Day 5- Back in the US of A..

I got up a bit earlier than Andy and the other bikepacker, and headed out on the route solo. First order of business was to find coffee and some breakfast. I know that there was a gas station and convenience store just down the hill. This store must have a deal with McDonald’s since they had a couple egg McMuffins and hash browns in a heated display. That will work for me, especially since they also had a latte machine! This is so much easier and tastier than those “diarrhea” oats from the other day.

I had planned on finding a camp spot somewhere before the US border. The ride itself wasn’t as scenic or interesting as some of the previous days. Could it be a “border” thing? I had a remote & primitive camp spot marked on the map and headed that way. I did see that the weather forecast had rain and storms forecasted for later that afternoon, so that was nagging in the back of my mind. I reached the camp spot in the early afternoon and there has nobody around. It was near a nice lake and stream, but it didn’t give me a good feeling about the place. I filtered some water and decided to head on out and find something else.

Andy was right at the intersection I turned on to, and we discussed our options for the evening. In the end there really was nothing further on the Canadian side, so the most likely place was a town called Eureka, about 12 miles south of the border. They had a motel listed, which might be a good choice, especially if a storm was coming in.

We made a straight line for the border on the highway, which luckily had a decent shoulder. When we got to the border, there was already a long line of cars waiting to cross. We decided to not jump the queue with our bikes, and just lined up behind the other cars and RV’s. It was pretty slow moving, and I can bet our current president is behind that all. The other drivers and passengers were very friendly, offering us drinks, etc. Many did warn us about this storm that was coming in, and that heavy winds were predicted as well. Hmm, maybe camping isn’t the best choice tonight🧐.

Waiting in queue..

The queue started to move faster now that they had opened up more lanes for Border patrol. I still have been thinking about the “slice of ham” incident Linda and I had when we crossed back into the US from our Baja Mexico trip. It was totally ridiculous, but maybe US Border Patrol had me profiled as a bad “hambre” 🤣. My turn was up with the Customs guy. These folks must have gone through intensive training to remove any personality or charm. Mark my word, robots are next for this work. Well, their database must have been down since no mention was made about smuggling in ham. Andy was next, and it take a bit longer with him. Apparently the guy asked if he was carrying in any contraband or weapons, and he jokingly replied “I wish”. Oops, I forgot to tell him about our charming Border agents who had their funny bones surgically removed. He had to go into the Customs “principal” office for more paperwork.

He was finally “released” and we quickly made our escape from that place before they all changed their minds about us. We made a beeline for Eureka with dark clouds gathering behind us on the horizon. We made it to the first (and only) motel in Eureka, and checked on availability. Yes, they had a room which was ridiculously priced, probably because they were the only game in town, and we looked desperate. The guy behind the counter said that he was the manager, and that he was empowered to give us a great deal. He looked like a punk to me, but I graciously accepted his new offer. Andy and I shared the room.

Not long after when we had raided the convenience store with all kinds of unhealthy meal options, the storm came in and we were very glad we were not in our tents at this time! 65 miles today

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