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| I don't even want to think about the damage he could have caused! |
I also remembered one of my funnier stories from the road. As you travel further North, it is harder and harder to find places to grab food and gas. Luckily we stopped in Washington and grabbed some "essentials". (PB, jelly, bread, chips, water, candy, etc)
We are in the middle of nowhere, we haven't seen another vehicle in at least 2 hours and there were no signs of stopping. Rich's stomach was growling so I did what any wonderful wife would do. I climbed into the back of the Acadia and I made a PB&J sandwich. Have you ever tried to make one in a car before? Its not easy. Now add the "dips" that occured while heading North. By "dips", as the Canadians like to call them with brightly colored labels on the side of the road, they are more like roller coaster drops! Yes, it was funny the first time we hit a "dip" and I nailed my head on the roof of the car....but the 5 or 6 times after that...not as funny. Rich is lucky that sandwich didn't end up in his face with all the laughing he was doing up front. I was starting to feel as though he was speeding over these "dips" on purpose.
After thousands of miles driven and countless hours sitting in a car we had made it to the border! Back to good old US of A!
Oh don't worry...this was no ordinary trip across the border...Nope! I had to do it the hard way and almost cost us a trip to jail!
I'll tell you my version....Rich saw what happened in a slightly different light.
We did the whole touristy thing and took some great photos of us at the border of Canada and Alaska. Even Rocky got in on some of the shots. Then it we needed to climb back into the car, Rich driving and myself in the passenger seat, and travel 20 some feet to the Border Patrol "hut".
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| Rocky's happy to be back in the USA! |
I don't know how to even describe what we saw. I really wish I would have snapped a photo but I knew that was not allowed! (see..I do think about these things!)
In front of us was the "hut". It looked like a toll both really. There were 2 lanes in front of us both with red and green lights above them. Obviously we know what those mean. Red=stop Green=Go. Both lanes had their RED lights lit up. So, we looked and saw a third lane that takes you to another "hut" which didn't have any lights aglow. We both thought that was were we needed to go to. Next thing we know there is a Patrol Officer running toward our car shouting for us to stop. Ooops. Mistake #1.
He showed us where to go and we followed his orders. While we were sitting at his "drive thru window" we explained why we were headed for the wrong lane. He laughed and said it was a common mistake. (maybe they should look into fixing that then!) He then proceeded to ask us the typical border questions....and this is when I almost get us tossed in the slammer.
*handing over our passports
Border Patrol: "Do you guys have VALID passports? These are no good."
Us: "WHAT?!? What do you mean??? They don't expire for 8 more years!"
Border Patrol: "You two never validating them by signing them. Here's a pen."
Seriously!?! Mistake #2
Border Patrol: "What is your reason for traveling thru Canada and into the US?"
Rich: "We are moving to Anchorage."
B.P: "What is your job that you moving for? Military?"
Rich: "Yes, I'm in the military"
BP: "Thats great. You are going to love Alaska. Do you have any firearms on you?"
Rich: "No. No firearms."
BP: "Well, you're going to need some living in Alaska."
*I'd like to point out that at this point the BP Agent was very friendly and relaxed. We asked him if he needed to see Rocky's papers proving he was purchased in the US and had his vaccines (yes, some will ask for all of that) He very jokingly said "no I see he's a well loved dog. No need for all of that." I, being the idiot I can be sometimes, felt that the BP Agent had a sense of humor. Mistake #3.
BP:"Are you transporting any Canadians across the border?"
Rich: "No" with a chuckle.
Annie: "I don't think we have any room in here for anybody else."
BP:(with a smile I might add after my comment) "Do you have any fruit that you are carrying with you?"
Rich: "Nope."
BP: "Do you have cash on you totaling more then $10,000?"
Rich: "Ummmm No!"
Annie: "I wish!"
(slight chuckle from BP...not too bad)
BP: "Are you sure you don't have anyone stashed away in your luggage case on top of your car?"
Rich: "No Sir. No one up there."
Annie: "Oh Yea! At least 4 Canadians are sweating out up there!"
(insert foot!) The final Mistake.
Instantly Rich turns and glares at me....the Border Patrol Agent looks at me. Turns to Rich. Looks at the back of the car. Then laughs. PHEW!
I now know that what should have happened was our car should have been seized and inspected and we should have been held for questioning. Oooops.
After some awkward silence in the car, we were en route to our next stop: Tok, Alaska.
We heard there weren't many places to stay in Tok and decided to stay in the one that we heard most people used, Caribou Cabins. If you ever find yourself traveling through this area (yea right) and need a place to stay, we highly recommend these cabins. The grounds are located away from the "major" roads. It is so quiet and peaceful you could hear a pin drop. Or an animal!
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| Our cozy cabin. (yes, its the handicap unit...insert joke here) |
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| Enjoying having a bed all to himself! |
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| Some light shopping in the bustling Tok shopping center. (ok, so it was just 1 store and we were the only ones there!) |
It took some adjusting to get to sleep with the bright sunlight beaming down on us at 11pm. We managed to get some sleep until the beaming sunlight waking me up at 5am.
I also needed to adjust to looking out the window/door before taking the dog for a morning stroll. You never know what animals are hanging out.
We were FINALLY on our last day of travel!!!! WooHoo!
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