Nov.17 Border Crossing Blues

I have lived my entire 56 years less than 20 miles from the 49th Parallel, so I am no novice when it comes to crossing the international border. Probably because I have had a view of Mt.Baker all of that time, I consider Mt.Baker and its environs to be part of my "backyard". Prior to my involvement in the turns-all-year world my family and I hiked and camped in the summer, then skied occasionally there in the winter.Now I can be found skiing in the area during any month of the year.

It typically takes me an hour to get to Glacier, which would include a 5 to 20 minutes stop at the Sumas crossing. However, today I came to a halt perhaps 1/3 mile from the border. Every 4-5 minutes we would move one vehicle ahead. Of course, no one around me ever shut their cars off.One hour later at 8:10 I pull into one of only two booths open. I know the drill, so I have all my windows down and all my ski bags open. The guard tells me to turn off my engine so his cohort could go through my stuff. He asks me what I am going to eat since he doesn't see much in my cooler. I tell him that I'm going to buy my beef sandwich 'cause I can't bring one across. (This is because a calf with mad cow disease had been transported across the border maybe 4 years ago. Can you say overkill? More accurately, Industrial Protectionism). He looks at my dogeared birth certificate and my drivers license and asks me , with a straight face, if my name is obert, when he can see that my photo I.D. shows my name as Robert. He then demands another document, to which I tell him that I have used the same documents for the last 5 years without one complaint. He reluctantly accepts this. Meanwhile I am observing the kneepads above his jackboots ( I presume needed for checking under cars) and thinking about what else he could use them for. The power hungry jerk!

I do not want to engage in stereotyping, but with a few exceptions, this is not what I expect when I return home. When I reply "skiing" to the question of what I did while in the States, the response is often "how was the snow?". In June I thought that I had a human being asking me questions when I crossed the line heading south to Mt.Saint Helens. At first I thought she was flattering me when she inquired if I was going to do anything besides ski. Then I realized she was interested in my photographic pursuits, because I might be making money from. As if!

So when you guys make your travel plans this winter, you might want to include a few extra hours for border delays. If you are heading to Whistler, I recommend that you take the Lynden crossing. Be aware though that it is only open from 8AM to Midnight.

At least they are not building a wall like they are considering down at our southern border. Ha. Or do they have one in the works? I think I heard something about towers interspersed a few miles apart all up and down the Canadian border. Seems like a foolish way to protect borders to me, kind of counterintuitive, too, when over the decades we have been part of bringing walls down and removing restrictions worldwide. When most people get their information from fear-mongering news how can we expect anything less. It's hard to believe anything I read these days.

I did see something about the Canadian border last week. News agencies (or some such) had ran several people through there easily and thus cracked on their lack of due diligence with every car that came through the border, sometimes not looking at id's or going through the vehicles. Or something like that.

I feel your pain Mon, I , have been avoiding the border for awhile since the S.S. has taken over. On a lighter note, how were the goods up at Baker today ?

Even if I could afford the current exchange rate, I am very likely finished with Whistler skiing for a while. Maybe crossing in Eastern Washington will still be ok, and I can visit Nelson area, but it may be time for exploring the areas around Spokane and just east of there. Same number of hours driving and better prices.

Had to go to Vancouver for work a few weeks ago, took 45min crossing northbound, then checked the web before heading out of Van headed home, "wisely" chose to cross at Aldergrove, got in a huge jam headed east on Highway 1, overheated the car, waited half an hour, then reached Aldergrove just in time for a 1hr wait there, with a half hour stop after crossing to cool the engine again.

Times change, new opportunities to find fun in the good ole USA.

I have lived my entire 56 years less than 20 miles from the 49th Parallel, so I am no novice when it comes to crossing the international border. Probably because I have had a view of Mt.Baker all of that time, I consider Mt.Baker and its environs to be part of my "backyard". Prior to my involvement in the turns-all-year world my family and I  hiked and camped in the summer, then skied occasionally there in the winter.Now I can be found skiing in the area during any month of the year.

