Road trip to Calgary

[Tdog]

My wife & I decided to take a road trip later this summer to Calgary to visit our daughter who lives there now. I have a few questions that some tbn’ers probably know about.

What about auto insurance - - I’m guessing that my State Farm policy is good north of the border.

What about crossing the border each way? Friends tell me that you probably don’t need a passport, but it would expedite things, especially returning into the states. My passport is current, but my wife has never had one.

I’m thinking about buying a gps. I’m sure if I do a search I’ll find something. I’m looking to get a Garmin with a fair number of bells & whistles. We just bought a new car [well, it was a program car - - probably a rental] - - I should have looked until I found a car with built-in gps, but got impatient & bought one without it.

Just a couple of comments on contemplating leaving home for a 2-3 week period. It used to be easy because I either had grown kids at home or in-laws nearby. Now, pets are a major headache. My wife is the Alpha b!tch of our 3 dog pack, & she regards them as children. Finding an appropriate kennel is a major pain. This could probably be an entirely new thread. After spending about a week yesterday driving from kennel to kennel, we’ve discovered there are NONE that provide couches for dogs to jump up on. Just bare floors & tiny cement outdoor postage stamps called ‘runs’. From the looks of things everyone thinks kennels are for dogs. The doggy motel issue may put our trip in jeopardy - - we’ll see.

Thanks for your help & for listening to my rant.

Jack

 

[RoyJackson]

I think you may want to get that passport:
Requirements for travel to and from Canada

Enjoy your trip!

 

[hwp]

Your insurance will cover you. Leave your guns on the US side of the border - otherwise they will be confiscated and there are serious penalties for trying to bring them into Canada. You shouldn't need a passport to cross the border either way until early 2008. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Jagmandave]

Two ideas for the pets..........

Pete and Macs...their kennels have glass block walls so they get a lot more light, they have supervised play periods with other similar sized dogs - indoors for the small ones, and outdoors for the big guys, and reasonable cost. You can have your dogs together in a large "Cabana Style" kennel, or separrate in smaller ones. However, I don't know if they have one in your area..........

Pet sitter. We have found a local woman who does this for a living, she stays at our home and cares for the dogs like they were hers. It's actually a little cheaper than kennelling them, and less stressful since they're in their own home environment. Check with your vet, he may know someone........or the local big box pet stores may have some ads up on their bulletin boards.

 

[dmccarty]

Get a pet sitter to come to your house. We are going through this right now but we know people who are involved with Golden Rescues and they will keep our GSD. When we get back from the short holiday, the wife and kids will bring home the GSD and a "new" Golden named Flirt.

We where going to use a dog sitter recommended by the vet until the wife, the two little girls, and the dog came begging to me about a new dog. I was SET UP!

I'm not sure what to think of this statement,

My wife is the Alpha b!tch of our 3 dog pack, ....

I KNOW what you mean but if *** I *** said that and the wifey found out ... It would be ugly. Truely ugly. We don't have a dog house but there is the moldy, mouse filled well house.....

Later,
Dan

 

[randy41]

pet sitter is the way to go....we get one who takes care of the dogs (4), cats (2), and chickens (25-30?). she even waters the things i have in the greenhouse if necessary. she lives < 10 miles away and comes by twice a day. but the longest we've been away was 2 nights a couple of years ago. usually its just for one night occasionally.

 

[scott_vt]

I KNOW what you mean but if *** I *** said that and the wifey found out ... It would be ugly. Truely ugly. We don't have a dog house but there is the moldy, mouse filled well house.....

Later,
Dan

Afternoon Dan,
Oohhh yeahh....., in my case it would be the unused dog house and kennel area that has been taken over by bbeees !!!

 

[RobertN]

Buzz out to Banff and Kootenay parks while you're up there. Lake Louise is really cool too, as is Jasper :d

 

[Bird]

We've crossed western Canada a number of times going to and from Alaska, and in the past, no passport was necessary. However, I understand that it may be needed now. As already mentioned, leave all firearms home; don't try to cross the border with them. It used to be OK to take long guns; just not handguns, but I understand that has now changed. And while we never had a dog with us, my aunt and uncle did when they went along, and they had to have the certificate showing the dog had been vaccinated. If you smoke, I think the limit was one carton per person to take into Canada.

