Detroit RV Show: Recreation Passport

So I'm at the opening day of the 46th annual Detroit RV Show today and who do I run into but Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson.

First of all, I think she is doing an exceptional job as our Secretary of State, moving many services to www.expresssos.com so that when we do have to visit a branch office in person, then the lines aren't so bad. And I know of what I speak. Last month I had to go to my local Secretary of State branch office to renew my license because they needed to take a new picture of me. Sure, I waited in a line. But it wasn't so bad.

Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson
poses with me for a quick picture.

One of the things she has agreed to do is to sell Michigan's Recreation Passport through the Secretary of State offices, and at www.expresssos.com. The Recreation Passport is Michigan's method to fund the State Parks program, among other things. Motorists are asked to pay an additional $10 each year to receive the Passport. Basically, your license plate sticker has a little "P" on it. But that little "P" means you have elected to preserve and protect locals parks, trails and historic and cultural sites in state parks. The Recreation Passport also replaces the state park sticker to get you into all 99 state parks and 1,000 boat launches.

It was a pretty risky move by the DNR to switch to the Recreation Passport. But the move paid off. They met their goal and are actually bringing in more money than the old windshield sticker the Passport replaced.

Anyways, I ran into Ruth Johnson at the RV Show. It gave me an opportunity to snag her for a quick video. She - and Tom from the DNR - both were willing sports to indulge me in a pseudo-commercial for the Recreation Passport.