Fun time at customs

[manitoubass2]

[manitoubass2]

 

I googled it, Canadian Border officers have had sidearms since 2007, not a long time from an older guy's perspective

Sorry, I was referring to american customs

[DRIFTER_016]

Guess it depends on the border too

 

The international falls border is rediculous.

 

Google image it from above its a big american flag, even has one of those big xray type machines

 

Looks more like a small army base than customs

 

I've crossed at couple of real redneck border crossings.

Portal North Dakota is a good one. Poorly laid out and you really have no idea where you're going.

You drive around a few buildings until you find a little gatehouse where the agent is.

Poker Creek Alaska is a great little border crossing. There is a sign there that says POP. 2!!!

One US guard and one Canadian. It's also the most Northerly border crossing in North America.

When you go into the US they ask you if you would like your passport stamped. The stamp is quite big (about the size of a business card) and has a large image of a caribou and Poker Creek Alaska in it.

 

The crossing @ Beaver Creek Yukon is more like a traditional crossing.

The guards there on both sides are really good people.

On year when I was pulling my camper to Alaska I had a rock kicked up by my tire bounce off the front of the trailer and smash my rear window about 5 miles from the US border.

When I got to the border I asked the guard if they had any plastic and tape for the window I just broke. They hooked me up with garbage bags and tape as well as a garbage bin and broom to clean up. Didn't really ask me any questions other than where I was going, doing and how long.

[DRIFTER_016]

Portal ND border crossing.

 

 

Poker Creek Alaska crossing.

 

 

Edited December 16, 2015 by DRIFTER_016

[manitoubass2]

 

I've crossed at couple of real redneck border crossings.

Portal North Dakota is a good one. Poorly laid out and you really have no idea where you're going.

You drive around a few buildings until you find a little gatehouse where the agent is.

Poker Creek Alaska is a great little border crossing. There is a sign there that says POP. 2!!!

One US guard and one Canadian. It's also the most Northerly border crossing in North America.

When you go into the US they ask you if you would like your passport stamped. The stamp is quite big (about the size of a business card) and has a large image of a caribou and Poker Creek Alaska in it.

 

The crossing @ Beaver Creek Yukon is more like a traditional crossing.

The guards there on both sides are really good people.

On year when I was pulling my camper to Alaska I had a rock kicked up by my tire bounce off the front of the trailer and smash my rear window about 5 miles from the US border.

When I got to the border I asked the guard if they had any plastic and tape for the window I just broke. They hooked me up with garbage bags and tape as well as a garbage bin and broom to clean up. Didn't really ask me any questions other than where I was going, doing and how long.

Yeah the rainy river/baudette crossing is really good too! They usually even remember your name etc.

 

The wife often gets the "oh, 6 kids! We better not hold you up" treatment lol

[Walleye72]

Okay, border stories. I have one. Now this is from 1992, so obviously things have changed a good deal in the 20 + years since this happened. My good friend and I drove to Halifax, NS in April after finishing our first year of university. I have a large extended family out there and he had never been so an inexpensive way to visit the East Coast. We decided to drive through the USA to save some money on gas and also because he wanted to see Lake Placid. We get to the border at Calais, USA / St. Stephen. NB. We pull up at about 4 in the morning and there is nobody around. Like deadsville!! If it happened like this today you'd think you were in a zombie movie or something. but I swear there was no one anywhere. What do we do? Do we just go through. No I'm pretty sure we can't do that. Okay we get out to investigate. Now this border crossing is no Windsor/Detroit or Peace Bridge but it's not tiny either. There's this big building on the left with huge 10 foot tall windows going all across the length of the building.(A glass wall is what I'm trying to say. ) Oh there's the door. Let's go in. It's locked. You have to be freaking kidding me. Now remember, we're both just 20 years old and this is our first major road trip by ourselves. Anyways finally I bang on the window with my fists to make some noise. The place is way too big to knock. Finally a uniformed person comes out from behind somewhere and come's over to the door. Hi, where ya headed. Halifax. Okay, drive safe. I'm totally not exaggerating, that was it. We got back into the Chevette and drove on.

[lew]

We were fishing for muskies on the Upper Niagara at Fort Erie on the last day of the season a few years back. After we were done for the day I headed along the QEW and for whatever reason...still haven't figured out why...but ended up on the road to the Peace Bridge and the USofA and sure didn't want to go there. Just before the bridge I made an illegal left turn and came back to Canada Customs. He asked how long I'd been in the States and I then explained how I actually never left Canada. He said "your not allowed to make a left turn there" and I said "yeah I know that but thought you'll be easier to deal with then US customs seeing as I don't have a passport".

 

He gave me a goofy look and sorta laughed and said it was just crazy enough to believe but said I had to go to secondary to be checked.

 

Three guards came out and took my truck apart and kept asking about my fishing gear even though I told them the same story. Eventually they turned me loose and told to drive through the gate and pay $3.

 

Never left my country but still had to cough up $3 to get back in

Edited December 16, 2015 by lew

[solopaddler]

Anyone get the crazy guy handing out change at Fort Erie? That guy kills me, lol!

 

Dude, he's still there. I got him when I crossed a couple weeks ago!

[captpierre]

Okay, border stories. I have one. Now this is from 1992, so obviously things have changed a good deal in the 20 + years since this happened. My good friend and I drove to Halifax, NS in April after finishing our first year of university. I have a large extended family out there and he had never been so an inexpensive way to visit the East Coast. We decided to drive through the USA to save some money on gas and also because he wanted to see Lake Placid. We get to the border at Calais, USA / St. Stephen. NB. We pull up at about 4 in the morning and there is nobody around. Like deadsville!! If it happened like this today you'd think you were in a zombie movie or something. but I swear there was no one anywhere. What do we do? Do we just go through. No I'm pretty sure we can't do that. Okay we get out to investigate. Now this border crossing is no Windsor/Detroit or Peace Bridge but it's not tiny either. There's this big building on the left with huge 10 foot tall windows going all across the length of the building.(A glass wall is what I'm trying to say. ) Oh there's the door. Let's go in. It's locked. You have to be freaking kidding me. Now remember, we're both just 20 years old and this is our first major road trip by ourselves. Anyways finally I bang on the window with my fists to make some noise. The place is way too big to knock. Finally a uniformed person comes out from behind somewhere and come's over to the door. Hi, where ya headed. Halifax. Okay, drive safe. I'm totally not exaggerating, that was it. We got back into the Chevette and drove on.

Crazy story. Musta been the Chevette

[Dutch01]

Crazy story. Musta been the Chevette

I used to have one of those - bought it for $200, sold it two years later for $200! Hard to kill those things!