  It typically takes me an hour to get to Glacier, which would include a 5 to 20 minutes stop at the Sumas crossing. However, today I came to a halt perhaps 1/3 mile from the border. Every 4-5 minutes we would move one vehicle ahead. Of course, no one around me ever shut their cars off.One hour later at 8:10 I pull into one of only two booths open. I know the drill, so I have all my windows down and all my ski bags open. The guard tells me to turn off my engine so his cohort could go through my stuff. He asks me what I am going to eat since he doesn't see much in my cooler. I tell him that I'm going to buy my beef sandwich 'cause I can't bring one across. (This is because a calf with mad cow disease had been transported across the border maybe 4 years ago. Can you say overkill? More accurately, Industrial Protectionism). He looks at my dogeared birth certificate and my drivers license and asks me , with a straight face, if my name is obert, when he can see that my photo I.D. shows my name as Robert. He then demands another document, to which I tell him that I have used the same documents for the last 5 years without one complaint. He reluctantly accepts this. Meanwhile I am observing the kneepads above his jackboots ( I presume needed for checking under cars) and thinking about what else he could use them for. The power hungry jerk!

I do not want to engage in stereotyping, but with a few exceptions, this is not what I expect when I return home. When I reply "skiing" to the question of what I did while in the States, the response is often "how was the snow?". In June I thought that I had a human being asking me questions when I crossed the line heading south to Mt.Saint Helens. At first I thought she was flattering me when she inquired if I was going to do anything besides ski. Then I realized she was interested in my photographic pursuits, because I might be making money from. As if!

So when you guys make your travel plans this winter, you might want to include a few extra hours for border delays. If you are heading to Whistler, I recommend that you take the Lynden crossing. Be aware though that it is only open from 8AM to Midnight.

Bob, I hear you.  It took me an hour and ten minutes the previous weekend to head south through the Peace Arch (edit: at 6AM!!!).  But c'mon didn't you tell him how distinctively untrendy it was to have his kneepads outside of his pants 

Border crossings have been taking a lot longer, particularly in the last few months, since the Canadian dollar has reached parity with the US dollar.  The exchange rate is sending a huge surge of Canadian shoppers into the US and US Customs (as opposed to the Border Patrol) was not prepared for it.  Recently, it seems like there's just as many BC plates on I-5, Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham and at the casinos as Washington plates.  US Customs  have lost a lot of employees recently to retirement, transfers to other agencies and quitting but have not replaced many of those losses. It's hard to find replacement Customs officers due to required intensive background investigations and people willing to do that kind of work (carry guns, work a lot of bad hours and forced overtime, be able to deal with potentially dangerous people on Wanted lists).

Wisdom of The War on Drugs aside, drug and money smuggling on the US-Canada border concerns the authorities on each side since these are highly illegal activities so they have to look at each car seriously.  Since Canadians are foreigners in the US, they're scrutinized just like someone from Europe or wherever.  Customs officers ("border guards") have about 30 seconds to push a car through.  In those 30 seconds, they have to figure out if anyone in the car is a terrorist, money or drug smuggler, breaking any federal immigration laws (such as using a shoddy, fake ID or passport with missing letters) or if they have animals, plants or food that USDA says is not allowed into the US.  If the Customs officer was rude, offensive or otherwise abused or mistreated you, you can file a complaint detailing the mistreatment or you can ask to speak with a supervisor and detail any mistreatment.  However, complaining about them doing what they're supposed to do would probably be a waste of time.

Don't get caught with a roast beef sandwich or fruit you did not tell them about; the fine could be $300!  Canadian beef has been allowed into the US for about 2+ years but only with certain documents written by Canada's government vets which of course, someone with a roast beef sandwich does not have but large truckloads of commercial shipments do.

They wear combat/SWAT team boots, not Nazi-style jackboots.  Some tele skiers wear kneepads too when skiing spring corn snow in shorts.