Canada Trip, Part 12

Crossing the Border

I had lunch in Cranbrook, then proceeded south toward the border. The crossing took much longer than expected. At least 50 cars had backed up behind the American check point, as well as 20 semi-trucks full of cattle. Each vehicle took almost 5 minutes to cross, so you can imagine how long we waited.

While waiting, I got the chance to photograph the Canadian flag overlooking a large swath cut in the trees demarcating the border. It's an imaginary line, but it retains huge implications for the people, as Native American nations were literally cut in half by the 49th parallel. Such a strange thing, really.

When I finally got my chance to cross the border, the officer questioned me for about 5 minutes. He seemed somewhat tense and nervous. Someone told me later they had been looking for drug smugglers. Who knows?

I finally crossed and drove home.

End.