The Faux-Anonymity Of Camper Mike Huckabee...

Mike Huckabee is far and away the most well-known person to camp next to us… with the possible exception of the retired guy in Little Rock who had a really big outdoor TV.

Neighbors at a campground come and go… Sometimes you meet them… sometimes you don’t. It’s just how life goes as a full-timer bounces from campground to campground.

One afternoon, while camping at Cloud Nine near beautiful and scenic Hot Springs, AR, a brand new Winnebago pull-behind took the spot next to us and set up. While working away at the front of the camper, I took a couple of quick glances at the gentleman working feverishly to beat the impending darkness. With each glance, it occurred to me that perhaps I had seen this person before. Racking my brain, I was unable to produce the name. Thinking nothing more of it, I went about my other ambitions. All that I knew for sure was this man and his wife were enjoying a camping trip with what seemed to be some of their grandchildren.

The people at Cloud Nine were some of the best we have met. Pam (the manager) was fantastic.

The next morning, Elizabeth was outside with the dogs as the unknown gentleman camper was adjusting a few things on his Winnebago. A runner came by, took a glance at the man, and nearly broke his neck as his head snapped completely in his direction. Seeing my wife, the runner approached her and asked if she knew who that was. Responding with a no, the runner quickly informed her that it was former governor of Arkansas and Republican Party presidential nomination candidate Mike Huckabee.

Elizabeth came inside and enlightened me to the man’s identity. I immediately made the decision to go outside and mess with him a bit after a quick wardrobe change. Throwing on my "Jesse Jackson in ‘88” t-shirt, I stepped outside and engaged Mr. Huckabee in general conversation while feigning that I was unaware of who he was.

Sarah Sanders Huckabee was not invited on her father's camping trip.

The conversation was pleasant. As we talked, Mr. Huckabee willingly volunteered that this was one of his first camping excursions and was still getting the hang of the whole setup and tear-down thing. He had made a meticulous list of tasks (which he shared with me) and had been following them precisely. He conveyed his wish to go camping more in the future but made no mention of his residency in Arkansas. I took this as my opportunity to ratchet up my end of the interaction.

Knowing full well that Mike was born and raised in Arkansas and had served the state as its governor for ten-plus years, I went on to suggest several places he should visit while spending time in Arkansas, sang the praises of Little Rock, and let him know that the state capitol was there. I recommended that if he was ever able to visit, he should take a look at the "Little Rock Nine" sculptures on the grounds and even went into a bit of a history lesson on the integration of Central High School. I urged him to visit the Little Rock River Market area, the Clinton Presidential Center, and even the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. I even expressed how the Downtown Riverside RV Park was a great place to camp, especially noting that the park's position on the Arkansas River was breathtaking. The funny thing is that he didn't stop me at any point and explain to me who he was... in fact, he sincerely seemed to enjoy our talk.

Did Mike Huckabee need security while campaigning with Chuck Norris...? We think not.

Eventually, Mike asked me where I was from... to which I responded, "Iowa." His eyes lit up a bit, and he said he had spent a good amount of time there in the past (he won the 2008 Iowa Republican Caucus with his buddy Chuck Norris by his side)... to which I asked if his visit was work-related. He responded in the positive, and he inquired where I had resided. Since Grinnell was the last community I had lived in, I answered with that and told him I was working remotely for the small college there. His eyes quickly showed some concern, as the city of Grinnell is home to Grinnell College... an ultra-liberal private college. Knowing full well he knew about Grinnell College and the town of Grinnell, I asked if he had ever heard of it. His response will never escape me... "Oh my, yes..." was his reply as he chuckled. Perhaps my Jesse Jackson t-shirt now made better sense to him.

His grandchildren and wife eventually came out and joined our conversation, and we took up nonpartisan topics like the joys of dog ownership. After seeing his grandchildren up close (and conducting an Internet search after I went back inside), it was determined they were the direct offspring of Sarah Sanders Huckabee, former White House Press Secretary and future Governor of Arkansas.

Mike and I didn't exchange numbers... so our time together ended soon after our talk. I'd like to think he enjoyed his moments of faux-anonymity (can I coin this term?) and the pleasure of it on my end spurred my approach of how I will interact with those who are more well-known than I am going forward.

My only regrets about this whole thing are that I didn't get to mention or pick Mike Huckabee's brain on his time with Chuck Norris or show him my sweet Kung Fu spin kicks, which I modeled after the treasured television character Cordell Walker (a fair but firm Texas Ranger), who was ably played by Mr. Chuck Norris himself.