The Cable Guy

The only thing we really like about our "home park" is the location. There are whole bunch of things we don't like about the place. And, we just added one to the list: Television.

Actually, it's a lack of TV that's the problem. The place is surrounded by trees, which is great for shade but makes satellite reception impossible. We can pickup Kansas City stations over the air, of course. But, as we found out last night, if you're interested in news of national importance the local stations fall short.

We know what you're thinking. What about cable?

The approach this park has taken to cable has us scratching our heads. The park advertises that it has cable. But, here's how it actually works. Every site has a cable hookup. But, if you want to use that hookup you need to call the local cable company and subscribe.

Seriously!

(We don't want to open a quality RV park in Johnson County. But, this place keeps piling up some good reasons to do just that!)

Anyway...since we're here a month we decided to make ourselves comfortable in the TV department. We suspended our DirecTV account for the month, which we've never thought to do before and were so surprised at how easy it was. Then, Paul initiated the process of becoming a cable subscriber.

Installation was scheduled for sometime between 10 AM and 1 PM today. While I lunched with my mom and sisters, Paul welcomed the cable guy into our rolling home. Within minutes the dude had everything hooked up and just about ready to go. The only thing that needed to happen was a 20-minute software update for the cable box. With the update underway the cable guy went on to his next gig. With the update complete, Paul turned everything on. All the channels were there. But, the picture is a bit ghostly. And, oh yeah, the TV now has a buzz.

And, it's a really annoying buzz!

With hopes that we can make this fancy cable service actually work for us, Paul dialed the company to ask for help. Twenty minutes later he was still on hold, with no help in sight.

By this time, it was cocktail hour. So, he hung up and decided to mix our favorite beverages instead. Maybe that will make the buzz go away?

Yes, this is a heck of a lot of hassle for a month of television. But, if we didn't do this, what the heck would we blog about while we sit in this dumpy little park?

We'll keep you posted.

Election Day

Here at The Great RV Escape we do our best to stay apolitical. And, today is no exception. On this, America's Election Day, we have a few observations to share. So, here goes.

We've traveled in 23 of our great states during this election year. That's given us a little peek at hundreds of state and local campaigns. With no dog in these hunts, we've enjoyed being casual and neutral observers of this democratic process as it has unfolded across the country. From the earliest primaries to election eve, we've seen it all.

Some races were hotly contested while others were shoe-ins. There were a few candidates and a couple of issues that were familiar to us, but most were unknowns. We've seen television commercials and yard signs that were put together on a shoestring, and others that were super slick. It's interesting to watch one mud-slinging ad about a candidate you don't know or care about follow another ad that slings the mud right back. When you're not a voter in that district, it can be downright comical.

The messaging in most of these campaigns was largely forgettable. But, there was one campaign slogan for a sitting senator in Iowa that we heard so many times it nearly sent us over the edge.

"I'll tweet. I'll text. I'll do whatever it takes."

Really, Senator?

As we traveled across the country observing this election, we noticed two things. Nobody, it seems, was running for re-election. Of course, many candidates are. But, nobody mentioned it. Nobody. We couldn't tell the incumbents from the newcomers. Interesting, huh?

The other thing that was obviously missing in this campaign cycle was party affiliation. Of the gazillion television commercials and yard signs we've seen from California to New York, you couldn't tell the Democrats from the Republicans. There were no elephant or donkey logos anywhere. No (D)s or (R)s either. Just a mention of the Tea Party here and there.

When the candidates won't tell you which party their affiliated with and if they're running for re-election, that says something. We sure think so anyway.

By tonight all the votes will be cast. Propositions will pass or fail. Candidates will win or lose. This election season will, at long last, be over.

As happy as we are to see it end, we're happier that we are free to roam a country where every vote counts and the citizens have the right to choose. That the process provides entertainment and fodder for the blog is icing on the cake.

Win or lose, one thing is for sure. Kansas basketball starts tonight. And, when it comes to college basketball, we are openly biased. Go Hawks!

Things To Do

We're enjoying our first morning back in our "home park" in Kansas City. Even though we're parked in one of our least favorite sites in the joint, it's still good to be here. Really good. After traveling 3,000 miles in the last six weeks, we are ready to sit still for a month. (We're ready to start doing more of that. But, that's another topic for another day.)

Truth is, while the moose won't be moving, it looks like we will. There's always plenty for us to do in Kansas City. Between meeting up with family and friends, and dropping by old favorite eateries, we definitely stay on the run.

Because everything is so up-to-date and very familiar to us here, we've realized we tend to stack up our to-dos before we arrive. "We'll take care of that in Kansas City," has been a familiar phrase each of the four times we've headed this way. This trip is no exception.

While Bullwinkle is in the best shape ever, he lost a couple of lights as we were leaving Forest City. Dropping by a local auto parts store is first on our list. Rocky needs some extra special attention while we're here, too. On one of our trips between Clear Lake and Forest City, his windshield caught a rather large flying stone. The sizable star cracked the next day, so the glass needs to be replaced. We'll also replace Rocky's four tires while we're here, which will be a significant investment.

And those are just the first few items on our shopping list! Perhaps it's time to ask our readers for contributions?

All kidding aside, we're looking forward to doing our part to stimulate the Kansas City economy and having a heck of a lot of fun this month. Meanwhile, we wish you a safe and happy Halloween.

Captivity: Day 5

When it comes to the advantages of living in a motel, a bath tub and smokin' hot wifi only go so far.

We are so ready to get out here!!!

Mother Nature didn't exactly cooperate with our plans to explore Clear Lake. The temperatures plunged, the winds howled, rain fell and even briefly turned to snow! So, no sightseeing for us. Instead, we've spent seemingly endless hours watching the walls close in on our little two-room suite. The cats have yet to really get comfortable here. Nobody has slept particularly well.

