Nova Scotia to Palm Bay Fla.

[BobB]

Originally Posted by Davidk

Thanks Manx

The Fort McHenry Tunnel says, Bottled propane gas in excess of 10 lb's per container max of 10 containers is/are prohibited from the tunnel

I will have to check my book and see what size the tank under van is

Thanks for the heads up

David

Don't get Lbs and gallons mixed up in checking tank sizes. IIRCC, someone here did that recently. 1 gallon of propane weighs 4.24#. My little VWs tank is 4.7 gal = 19.92#! 10# of propane is only a 2.3 gal. tank.

I had to take the I-695 over Francis Scott Key Bridge route. Chances are your RV's propane tank is bigger than mine.

[Lisa0]

You can avoid NYC by going a bit out of the way but it will be much faster 90% of the time. Come down 95 to just when you cross the CT/NY border just after Greenwich, CT. Instead of continuing south on 95 take 287 to the Tappan Zee Bridge (no toll westbound) then you can take 287 or the Garden State Parkway which connect back to 95 at different points in NJ.

[Davidk]

Thanks LisaO

For the heads up about bypassing NY on the other roads. I am leaning towards not taking the I-95 for most of the trip, for a few reasons....tolls, restrictions on my propane tank

Thanks BobB

For the propane tank sizing. I am trying to see the size of my tank. it is a Manchester Model # 675374. In all my books and papers for the van this is all i can find. So maybe i can call Manchester and ask them. Unless someone here has the same tank and they know what size theirs is.

thanks to all

[Manx]

You can still download brochures for your model year from here
Roadtrek brochure site

It says LP gas Tank is 26L/7 US gal./30 lbs.

[Davidk]

Originally Posted by Manx

You can still download brochures for your model year from here
Roadtrek brochure site

It says LP gas Tank is 26L/7 US gal./30 lbs.

Thanks Manx, i did not have this . thats alot of info that really hepls
I printed off the pages for the 170 , nice to have

So i guess i am not going over and through the bridge and tunnels in Maryland

David

[BobB]

David K,

I know you want to make time, so I-95 seems the most logical route, but trust me - I have driven the Northeast Corridor from Virginia to New England for 40 years - traffic and disruptions between Philadelphia (more accurately the Delaware Memorial Bridge) and Wash DC can be nasty, resulting in lots of time lost. I try to avoid it now.

Consider going by way of the Eastern Shore, down the Delmarva Peninsula to Virginia Beach/Norfolk. Google has it as an hour and 33 miles longer, but the I-95 route is, IMO, unpredictable as to delays, especially around DC. The Easter Shore route is rather relaxing driving, too, with some nice campgrounds along the way, if you need/want to stop (Assateague, Kiptopeke).

Delware Rt. 1 (toll road) to US 113 (not US13 - 113 is to the east of that, much less traffic and stoplights) There is a short (10miles) 2 lane stretch before Snow Hill, MD, but everything else is 4 lane.

FYI - there is one tunnel - Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel - but propane is allowed; you just have to shut the tank off.

[Manx]

I second BobB.

Here's Technomadia's take on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel:
Routing North Via the Delmarva Peninsula: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel RV Overnight Parking | Technomadia

As a DC suburb resident, I can testify that I-495 is messed up frequently, whether you take the NW side or the SE side, especially anytime near rush hour, which lasts about 3 hours twice a day on a good day (no accident, no inclement weather). On top of that, once you reach I-95 south of I-495, that section all the way down to about Quantico, VA seems to be always slow.

One other thing you might want to consider is getting an EZ Pass toll transponder. Not sure how that works for Canadians, or for RVs (we are new to RVs and haven't figured it out yet). Maybe someone else can chime in.

This page: RV Driving In The East -> Tolls, EZ Pass & Low Clearances – Wheeling It may or may not help.

[BBQ]

.

Good info

[InterBlog]

+1 on the transponder - if you can get it without incurring high maintenance fees. I have the EZ Tag, which is good throughout all of Texas (in some areas it's called TXTag), but it's incompatible with the EZ Pass. Supposedly they are going to institute reciprocity, but who knows when the wheels of bureaucracy will grind their way through to that result.

Going to NS last summer, we had one delay of close to an hour at a NY toll booth because we didn't have a tag. If you can believe this, for the sake of $1.25 in cash, we were delayed close to an hour in the booth lanes, while the electronic toll lanes remained clear. I would have gladly given them ten or twenty times that amount just for the privilege of getting through more quickly. Obviously that's a dumb way to run a tollway, but I think it was overrun with out-of-area tourists who similarly did not have tags.

[BobB]

EZ-pass is wonderful!! For many years, my wife and I traveled from Philly to the Boston area to see family and friends. With 9 tolls on that route, EZ Pass easily saved 30-45 minutes.

