{"id":2272,"date":"2017-06-28T19:47:30","date_gmt":"2017-06-28T19:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/?p=2272"},"modified":"2017-07-10T14:42:23","modified_gmt":"2017-07-10T14:42:23","slug":"back-in-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/2017\/06\/28\/back-in-the-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Back in the USA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we would be returning to the USA. \u00a0Our stops in Canada were short but we had fun and left plenty of stuff to do the next time we visit. \u00a0We had close to 6 hours of driving per Google which for us means closer to 7 hours. \u00a0Plus, we had to cross the border. \u00a0But I had learned my lesson earlier<\/a> about stressing over the border crossing. \u00a0This time I was cool as a cucumber!<\/p>\n

We left Kewlona and started driving uphill. \u00a0We drove up and up and up. \u00a0I have never gone up hill for so long in my life! \u00a0Our destination for the day was Seattle which, last I checked, is at sea level. \u00a0So I though that it would be a net downhill day. \u00a0I can’t be sure, but if Seattle is at sea level then Kewlona must be several thousand feet BELOW sea level considering all the steep hills we climbed today. \u00a0But the Beast did his job and trucked along just fine.<\/p>\n

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As we approached the border station in Sumas the digital signs only showed a 10 minute delay. \u00a0Not as good as our Roosville crossing, but not too shabby either. \u00a0But just then the digital sign changed to 20 minutes….what!!?? \u00a0Oh well. It is what it is. \u00a0No sense getting all spun up about it. \u00a0There is nothing we can do. \u00a0We’ll just wait our turn and be on our way. \u00a0We inch forward in the RV lane and finally it is our turn. \u00a0I’m a pro this time: \u00a0I have my sunglasses off, both driver side windows down, I throw the truck into park and turn off the engine. \u00a0The border patrol officer takes our passports and asks us some questions. \u00a0He was very friendly and was joking around with us. \u00a0He asked the standard questions, \u00a0“Are you carrying any weapons? \u00a0Are you carrying any commercial goods? \u00a0Are you carrying more than $10,000 in cash?” \u00a0 I answer “No. No and No.” \u00a0This is going to be a breeze! \u00a0“Do you have any fruits or vegetables?” \u00a0he asks. \u00a0“Well, yeah” I said, “we have 2 bananas, a bag of peaches and some lettuce we bought at the grocery store “. \u00a0He cringed but I got the feeling he was going to let it slide. \u00a0“Ok…do you have any firewood?” he asks. \u00a0“I have a little bit sir”, I admitted, “but it is actually from the US….our backyard in Colorado even!” \u00a0I could tell this was not good. \u00a0He gave me a bright orange piece of paper and told me to pull up and park and take the orange slip into the department of agriculture office.<\/p>\n

Alright, no big woop. \u00a0Once they see the little bit of wood we have they’ll let us go on our merry way. \u00a0We take the slip of paper in and the agent goes through the same set of questions again. \u00a0He asks more specifics about fruits and vegetables. \u00a0He asks more details about the wood and where we have it stored. \u00a0He asks for details of the cash we have on us. \u00a0I unlock all the doors on the trailer and the truck so he and a heavily armored and armed CBP agent can search the vehicle. \u00a0They check every compartment and go inside the trailer and are in there for quite some time. \u00a0Finally they come out with a lemon, a lime, a cutie orange and a red bell pepper. \u00a0The CBP agent lectures us on the fact that these items are not allowed to enter the US no matter where they came from. \u00a0And that firewood has not been permitted to cross the border into the US since 2009. \u00a0“But, you are not the first person to do this so I will tell you what you need to do to return the wood to Canada,” he explains to us. \u00a0Oh dear Lord….please do not make us turn around, wait in the line to reenter Canada just to turn around and wait again to get back into the US!! \u00a0I did in fact have to do that. \u00a0However, Ava, the Beast and the rest of the family all got to stay in the US while I borrowed a government issue luggage dolly, load up my firewood and haul it back into Canada on foot. \u00a0I felt so ridiculous I just had to laugh out loud. \u00a0I still did not know what to do with the wood once I got to the other side. \u00a0But the Canadian border agent saw the piece of paper I had and without even looking up at me said, “go out that door, across the parking lot to the building that says Livingston, drop the wood off by the steps.” \u00a0Ok, clearly I’m not the first guy to do this little firewood kabuki dance across the border! \u00a0As the little cart of wood bumped along to its Canadian resting place I thought of where I had acquired the pieces of wood and how far they had traveled with us.<\/p>\n

Coming back into the US on foot was a breeze. \u00a0I rejoined the family, we loaded up and continued our drive to Seattle. \u00a0As we pulled away from the border Dacen commented, “well Papa, it looks like you used your last [dumb tourist] coupon.” \u00a0I asked him if I had used it bringing wood across the border or answering the CBP agent’s questions. \u00a0“Bringing wood across the border” he said, and I agreed. \u00a0Part of me wished I’d answered the agent’s question differently, but it is entirely possible that our border delay saved our skin…just God’s humorous way of answering our prayers of safety. \u00a0We were back home in the USA and it sure felt good!<\/p>\n

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Long line at the border<\/p><\/div>

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Firewood not mentioned<\/p><\/div>

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The man pulling the royal chariot<\/p><\/div>

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Bruce, Winston, Kyle and the royal chariot<\/p><\/div><\/div>