Why Can't We Get Any Radio Stations Out Here?

Live Free, Die, Or Call A Talk Radio Show

We spent the day wandering through the backwoods of Maine listening to right-wing talk radio. To present a fair and balanced vacation blog, we visited this 'Victory Garden' in Athens. They did not have any gas for sale.

Quiz Time!

The people in the above photograph are:
(A.) part of my family reunion at Fenway
(B.) prize winners of 99BayFM's 'GET LOCO WITH COCO!!!' contest
(C.) the cast of the new CW sitcom, 'Left of Center'.

'We Play Everything'

Listening to the radio makes me sad. There was promise a few years ago with the iPod-style Jack/Everything format where they set the supercomputer to random and let it play. However, these stations have quickly devolved into your standard 'Mix' format where they only play music by white people (except Whitney Houston) from the '80s, '90s, And Today!

Luckily the car has an auxiliary input, and we can crank up the laptop. We just went from The Beatles to Wilco to The Mamas & The Papas to Jack Guthrie to Motorhead to Stereolab. Amazingly, on the way out to Colorado, the randomizer played two Wynonie Harris songs in a row, but this did not prove to be an omen of anything. Unless he really liked mountains.

Standstill

Two hours into vacation and we have just passed the Amana Colonies. Shortly after Iowa City we came to a standstill. 45 minites later we reached the source - about 10 state troopers and a jack-knifed semi pulling what was supposed to be half of someone's home on the side of the road.

Weather's not so good. For a while we thought we were driving into our doom, but I think we're past the worst of the storm now. ETA: Um... maybe not. Looking really ugly just west of us.

Also, did you know that South Dakota is so hard up for residents, they're advertising on Iowa radio. "Start a new life in Watertown, SD!" the friendly radio voice urges. They have a lovely jingle too. Puts the Deerbrook jingle to shame.

7:20 PM and 279 miles to Lincoln!