Current Border Situation

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I am far from a world traveler. I've crossed into Canada a total of five times. I've been to Mexico twice. Once flying to Acapulco for an ocean cruise and once walked across from San Diego to Tijuana. But that was back in 1968! And yes, in all those cases I was a guest of a foreign country. I knew to be polite if I ever wanted to go back.


The biggest issues I often read about are those individuals who try to drag their country's laws along with them. Those are left at the border. Border Guards have full autonomy to decide what questions they can ask and they're not restricted to what someone thinks is fair. None of us will ever be privy to any alerts or information and what guards are told to look out for. The very best thing we can do is be polite, truthful and patient and don't think you're being picked on. You don't know the rest of the story.

We have about the same experiences and times . Today I would be more afraid to cross into Mexico then Canada.Mexico was back in 1966 crossing from San Diego into Tijuana and crossing into Mexico from New Mexicoin the 70's .Canada ,since it is my father' homeland , never afraid and have crossed many times . But whatever country you are crossing into , I agree with you
To be polite and truthful . Pat

[MyronL]

I grew up in New Jersey. As 7th graders me and my buddy Ron decided the lure of foreign travel was too much, so early one Saturday we took the bus to Journal Square in Jersey City and then went underground. We crossed the border into New York. A big tunnel took us under water (the Hudson) to get to that far away-mysterious, exotic, magnetic foreign land we knew about only from television. We met people there who spoke in strange tongues. That lower Manhattan train station was destined to become the commuter basement of the future World Trade Center.

We explored until we finally found the right subway to Coney Island. We ate hot dogs, walked the boardwalk ringing a really wide sandy beach, rode the Steeplechase. I wasn't brave enough to do the parachute jump, but what an adventure that was! Have never looked back.

[rbryan4]

"The lure of foreign travel" (New Jersey to New York)...I love it!

To a 7th grader in NJ, I'd imagine NYC is indeed foreign.

[Greg A]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

"The lure of foreign travel" (New Jersey to New York)...I love it!

To a 7th grader in NJ, I'd imagine NYC is indeed foreign.

To this 62 yo, NYC is foreign.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Greg A

To this 62 yo, NYC is foreign.

I have a problem being from upstate NY, almost 300 miles from NYC. If I tell someone I'm from NY, they assume the city. I've learned to always say I'm from Upstate NY! (Not that I have anything against NYC). My working career was in technical theatre, and I made many trips herding groups of students to the various shops & theatres in the city. I also grew up 30 miles north of NYC in Croton on Hudson (also called upstate NY) with very low cost railroad travels to the city (my father worked for the Pullman Company), and spent lots of time in NYC during my teens.

[Iowa Dave]

Since we did not have a nearby large city but had the wonderlust we had to improvise. On Easter break at about age 12 we got in an open boxcar one morning. The train started up. Our plan was to ride a few miles and jump off. After a few miles jumping off going about 75 miles an hour wasn’t looking so good. We went about 45 miles west of Cedar Rapids when the train finally slowed up. We Jumped off. About an hour later as we walked back east, another freight train going our way slowed to a crawl and we jumped on. Back in our home town, we rode through the Beverly yards and into town a couple miles when the train stopped for switching. Back home about dark after 90 miles of hobo ing my dad asked what I’d done that day. “Not much, just messed around out by the creek.” And that’s a memory I have about train travel.
Iowa “Scoop Shovel Scotty” Dave

[cpaharley2008]

My dad and his brother rode the rails to the Chicago Exposition of 1933, both were teenagers then.

[MyronL]

Urban or rural, suburbs or inner city, cannot help but love the region we are from, but ...Wow, boxcars!

[Ron in BC]

Well, today was a 5 second stop. Too busy weaving my way through the concrete barriers to see if the secondary inspection parking was filled as it was last week. So it was clear sailing until I was nearing Mt. Vernon. My Ford GPS flashed a traffic delay warning. New to me, my old Tom Tom didn't do that. Traffic did indeed start slowing and then stopping. Really slow progress for a while until I could see a fire engine at 45* to the shoulder blocking 2 lanes.

