Feb. 28, 2018

RV Podcast #181: Making sense of turnpike tolls

Show Notes

As the warm weather starts to arrive, many are planning their cross country RV adventures. Many of those routes will be on toll roads. Do you need to purchase a sticker or toll device for your RV? Which toll stickers are the best to get? What happens when you encounter unmanned tool booths? In this episode, we answer those questions and sort out all those potential issues with an expert who will help us all make sense of turnpikes and toll roads. Plus RV News and Tips, listener questions and comments and a suggested destination for your bucket list and much more. Click the player below to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK [spp-timestamp time="2:10"] As the nation copes with late winter storms and flooding, we’re still down along the Emerald coast on Florida’s panhandle enjoying sunny skies and upper 70 temps. People are swimming in the gulf…shorts and to shirt weather Bo wearing he new Doggles Goggles We’re planning our next adventure, a leisurely exploration of the Alabama and Mississippi Gulf coast, Louisiana and into Texas, where we hope to time our arrival to the blooming of the bluebonnets, a dainty little plant which paints the sandy, rolling hills of coastal and southern Texas with sheets of royal-blue in the early spring. They have already begun to bloom in many places across Texas thanks to recent, unseasonably warm weather. We report that Bo no longer has the cone of shame. He either got some sand in his eye or was scratched while playing in the Destin, FL dog park last week and needed the cone for a few days to keep him from itching it. It has healed up well but we have on order a pair of something called Doggles to keep him from doing it again. Here’s what caught our attention this week: Wyoming legislature wants to collect new wildlife fee from Yellowstone visitors There is a move underway in the Wyoming legislature to collect a fee from Yellowstone National Park visitors for wildlife management. The states surrounding Yellowstone say there is a cost they incur from wandering elk, bison and other creatures that leave Yellowstone's property and collide with cars, spread disease among cattle, and cause other problems. A bill proposing the new fee is moving through the Wyoming legislature but it will need the federal government's approval to take effect. To learn more click here. More than 200 earthquakes strike Yellowstone Speaking of Yellowstone, did you hear that 200 earthquakes hit the iconic park over two weeks in February? Geologists say the swarm of quakes is nothing to worry about. In fact, Yellowstone gets about 1,000 to 3,000 earthquakes each year, and scientists say the quakes do not mean the super volcano under Yellowstone is ready to blow. Click here or here for more info. RV industry brought billions into U.S. economy Outdoor recreation accounted for 2 percent of the U.S. economy in 2016, about $374 billion according to a recent report from the U.S. Commerce Department. The impact of outdoor recreation on the U.S. economy is growing. While the report looked at boating, fishing, hunting and a variety of activities, it noted that outdoor activities centered on motorized vehicles, including RVs and motorcycles, were particularly popular, bringing in $59.5 billion with most of that from RVs alone. To read more click here. This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 19 locations and growing JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="16:16"] I always have my eyes open for tips for you when visiting folks in their RVs. Not long ago while hanging out with my friend Lisa Gruner from Huntsville, AL, I noticed she had a rather unique privacy curtain separating the back from the front of her RV. It didn’t cost much of anything except for a couple of stick on hooks. And it involved a bright and colorful beach towel. Now, be sure to send me YOUR tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox. I love hearing from you! Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping To see our Rad Power Bikes in action, just click here. LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="22:00"] A listener named Pat asks about whether Roadtrek motorhomes have slides. (Nope) Here’s some email questions we have received: In one of your videos you showed a sprinter side door screen with magnets. You said it was new and aftermarket. So, how do you like it now? Jennifer did not say who made it.., so who makes it, what is website. Have you come across any other you might like better? Thanks!! – Mike (Call your Roadtrek dealer) Hi Mike & Jennifer, I was wondering if Roadtrek is has a group/membership that travel to places together and if it is open to new travelers? Can you explain Roadtrekers? Thank you -Nancy (Check out our Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/roadtreking/) The other day I saw on one of your Youtube blogs that you had purchased at on time a Stowaway carrier for your RoadTrek CS Adventurous. I, too, have a 2017 Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL 4x4. I am looking for extra storage and was intrigued with your discussion of the Stowaway Carrier. In reading the reviews by individuals who had a Mercedes Benz diesel Roadtrek I noted a common problem described by each—When they used the adapter to connect the flat 4-prong end from the carrier to the 6-prong round receiver near the trailer receiver hitch, the Mercedes Blind spot warning system was eliminated. Did you have this problem and what did you do to solve it? Or, did you elect to live with the loss of the warning system? Looking forward to your thoughts. I have talked to Mercedes and they tell me I have to live with it because the sensors on the bumper are so sensitive that the red warning light would continuously flash sensing a object (trailer) behind the rig. I have certainly learned a lot from you and Jennifer about the Roadtrek and have enjoyed all of the “pearls” and “ratifacts”. Keep ‘em comin’. Mike R (That’s why we stopped using the Stowaway and another even more deluxe one we tried out) Sponsoring this part of the podcast is Van City RV Bringing You the largest Inventory of class B’ RVs with locations St. Louis, Missouri; Las Vegas, Nevada; Kalispell, Montana and now… Colorado Springs, Colorado.. INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="34:20"] As the warm weather starts to arrive, may are planning their cross country RV adventures. Many of those routes will be on toll roads. Do you need to purchase a sticker or toll device for your RV? Which toll stickers are the best to get? What happens when you encounter unmanned tool booths? In this episode, we answer those questions and sort out all those potential issues with an expert who will help us all make sense of turnpikes and toll roads. Our guest is Danny Pryor, the executive director of Turnpike Information Company, overseeing a website dedicated to providing information on toll roads throughout the United States. To learn more about the Turnpike Information Company click here. For a helpful breakdown of what passes work where, visit the Turnpike Information Company site here. The interview of the week is brought to you by SunshinestateRVs.com, where every new or used Roadtrek motorhome is delivered to the customer free, anywhere in the country TRAVELING TECH TIP [spp-timestamp time="55:25"] Steve Van Dinter By Steve Van Dinter Verizon Wireless Parenting in the Digital Age Part 2 Last week we talked about the dangers our kids face when online and how important it is to talk to them when young so they’re prepared. A study by Pew Research Center found 92 percent of kids age 13-17 go online daily. And social media tends to be a big draw - with the sharing of pictures right up at the top. Did you know, though, that the location you took the photo can be embedded in the photo itself? That’s why it’s important to check your child’s phone and make sure this feature is disabled. You can turn off geotagging for Android and Apple devices in the settings menu. Otherwise your child may be unknowingly sharing the location of their home and school. Whether you have a tablet-obsessed child, or a smartphone-addicted teen, you can monitor the way they use these devices. For example, Family Base by Verizon allows parents to take back family time by limiting access to calls, texts and data, blocking unwanted contacts, viewing and monitoring a child’s text and call history, setting filters to block access to inappropriate apps/websites and more. Although you can’t be everywhere all the time, apps like these can help you rest assured someone is always watching to keep them safe. The internet and social media have greatly enhanced our lives, but as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. That’s why it’s important to start conversations early with your children. And if you're unsure how to begin, well that’s where Google can help. This part of the podcast is brought to you by Verizon, which operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with more than 112 million retail connections nationwide. OFF THE BEATEN PATH REPORT [spp-timestamp time="58:05"] Craters of the Moon is a U.S.