Eventually a toll ahead warning sign appears. We've been this way before and knew this was there. But we couldn't remember the amount needed. Probably 25 cents or maybe a buck. We speed ahead with the toll gates coming up fast. What's the amount? No signs anywhere. Cars and trucks on all sides churning up road spray. There are 3 booths, 2 exact change and 1 manned. We pull into the plaza at 50mph not 100 feet from having to decide which lane to get into and there it is. Cars 40 cents. Now a mad scamble. First of all 40 cents means a minimum of 3 coins to make it exact. We have 3 seconds to find a quarter, a dime and a nickel or 4 dimes, or 3 dimes and 2 nickels....... Lets not even think about the penny permutations. Too late. I have to merge into the manned gate where all the other cars and trucks happened to be. I wonder why. Not a single vehicle in the exact change lanes. I pull up and hand the attendent a 1 dollar bill that I just untwisted from my pants pocket after frantically unsnapping the tight seat belt. The diamond stud in the nose, middle aged lady hands me back 2 quarters and 2 nickels. Or was it 1 quarter, 2 dimes and 3 nickels.
Ok. We're back upto speed. Heart rate has returned to normal, finger nails have receeded from the steering wheel leather and my butt unclenches. It's time for some hillbilly contemplation. I reckon the local road toll rate commission consisting of Darrell, Darrell and their brother Darrell had a meeting. The ridge-runner brain trust needs to raise the toll rate. A buck would be way too much and they're told the exact change machines wouldn't work. Fifty cents also seems like a stretch and soaking the pass through snowbirds just wouldn't be neighborly. Let's make it an even 40 cents. Oh and let's save a few $ and not put a sign.
Perhaps they originally recommended 38 cents but the attendant was confounded by the heavy arithematic.
