It's always interesting crossing a border. You never quite know what's going to happen. Are they going to inspect your RV? Are they going to pull you in for further questioning? Will they take away any food? Will you answer all their questions properly?
We've crossed a lot of borders... this was one of the easiest ones ever!
We left our friends Bernd and Angelika at about 9:15am... a few minutes later than we wanted to. So I was rushing a bit to get one last photo of us together...
Ha... I cut my head off! Too funny.
We said goodbye, and thanked them for looking after us and Sherman. Then, we headed only about 15 minutes away to the community of White Rock where our friends Doug and Nancy had invited us for breakfast. We first met Doug and Nancy in Mexico in May of 2012, and we've bumped into them a few times since.
They keep a blog at Running Away with Doug and Nancy, but it's not updated very often right now because they're both working for another year.
Mimosa for breakfast... I only had one glass.
They made us a feast of bacon and eggs and gluten free pancakes. We were stuffed and didn't need any lunch. Thanks again guys... hopefully we'll see you next year!
Then, we had to do a detour up to a Bulk Barn store. Bulk Barn is a Canadian retail chain that sells food items in any quantity, and we buy a lot of our gluten free flours and baking needs there. We needed a good supply of some things to take us through our time in Mexico. Back in Ontario, there are a lot of Bulk Barn stores, but not so here in southwester British Columbia. In fact, there are only three stores in the whole greater Vancouver area. And the nearest one was in Langley. So we detoured up there before going to the border crossing.
Yesterday's drive, 55 miles (88 kms).
Then, down to the Lynden–Aldergrove Border Crossing where we followed the signs into the truck and RV lane. There was only one transport truck in front of us, and in only two minutes or so, it was our turn.
Handed the passports to the border guard, and he asked where our front licence plate was. I said we were from Saskatchewan, and so there is only one plate and it's on the rear.
He then asked if we had any firewood! I was expecting him to ask about firearms, but no, this was definitely firewood. I said no, no firewood. He asked about fresh fruits and vegetables, and we answered. He asked how long we would be in the United States, and we answered. He handed back the passports and said "that's all folks, have a nice trip"... and we were on our way!
Fastest border crossing ever!
We headed straight south to Bellingham, stopping at a Walmart along the way to stock up on a few things.
Then, to our friends Randy and Marilyn. We met Randy and Marilyn way back in January 2008 in Baja California during our first trip to Mexico. And we haven't seen them since! But we've kept in touch via facebook and so we were able to get together again. We solved all the world's problems last night and had a fun evening. And they fed us dinner and booze! Thanks guys... lots of laughs.
Today, we have a 1:15pm appointment with the ferry to take us to the Olympic Peninsula. No idea where we're going to be stopping for the night. Just the way we like it!
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End of season Lawn Mower Sale at Amazon.com.
And in Canada...
The President is Missing on Kindle.
Much like our border crossing as well, quick easy gotta love it !
ReplyDeleteYep, those ones are definitely the best! :-)
DeleteLowest propane prices on the Olympic peninsula this summer were in Port Angeles, WA. (about 1.69 USD/Gallon) 7 Cedars Casino 7 miles east of Squim, WA. is good for an overnight. Across the street from there is a portion of the Olympic Discovery Bike Trail if it is not too cold. Have fun.
ReplyDeleteWe are totally good for propane but it is funny because Kevin had already decided on the 7 Cedars Casino for our overnight stop and he had already mentioned to me about the bike path. Great minds think alike! :-)
DeleteI definitely recommend the Kindle book _The President is Missing_ that you feature on sale for Canadian customers. An excellent read! And welcome back to the US -- glad the border crossing was so easy. :)
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a Kindle but we will definitely keep our eyes open for an actual copy of the book. Thanks!
DeleteRuth, I don't have a Kindle either, but there are free Kindle apps for both Android and iPad tablets (and phones) that allow you to download books you purchase from Amazon Kindle store super easily. There are also a ton of free books available through the Kindle store. I've only rarely paid over $3.99 for a book as they are always putting them on sale for < $3.99 and adding freebies. I love having this option while traveling!
DeleteKevin has an Android phone but he wouldn't want to read a book on it and neither one of us has a tablet. We like the old fashioned books, which we usually just do book swaps for so we hardly ever buy books and definitely never buy new ones.
DeleteI get that. I would never read a book on my phone either. I have an old, slow Android tablet that is great for reading books, though. I get most of them free from a library where I still have a card that checks out e-books, and some from free or very low cost Kindle purchases. For the most part, I am like you, though.
DeleteI love real books! I get most of my hard copy books from used book exchanges at campgrounds and from Little Free Libraries around the US as we travel. I usually have one hard copy book and one e-book going at the same time, since I love to read. The thing I like most about an e-reader is that I am reading a few series, and I can't always get the books in order when I shop used book exchanges or even used book shops. So, each serves the purpose!
Hope your planning on a trip up to hurricane ridge visitor centre. Massive winds up there and fantastic views. Put Sherman to the test.
ReplyDeleteYes, we are! Hopefully the road will be good for Sherman, especially because it is a beautiful day, at least at the moment it is. :-)
DeleteLOL the more firearms the better, right? On the other hand transporting firewood can spread destructive insects.
ReplyDeleteIt was just funny because I think it was the first time ever that they asked about firewood and not firearms, or even about cannabis which is now legal in Canada!
DeleteKevin, you are so tall. I envy you, not seeing you on the picture though is not so good.
ReplyDeleteWe hope you still have good weather to see the views on the Olympic Peninsula. On the other hand, if it rains, that matches the landscape > Rainforest. The round trip is still on my bucket list. Enjoy!!!
Yes, he is pretty tall Angi but sometimes that isn't always a good thing because he bumps his head more often and if we go hiking he walks through the cobwebs that are too high for lots of other people, lol! ;-)
DeleteSo far we have had two beautiful days here, with nice sunny skies and a little bit of fog. Today isn't looking quite as good though.