Crossing the Border

We're in Canada! We left Colbert, WA around 7am this morning. When I woke up I decided to take Cooper for a nice walk in the country so I set off around 6am, thinking we were leaving around 8am and therefore, I had plenty of time to walk, come back, have a little coffee and toast, relax a bit. Wrong! When I got back I noticed mom and dad were all packed, tow car hooked up and they were already halfway down the drive!! Okay then....change in plan...BUT.....I cannot go anywhere without my coffee so I beg a little off my generous cousin and then head outside to unhook the electricity from the motorhome, climb in and off we go. Another day of adventure!
After some time we stopped briefly and I was able to gulp down a roll. The coffee was long gone but luckily I had a nice supply of water with me! Cooper and I took another little walk and then we were back on the road. Next stop was gas and propane in Bonner's Ferry, ID. Almost $3.00/gallon but much cheaper than it's going to be in Canada! So I topped off the tanks, cleaned the windshield and we set off again.

We only had one small detour today. I have a hand held GPS and mom and dad have one with their laptop. Mom's GPS went down for a little bit so I thought I was being helpful and told them the road turned left up the road. You know how annoying these GPS' are....you think you're going to turn on another road but really you're just staying on the same road the whole time. But we took her literally (always a mistake) and turned left onto a small dead end residential road! Oops! No problem for me...I could just back up my little 24' motorhome but dad has a 30' MH, towing a car behind and you can't just back it up. So we go all the way to the end where luck would have it - a small gravel turnaround. He slowly maneuvered his motorhome and car around and we headed back down the hill to the main road again. Whew...

Researching border crossings on the Internet had me a little nervous about what we were going to encounter crossing into Canada. Limited or no meat, dairy, eggs, alcohol, dog food, produce. No firearms. Pets needing rabies certificate and health exam record. Right before we get to the border patrol I'm gulping down the last of my apple, knowing it will be confiscated if I don't. I pull up to the window, show the guy my passport and he asks me where I'm from, how long I'll be in Canada, who's traveling with me and do I have any weapons or firearms. That's it! Took all of 30 seconds max. I noticed upon leaving, however, that the side trying to gain access into the United States was much longer. Maybe we Americans are much harsher than the Canadians....we shall see when we cross into Alaska!

Just in the nick of time we arrived at our RV destination, Spruce Grove RV Resort in Fairmont Hot Springs, BC. I was tired, hungry and in great need of a walk and a beer - not necessarily in that order. Before cracking one open I had to go resister my RV at the front desk. Unfortunately I took Cooper with me. I tied him up outside while I went inside to register and pay for my spot. The lady had previously told me the price so I knew what to expect. She's ringing it up. I'm getting ready to pay. She says "For two of you?" "No, just me." "Any kids?" "No, just a dog." That'll be Five Bucks more for the dog then.

What? So....I can have some unsavory loud, obnoxious person with me, but a "dog" will be Five Dollars extra? I'll know better how to respond the next time and I'll leave Cooper in the motorhome! I only mention this because my dad was there with me at the same time and she didn't ask him a thing about any pet!

Okay, I know we're at our first hot springs and I was all jazzed up and excited about experiencing it all but with walking Cooper, eating a bite of dinner and catching up on my pictures and blog, time has just flown by! Besides, our means of transportation is still hooked up to my dad's motorhome. Guess I'll just take another walk instead and then take a much needed shower in the motorhome. There will be more hot springs on this trip....Canada is known for them!!

Here's some pictures of our "Resort" for the night:

Mine is the little one!

View of the surrounding mountains

A little stream flowing into the river that runs behind the campground.