A family scouting Prescott looking for a place to live may not appear unusual, however with the Kruse family, the world is watching.

Now a subject for an upcoming reality series, Victor and Lori Kruse along with their children, Anna Marie and Anthony, are on a 10-month trek that launched this past month after Victor’s official retirement, visiting 32 states to find the town that fits, will be here in Prescott until Monday.

Victor’s sister, documentary producer Linda Kruse, is shooting the project called “Kruising America,” which should air in the fall of 2007 on a yet to be determined network.

Originally, the family planned to stop in town for the day, but the cordiality and feel compelled them to stay longer, said Kruse.

Kruse said a company, now dropped from the project, originally pitched the idea for an assembled fake family, but she decided to film her brother’s for the real deal.

Kruse said her brother’s family was living in Egypt, one of four continents they lived in over the past six years, when she called him to ask if his family still was considering retiring and looking for a place to live in the states.

Victor said his family was longing to come home when his sister called. He had served with the military all over the world for 20 years and had never seen much of the U.S.

“We wanted to see the country. I defended it for 20 years and I’d never been west of the Mississippi,” said Victor Kruse, 42.

Victor said that with his retirement money and savings from not spending much while living overseas with the military, and the related tax advantages, he and his wife concluded that it was feasible to take the time off for the road trip, home schooling their children through a North Carolina-based program.

The couple both had family all over the country and were not looking to settle anyplace specific, and that he, the son in a military family, and his wife both moved around a lot in their youth, he said.

“I didn’t really have these long-term ties to draw me back to the same place, and Lori is basically the same way,” he said.

“It is such a blessing, because at this point in your career, you never get to travel much,” said Lori Kruse.

For the family and Victor’s sister/producer, the arrangement seems to be mutually beneficial, Linda Kruse is getting a real story of a family on the road comparing cities to live in and the family definitely is having a unique experience of seeing each town.

“I told him ‘we’re not going to interfere with your life and get into the group dynamics,’” said his sister, adding that sometimes working with her brother’s family “is like herding cats.”

“For them, it’s cost effective, because we’re really going on this trip,” said Victor, whose family is living in a fifth-wheel RV pulled by their pickup truck.

It’s early in the road trip, but Prescott seems to be making an impression.

“Aside from all the hoopla and everything, there’s a genuine feeling to it. A nice hometown feeling,” Victor said.

The family plans to hike during the weekend and attend Prescott’s Oktoberfest.

Follow the Kruse’ adventure at www.KruisingAmerica.com.

Source: By LORIN McLAIN, The Daily Courier, Sunday, October 22, 2006