -- in ever-increasing numbers, seniors are going to be the wave of the future.

Retirees have already become the source of the Southwest's exploding economy, and the seniors will do the same for the Golden Plains if we plan, package and promote our area as a prime place to enjoy the Good Life.

Senior citizens -- including a number from the McCook area -- are having a great time on their winter excursions to Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. But, as affordable space becomes more difficult to find in the Southwest, the Golden Plains is going to start looking much more attractive as a place to retire.

That's the future ... and it's coming very quickly.