We crossed into Canada seven or eight times and the U.S. about the same. Each experience was quite pleasant with only a few questions asked. No problem with any of the food we brought. Where were we from? How long were we staying in Canada? How much money did we have? Did we have any firearms or pets? We breezed right through.
Today we crossed from Oregon into California. The attendant wanted to know all the fruits and vegetables we had in the RV and if we had any firewood. We had purchased a armful of firewood in Liard Hot Springs in Canada and hauled it on the rest of our trip. Fortunately, we left it in Lincoln City, OR with Chuck and Betty at Winchester Bay. They are staying for the RoVing Rods Crab Fest in a week where they will build a fire. Otherwise, we would have had to leave it at the border crossing.
The other thing I had to get out and show them was two avocados. They were from Chili. We had the choice of handing them over or pulling over and peeling the skin off and leaving the skin with them. I did that and we included them in our salad for lunch. (Now that we've tried them, I'll pass. Chilean avocados are not very flavorful.)
The agricultural check station on I-10 going from Arizona to Blythe, CA has been unmanned for more than a year due to budget cuts. AZ is a big agricultural state too, so I am surprised the department thinks products coming from Oregon are more of a threat. Perhaps the avocado lobby is stronger or the problem more serious than the any from lettuce and citrus that come from AZ.
We did have a mini disaster before we reached our day's destination of Eureka, CA. More about that tomorrow when George finds out the damage. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
Guess I must have lucked out-- last year, I crossed into California from Oregon along the coastal route (Hwy 1). No checkpoints at all and a prettier, albeit slower, drive.
Posted by: Lynne | September 17, 2009 at 07:47 PM
I agree the coastal route is gorgeous. Considering the problem we had (George will blog about it today), it's a good thing we didn't go that way.
Jaimie
Posted by: Jaimie Hall Bruzenak | September 18, 2009 at 06:25 AM