I have one for my VW EVC, but it is only around 5000#, so don't what the limits are if you have a heavier Class B. Even though we live in PA, our EZPass is from NJ (at the time, PA was not set up yet). There are 2 types of passes - Individual and Business/Commericial. While Individual is limited to 7000#, it does say "RVs". You might want to call them and get some clarification.

I think the classifications, weight limits, etc. may vary state-by-state, so you might need to check out each state offering them.

https://www.ezpassnj.com/en/about/account_types.shtml

Here is a link that shows which states are EZPass - click on any state and it will take you that state's EZPass site.

http://www.ezpassde.com/pages/where_use_ezpass.shtml

And Wiki has a good overview of all this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-ZPass

[avanti]

Originally Posted by BobB

You might want to call them and get some clarification.

...or not. I have been an EZpass user since the transponders were made of stone. At first, PA required a different transponder for each vehicle, a requirement which I routinely ignored. These days, you can register multiple vehicles to a single transponder, and I mostly conform. But I have never seen the slightest evidence that the matching between the registration and the vehicle makes any practical difference whatsoever. As I understand it, some toll stations have sensors to record # of axles, height, and perhaps weight. If the station is so-equipped, you will be charged accordingly. If not, you just get charged the default. It may well be that commercial registrations are significant, but as far as I can see simply moving the transponder from your car to your RV works just fine. I certainly have never had any problem adding my rig to my car's transponder. Until I run into an issue, I am inclined to let sleeping dogs lie.

[BobB]

Originally Posted by avanti

... I certainly have never had any problem adding my rig to my car's transponder. Until I run into an issue, I am inclined to let sleeping dogs lie.

That seems to be the consensus on various blogs and forums. My NJ account has 3 transponders for 3 vehicles - no extra charge.

The big issue is that 7,000# limit, which, from my initial browsing, seems consistent state to state. Someone with a 34k# Class A was told they needed a "commercial" account, which required a $500 deposit. They just used the one from their car and have had no problems.

Others apply with their RV and just say 7,000#, even if it is more, and have no problems.

As they say YMMV.

[Davidk]

Thanks everyone, for the overwelming amount of good information.

But at the polls can i just go to the cash lanes and pay that way, for my RT. That is the way i did it when i bought my boat in Maryland 7 years ago. even on way back dragging the old boat home i just went to the cash lanes.
But i was just driving wife's Ridgeline . So the RoadTrek might be different story and lane

David

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Davidk

But at the polls can i just go to the cash lanes and pay that way, for my RT.

In most places, yes, you can still pay with cash (although that is starting to change; and you also sometimes get charged more for cash). But, as has been said, you risk getting stuck in really long lines watching the pass-holders zoom by. Getting an EZpass is pretty trivial and there is little downside, unless you have privacy concerns.

[Davidk]

Originally Posted by avanti

Getting an EZpass is pretty trivial and there is little downside, unless you have privacy concerns.

no privacy concerns, just not sure....is the ezpass card used in every state on my way to Florida or are there different passes for different states......that would be a bit of a pain .

so many dissisions , our first real big trip with the RT. no matter it will all be good fun. Just the 5 of us no real hard set time to get there and back ( 3 weeks or so )

David

[BBQ]

[Davidk]

Thanks BBQ

April 1st can't come soon enough as we sit here in the middle of another Nor-Easter

35 - 40 cm of snow and 110 km winds. just another day in paradise

David

[BobB]

Originally Posted by Davidk

.is the ezpass card used in every state on my way to Florida or are there different passes for different states......that would be a bit of a pain .

Link I posted and graphic posted by BBQ show that.

You don't really need EZPass; it just makes it faster to get through the tolls.

IMO, biggest PITA is in Florida and their turnpikes. Read up on it here Florida's Turnpike and here https://turnpikeinfo.com/maps-and-ex...&state=florida

IIRCC, depending on which section you drive, pay options vary - cash or toll-by-plate. A couple of years ago, outside Orlando, I got on it, figuring I would just pay cash; seemed like there was a toll booth for that every 5 miles.

Advice? IMO, try to avoid it, unless you really, really need to make time. The other roads are more "scenic" , too.

[Davidk]

Originally Posted by BobB

Link I posted and graphic posted by BBQ show that

Advice? IMO, try to avoid it, unless you really, really need to make time. The other roads are more "scenic" , too.

Thanks for the links and map BobB, BBQ,

This will be our first real big trip with our RT. So we are in no big hurry to get there and back. Both of us will take turns driving ( this will be Mona's first time to drive long roads in RT.) She likes driving more than i do....so works for me.
We are looking at about 4 days drive there and back, stay for a week to 10 days. So secondary roads are ok with us. It is more about the drive in the van this trip.

Thanks to all, wish it was April ....tired of moving snow

David

[Manx]

If you have time, you could consider taking the Cape May to Lewis ferry, perhaps on the way back, when it's a little warmer.