Subject: Trip Report: Border Partings :-(
Hey now,
Our fresh start was pretty sour.
Yesterday (20 July) actually went quite well, Todd & Becky were excellent company for breakfast, and let me do a valve adj. and oil change in their yard. So things went ok.
Which brings us to the real downer.
Canadian Customs.
In a nutshell, they denied us entry. Of course, this was after
they ransacked the bus and treated us like criminals. When they found
out we were headed for Inuvik, they decided that $400 was not enough
cash to get us there. And that they didn't like Samantha's very old
criminal record. LSD when she was 18, 11 years ago. Hasn't touched
the stuff in years. Should've thought about that, and cleared it up,
but we'd always heard that Canadian crossings were more formality
than anything else. I'm used to Mexico, where they
wave you on through. So, they said no. Said we needed about $500
more, and we'd have to go to the consulate in Seattle-Monday AM.
That's a little late for the trip. We headed south to get a motel and
lick our wounds. I went in to talk rates and the woman said that
sometimes folks just go over to the other border and go right on
through. So we tried.
Bad, BAD move. We are very, very lucky. Canadian customs could
have taken our bus, and put is in
the
holding cell 'till Monday, and it could've cost
thousands to get out. Fortunately for us, we told them before they
found out that we were hoping for a better judgment. They let us go.
The American Customs fellows told us that they'd never seen that
happen, normally we'd have gone to the hoosegow. No es muy bueno. And
along comes 21 July. We're supposed to be at Tobin's already, and
instead we're on the wrong side of the border with 2 major problems.
Money was easily solved, Sam's problem not so simple. I made the
decision to not go on the trip. My feeling was one for all, all for
one, we don't go. Samantha is an angel. She knows what this trip
means to me, how much planning I've put into it, how much sweat I
poured out in Texas to ready our bus for the journey. She told me to
go.
I initially said no. She harassed me for about 3 hours this morning, and finally convinced me. A couple of months ago, she was thinking about flying home from Portland and letting me continue on to Inuvik, but I convinced her to join me. I really wanted this to be a joint affair, and something we could remember as a couple for life. She was never truly invested in the trip, and it was always something she was doing for me more than anything else. So when customs said no, she sent me off on my own. I'm still not sure it was the best decision, but it's done now, what will be will be. We got Sam down to Seattle-Tacoma airport this afternoon, and she was in Los Angeles at 6:10 tonight. And I mostly felt like crap as we drove North. Indra (the dog) helped comfort me on the drive north from Seattle. She's my link to Samantha, and will likely be spoiled even more as we go north, as I miss Sam and give Indra love instead.
Tobin drove out and met us at the border to help us get across, and we followed him into Vancouver. My dad and I both really enjoyed his CB tour of Vancouver as we went, but I still felt like the bus was empty. This whole adventure has become bittersweet, and I don't really know how I'll feel as it goes on. Things seem normal, and then I see a sunset, and I think of Sam, 2000 miles away, and remember that she's supposed to be beside me. Tobin and Christa were wonderful to both of us, not only assisting in our entry, but in being kind and hospitable to us upon our arrival. Everyone here seems to feel really bad about Sam's treatment, but that doesn't make much difference. She's still shut out.
Sam has flown south to resolve this problem, as she has a trip planned to the UK later this year, and will rejoin me on the 12th at Seattle. So it is with mixed emotions I view the upcoming excursion. One side is ready for the trip, the other will likely be unfulfilled until the 12th. I hope that I can get past this to enjoy the trip, if I spend all my time thinking of Sam, no-one wins. We will tour Yellowstone and the Rockies when this is all over, so there's still more to come. It's not over yet...
Peace,
Eddie
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