We're all homesick!

With all this smokin' hot wifi, I did some serious catch up on our travel blog. If you're interested in reading about where we've been lately, check out the fresh entries about our drive through Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, exploring two sides of the Smokies, our day trip to Nashville, our very relaxing and fun time at Defeated Creek, our overnight in Whittington, a couple of days in Iowa City and our fun weekend with friends in Thompson.

Wow! I've been busy.

We're getting sprung from this joint in a couple of hours. We'll grab some lunch, kill an hour or so, then spring our moose from the hospital. Hopefully everything will be in tip-top shape. After five days in the factory service center, one would think so! Our fingers are most definitely crossed.

If all goes as planned, we'll take off from Forest City bright and early, and will arrive in our home park in Kansas City tomorrow afternoon. We won't have smokin' wifi again until then. So, we'll see you later on the outside!

Away From Home

After a weekend in No Data Service Available, Iowa, we are soaking up all the smokin' hot wifi we can at our motel here in Clear Lake. 

That's right, we're in a motel. We checked the moose into the Winnie "hospital" in Forest City this morning to get the last of our warranty work taken care of. Then, we found our way to our home away from home for the next few nights. 

This will be the first night in 476 that we will not spend in a motorhome. (But, who's counting?) We did spend a couple of nights in our friends' motorhome when we were homeless back in July. But, tonight our home has no wheels. 

It's weird!

Once upon a time, I spent more time in hotels than I did at home. At least it felt that way. When my work required me to hit the road, I became quite adept at making myself at home away from home. But, today it feels like I'm in a foreign land. 

When we lived in our sticks and bricks house, the two of us were quite skilled at the fine art of packing for travel. All we needed was an hour to pull together everything we needed for a few days away and have it packed in the car, ready to roll. We're sad to say we've lost this ability we once mastered. Figuring out what we needed to bring with us for the next few days was a big project. Finding it all, packing it and squeezing it into the Jeep was another. Turns out we didn't forget anything major, that we know of anyway. Time will tell.

While we're missing our moose, we have stuff here that we don't have in our rolling home. A king size bed is number one. A bathtub is number two. I think a nap and a good soak are definitely on the agenda. 

We're trying to treat this forced getaway as a bit of a vacation. But, rural Northern Iowa in late October is not exactly our idea of a vacation destination. And, when did motels get so expensive? We're paying as much for this far-from-glamorous pied-a-terre as we did back in the day when our vacations took us to beautiful places and lovely hotels. This place makes the nicest campgrounds we've visited look like real bargains!

We wish the "doctors" in Forest City all the best as they get our moose back in shape. We hope their work goes well and finishes quickly. I have a feeling all four of us are going to be eager to get back home as soon as we can. 

Meanwhile, I think I'll soak up just a little more wifi!

Weather Outlook

I was so busy reading and commenting on blogs I wasn't sure I'd find time to post anything today. But, I was inspired moments ago by a local TV meteorologist.

We're heading to northern Iowa tomorrow and will be there for a week. Yes, we know it's late October. And, yes, we know it gets cold in northern Iowa. So, that's why we decided to check in on the weather. There's rain on the way this weekend and the temperatures are expected to tumble. So, we're taking our chances. Yes, our fingers are definitely crossed.

The source of today's blogging inspiration is the really long range forecast. Today NOAA released its Winter outlook. This time last year I remember looking at those forecast maps in fear. Everywhere we were planning to go last Winter was expected to be cooler and wetter than normal.

NOAA got that right!

I am pleased to report that things are looking better for this Winter. Much better. The southern half of the U.S. is expected to be warmer and drier than normal. Check out the expected temps and precipitation for your destination at the NOAA web site.

Here's hoping NOAA goes two-for-two!

Comments

Comments have been a common topic in the blogosphere lately. To read them or not, write them or not, allow them or not, moderate them or not, respond to them or not, and like them or not. By the looks of things, comments can get complicated!

I've read more comments in the last few days than ever. The tragic deaths of Bruce and Margie have everyone talking. Margie's daughter's posts have generated more than 200 comments. And, I've read every one. Most of my blogging buddies have shared their thoughts about the loss of these two beautiful souls. And, every post has generated comments. Again, I've read every one. As my buds shared reflections about Margie, everyone mentioned how much she commented on their blogs and how much they loved hearing from her. Margie was a prolific commenter! She left many comments on our two blogs. I've gone back and read several of them over the last few days. I found myself looking for a response from her on my last post. But, of course, it's not to be.

All this has made me think about how little I comment. I'm a voracious reader of blogs, but I'm a lousy commenter. I think about things to say, but I usually don't. Why? I'm going to blame it on my iphone. (I blame it for lots of things, so I'll just add this to the list.) I do most of my blog reading on my iphone, which makes it super easy to keep up to date with my blogging friends. But, when it comes to writing on the iphone, I'm all thumbs. It takes me five minutes to type five words! That makes commenting a real challenge.

Comments transform a blog from a one-way communication vehicle to a many-way conversation. Some folks may just want to stand on their blog podiums and preach. And, I suppose that's fine. But, I find it much more interesting to be a part of conversations. Lots of them.

So, I'm going to be a better commenter! I'm going to read blogs at my nifty laptop with this wonderful keyboard where all my fingers can go to work. I'll let the comments fly! And, I'll respond to comments on our blogs. I won't comment just to comment. I'll do my best to foster conversation and acknowledge the work of my fellow bloggers.

For the record, I like comments. So, they'll be here on both blogs, completely unmoderated with no password required. I read every one, of course. And, now, I'll do my very best to respond.

Let's keep the conversation going!