O Canada

2,812 miles over two weeks. No matter which way you look at it, that was a big drive. And we made it back to Canada safe and sound.

This was the return leg of our trip. We are currently parked at the Niagara Falls KOA with some Canadian friends we met at Myakka River Motorcoach Resort during our time in Florida.

Highlights of the trip back? There were several. We loved hiking in Sedona and wished we had more time to spend in that part of the country. Ruidoso Motorcoach Ranch was the nicest spot we stayed at throughout the travel back home. I cut a video about our stay there and the owners loved it so much that they have it featured on their home page. And Newmar Kountry. The factory service was a surprisingly wonderful experience. I’ll provide more insight into Newmar’s factory service and the plant tour in a future post.

Then the border crossing.

I’m not sure why but I do get a bit anxious about crossing the border. Obviously, as a Canadian, the government is compelled to let me return home. They can, however, make the process difficult if they so choose.

I was completely prepared for the crossing with a comprehensive inventory of all of the goods, including serial numbers and sales receipts, that we had brought with us into the United States. I also had all of the goods and sales receipts for the items that we had purchased stateside. We had discarded all of our fruits, vegetables and meats. Even the dog food.

What happened at the border?

Well, there wasn’t a line-up. We drove straight through to the customs booth.

I handed over our Nexus cards.

This was the interaction.

“How long were you away from Canada?”
“We left Canada on November 1st.”

“Anything to declare?”
“Yes. X dollars Canadian for me. Y dollars Canadian for my wife.”

“Any tobacco or alcohol?”
“No.”

He handed back our Nexus cards and said, “Have a nice day.”

That was it.

Uneventful.

Very similar story when we entered the United States. I suppose it helps to have the Nexus cards and to provide concise and truthful answers to questions.

We are back in Canada for six months now. Today’s big task is to get the medical completed for my Commercial Driver’s License. If I don’t get that done before May 1, the government of Ontario will downgrade my license. They had already downgraded Lorraine’s CDL which meant that I had to drive the 2,812 miles from California all by myself — which I would have done anyway. If my license gets downgraded, I will no longer be able to drive our coach, not legally anyway.

We will head out to a walk-in clinic, wait for a few hours, pay for the medical (yes, even in Canada, you have to pay for certain types of healthcare services) and then present the medical in person to a licensing office. I expect to spend the whole day getting this task completed.

The other big task I must do today?

I need to buy a coat.

Man is it cold up here.