The problem was a bit of a surprise. It looks like a motorhome was towing a small sedan and it caught fire. Burnt to a crisp and it looks like the fire guys used their pick axes to rip out all the seats etc. to thoroughly put out any smoldering bits. Don't know what would have caused the car to ignite when presumably the ignition was off. The parking brake not fully released? Power supply for the brake lights etc. ?

Anyway, my good day at the border was someone else's really bad day.

Ron

[Jim Bennett]

We crossed at Sweetgrass Montana today. About a 15 minute wait in the only line open. We were asked a few more questions than normal, but nothing or of line, and were sent on our way.

[Jim Bennett]

Climbing into bed in Butte Montana tonight. - 16C° (2°F) outside right now. Going to do another full day blast south tomorrow in search of warmer climate.

Jasper is preferring our bed to his on the floor. [emoji849][emoji4]

[arniesea]

So on Thursday, Jan 10th, we went through the Sumas border to visit ETI. My wife, myself and our little Rat Terrier dog. We had no issues either direction. Stated our business, answered questions and were on our way in less than 10 minutes. The only follow on questions were returning to the US, the agent wanted to know how we were paying for our new 5.0 TA. I told him wire transfer. He asked clarifying questions to make sure we did not bring more than $10 K across the border and we were on our way. No issues.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

It looks like a motorhome was towing a small sedan and it caught fire. Burnt to a crisp and it looks like the fire guys used their pick axes to rip out all the seats etc. to thoroughly put out any smoldering bits. Don't know what would have caused the car to ignite when presumably the ignition was off. The parking brake not fully released? Power supply for the brake lights etc. ?

It's only speculation, but some vehicles have the key in the ignition while being flat towed (all wheels on the ground, using a towbar) just to unlock the steering; the key could be left in the wrong position, so the ignition might not have been off.

I think it's more likely, if the fire had an electrical cause related to towing, that it had a lubricant circulation pump to allow an automatic transmission to be towed this way. Aftermarket junk tacked onto cars can be problematic.

Of course there is the wiring for the towing lights. That can be a separate set of lights (like any trailer), or spliced into the car's wiring with or without relays.

And, of course, there are incidents in which parked cars, with the ignition off, have burned up for various reasons - it might not have been related to towing at all.

[Mike Lewis]

When crossing into the U.S. at Sumas, if you see the pretty red-haired agent, she is from Crestview, Florida, near my home. Um, don't tell her you know me.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

When crossing into the U.S. at Sumas, if you see the pretty red-haired agent, she is from Crestview, Florida, near my home. Um, don't tell her you know me.

Leroy said it best.
If a woman answers, hang up the phone. I love you but we’re strangers when we meet.
Iowa Dave

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Climbing into bed in Butte Montana tonight. - 16C° (2°F) outside right now. Going to do another full day blast south tomorrow in search of warmer climate.

Jasper is preferring our bed to his on the floor. [emoji849][emoji4]

Maybe after crossing the next border the morning will look like this.

Ron

[StarvingHyena]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Climbing into bed in Butte Montana tonight. - 16C° (2°F) outside right now. Going to do another full day blast south tomorrow in search of warmer climate.

Jasper is preferring our bed to his on the floor. [emoji849][emoji4]

Hi Jim,
How's your furnace keeping up in those temps? Safe travels!

Tom

[MyronL]

Ron, re: that picture out your door... that isn't Quartzsite. have you crossed the (next) border, into the Baja yet? Road report please?

[Ron in BC]

No, that's not my schedule. It's Baja, maybe, after Q'site.

That photo was in response to Jim having very cold weather after crossing the border. My comment was that maybe after crossing the next border, Mexican, the next morning would be much warmer.

That place is just one of many possibilities after getting to the San Felipe area.

Ron

[littleredtj]

I am sorry you had a difficult time. We went through the border on Monday and drove right up to the agent. Took about 30 seconds and we were sent on through. Just the luck of the draw I guess.