That’s entertainment RV style - from DVDs and radio to streaming

All we can say is, thank goodness for Tom Hanks.

We often lean on Mr. Hanks in our DVD collection for our nightly entertainment.

In the wisdom of the designers of our Class B+ motorhome, we have three TV screens: One in the kitchen area, one in the bedroom, another outside, presumably for tailgating purposes.

But our connectivity to actual broadcast television is pretty limited. So for us, these TVs are usually movie screens.

Here’s where Tom Hanks comes in: We’ve watched and rewatched “Forrest Gump”  and “Cast Away” countless times.

We sometimes even watch these classics without the sound so we can take turns reciting the dialogue that we know by heart after all this time.

For us that’s entertainment, RV style. And we have many ways to keep ourselves entertained, from old-school to new.

DVDs

Our collection of DVDs continues to grow. We shop at libraries and thrift stores, and can sometimes pick up a classic for a buck or two. We also  pick up A LOT of stinkers in the DVD sales bins.

Take the 1990 movie, “Stanley and Iris,” starring Robert DeNiro and Jane Fonda,  for instance. When we saw it at the store, we said, “It has two big movie stars. How bad can it be?” Putrid, actually.

So we often take a chance on something, watch it once, then donate it. If we like it, we hang onto it and rewatch. Besides the Hanks-a-thons, other top picks for re-viewing include “RV” starring Robin Williams, “The Godfather,“ “Some Like It Hot” and “Napoleon Dynamite.”

Radio

One of the delights of traveling is discovering good local radio, and we’ve found some favorites along the California coast.

In Mendocino County, we tune in to KOZT-FM 95.3, known as “The Coast,” which plays a Cali-rock friendly soundtrack that includes the Doobie Brothers, Jackson Browne, Jefferson Airplane, and of course, The Grateful Dead.

To the south on the Central Coast, we tune in to KPIG-FM 107.5 in Santa Cruz and KPYG-FM 94.9 in San Luis Obispo, sister stations known as “The Pig.” On The Pig, you’ll hear a remarkably diverse playlist of alternative, country, rock and blues, featuring anyone from Robert Earl Keen to Shemekia Copeland.

When we can stream radio, we often listen to some of our favorite commercial-free public stations around the nation. Seattle has two exceptional public stations: KEXP-FM (kexp.org) for alternative rock and hip-hop, and KNKX-FM (knkx.org) for blues and jazz.

We also regularly listen to WEVL-FM (wevl.org) in Memphis and WWOZ-FM (wwoz.org) in New Orleans for their blues, funk and soul programming.

Streaming video

Speaking of streaming, we’ve noticed a huge improvement in the ability to stream video with 5G networks through our cellular provider. When we started our RV adventure in 2018, streaming really wasn’t an option.

But now we’re regularly streaming Netflix, Hulu and sometimes HBOMax through our cell phones onto our laptops.

To help this effort, a lot of our RVing compatriots are using cell signal-boosting products such as WeBoost (details at weboost.com). It’s something to consider.

Television

Many RVers keep connected through satellite products so they can watch anything they want, usually sporting events. We haven’t gone for a satellite connection and don’t plan to. Instead, we do sometimes pick up some decent broadcast television through our antenna.

Generally, the offerings are limited, and we consider ourselves lucky if we can get a PBS station or Movies, a commercial-filled station that shows classics. There’s also Grit, another commercial-filled station that shows old cowboy movies. You gotta love the occasional Clint Eastwood spaghetti western.

And Leslie loves tuning into Laff for a dose of “How I Met Your Mother,” though that funny show would have been even better with a guest appearance from you know who. But Tom Hanks left TV behind after the 1980s classic “Bosom Buddies.” Ha!