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Part 1 – It’s Finally Going to Happen!
Beth and I have been threatening for at least 15 years. It started when all we had was a tent. It lasted through our Little Guy camper and continued for the last five years when we bought our 16-foot Wolf Pup RV.
“This year will be the year – this year we’ll make it happen!”
Well, even for the best laid plans, life gets in the way. Work, weddings, get-togethers, reunions, funerals, sports, injuries and illnesses and just about everything else would crowd into an already crowded calendar.
“It looks like we’ll have some time in August this summer.”
Nope. “June might be a good time.” Nope. “After the 4th looks open.” Nope.
Every year something came up – some planned, some unexpected – to take that window away. And, in most cases no complaints.
Normal important parts of life would arise and put that trip on the back burner – again. The problem with this trip is that it is a “tweener.”
It’s not short like our recent trip to Nashville that can be done in four days. It’s not like a trip to Europe that you plan for a year or two in advance and allow at least a month for. It’s not like escaping winter by going south for January through March. It’s kind of an awkward amount of time.
This year we decided on a different strategy. Beth was done with work the first week of May and our first grandson’s graduation wouldn’t be until May 31. We would miss a couple of baseball games, but there will be many others to go to. With an early spring, weather looked like that wouldn’t be a problem.
We did have some commitments through the 12th, but it did seem like we could squirrel away a few days in between there and Sam’s graduation to get away for enough time to make the trip worthwhile. We decided to go for it!
We left home on the 14th and made it back home on the 21st.
Seven nights and eight days made for a good trip. We traveled 1,580 miles and re-visited some familiar territory as well as exploring some new adventures.
Nick at the Echo had asked if we could journal our foray and maybe help some others who might be thinking of doing the same trip.
Part 1 is going to give some background and preparation info.
I’ll cover the North Shore in Part 2, even though we didn’t camp there on this trip. I’ve spent so much time there I’ll devote some information about the stretch of the tour for our friends who don’t live in Minnesota’s Arrowhead region and know this area intimately.
Part 3 will look at time in Canada through Sault St. Marie and down to St. Ignace in Michigan. Part 4 will include the South Shore of Superior including the U.P. and Wisconsin. Part 5 will dive into a place we spent extra time at, and I fell in love with.
Preparations
We have a small RV trailer and the week leading up to our departure was spent making sure everything was working properly. The bearings were greased, the refrigerator stocked and clothes and necessities put aboard. With the early spring traveling we had to anticipate many kinds of weather. Extra propane tanks filled. Two spare tires instead of one. Passports were dug out.
A trip to the vet to get our dogs medical records was on the list.
We travel enough that it wasn’t hard to put all the necessities in place.
Crossing the border
Getting into Canada is always an adventure. Much of Part 1 will involve this aspect. I’ve done it enough times to know that if you do everything correctly, it can be painless.
Again, you’ll need up to date passports and one other type of official identification. Travel has changed since the old days when a driver’s license was enough. They will ask you where you’re from, what’s the purpose of your trip and how long you intend to be in Canada. They also want to know if you are bringing anything along that will be left in the country after you leave.
With our camper, they asked if we had made reservations at a campground for our first night.
We’d gotten our papers from the vet to show our pups had up to date rabies vaccinations. They asked if we had the paperwork.
Beth picked it up to show them, but they didn’t look at it.
They asked if we had any alcohol, tobacco or cannabis products along. You are allowed small personal amounts of booze and tobacco, but cannabis in any amount is NOT allowed. This includes gummies.
Foods can be a bit tricky.
Officially fresh fruit and vegetables are not allowed, along with unprocessed raw meat, dairy products and eggs. Digging into the regs, they may allow small amounts across for personal use.
They didn’t ask us about any of these, but if they ask you, make sure you declare what you have.
If you don’t and end up getting searched it can be a fine.
We took very little of that across when we went and intended to stop in Thunder Bay to pick up what we needed on the other side.
They always ask about firearms. Long guns are permitted but must be pre-registered before you go on your trip or declared at the border. They will inspect them and usually there is a $20 charge per gun.
Handguns are a different story. Most will tell you that you can’t bring any handguns across the border, but that’s not entirely true.
There are only certain handguns that fall into being legal, but it’s a long process to make that happen.
I did it once in 2016 – with no problems – but would never do it again. A lot of paperwork, hassle and specifics that just don’t make it worth the effort.
They did ask a question I’ve never been asked before and that was whether I used either my truck or camper for hunting back home. Yes, I do, and I told them that. I suspect that might be a reason for them to search your vehicle. On this trip they didn’t.
Another no-no is firewood.
None is allowed across the border. Also, if you have large amounts of cash, they want to know. You can bring up to $10,000 without any extra paperwork, but you must declare it.
Be aware, there is a camera that takes a photo of your license