 

[Tdog]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll check out the petsitter angle - - that would be best for the beasts. I'll check at petsmart.

Had not thought about the firearms issue. Thanks.

'Alpha' even answers to her name. When you're the boss you can afford to be gracious, I guess.

This trip will be an experience. Alpha asked if I minded if she asked her 86 yr old mother to go with us. I never dreamed she would say yes, but she sure did. Fortunately, I like my MIL, but with two women along who don't want to travel many miles a day it may take me a week to get out of Texas. I really don't mind - - the MIL has never seen the Rockies. And, I've never been to that part of Canada, so I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Knight9]

You'll love Alberta! It's a beautiful province with some real diversity in the geography.

A few suggestions:
1) Bring your credit card Gas will be $1.30ish / litre by summer time and with the Canadian dollar very quickly approaching the US dollar your "roadtrip" will cost you!!
2) Buy or bring mosquito repellant. We grow em big here and its a BAD year so far.
3) You HAVE to go to Banff if you are going to Calgary. Get outside of the touristy area of Banff itself and see some of the sights. You won't regret it.
4) If you plan to go anywhere, do anything, or go to any events in Calgary in the summer, you may want to book now. The Stampede happens every year and the summer is NUTS in Calgary. Hotels, etc are all quickly booked.

Other than that....have a great visit and be sure to enjoy a nice slab of Alberta beef

 

[PBinWA]

You can take your dogs to Canada if you're driving. Just make sure they are up on their shots (rabies) although I've never actually been asked for the certificates.

You don't need a passport to get into Canada but it will make it easier to get back into the US. At the very least bring all your ID's and your birth certificate.

 

[Tdog]

Knight9, thanks for the travel tips. I do plan to get out & see some of the sights. I've always heard that the Rockies up there are spectacular. I'm going to let my daughter be my tour guide. I realize my credit cards will take a major hit - - somehow I don't think gas will go down in price between now & August. I've heard of the Stampede, but have not checked on the dates - - I'll try to schedule around it. Skeeters? Geez, I thought I'd be leaving them behind here in Louisiana.

PB - - not planning on taking the dogs. They are ~~ 60+ lbs each, & with Alpha's mom [or Alpha or, gasp, me] in the back seat, it would start to get a little crowded. Taking them sure would solve the dogsitting issue, though.

Jack

 

[looch]

Make sure your GPS software covers Canada. US and Canada are two distinct software packages on my Magellan.

 

[EddieWalker]

Jack,

My parents are Candians and one of my brothers is a duel citizen. My other brother and I can also become duel citizens if we fill out the paperwork. I've been there dozens of times, but the last time was a disaster.

It was about five years ago and after 9-11. A buddy and I were going hunting there and drove to the border. At the border, we filled out the forms for our rifles, which is fairly simple, and then they ran a background check on us. We both failed.

In 1991 I was arrested and plead guilty to drunk driving. I did what was required and that was that. My buddy through some tresspassers off his land and in the process told them he'd shoot them if they didn't leave. They reported him, he was arrested and spent the weekend in jail. The judge dismissed it and that was that.

The Canadians are able to go back decades in thier searches and find out about every arrest you've ever had. They then require you to prove you served your sentance, paid your fine and are no longer a menace to society. It was up to me to show them my court records that I paid my fine and went to rehab. My buddy had to prove to them that he was never charged.

We had to go to a special border crossing in North Dakota to do this as the Montana crossing didn't have the people to hear our apeal. Since my case was more then five years old, they allowed me to pay a $200 fee to be rehabilitated. That was there term. My buddies case was less then five years old, so he was denied. He was told he could hire a lawyer and apeal it, but it would take months. They did say it was a winner if he wanted to fight it, but they couldn't do anything.

While there, we met people who had been arrested for all sorts ot things and were seeing if they could get in and be rehabilitated or not. One guy stole a Christmas tree as a college prank in the early 70's. Most of us had Drunk Driving convictions going back several decades.

If you have ever been arrested for anythying, no matter the result, it's likely they will find it in there search when you enter the border. It's not garanteed, because another buddy of mine got through fine, but also had a DUI on his record.

Banf and Lake Loise are two must see stops when you are in Calgary!!!

Eddie

 

[Tdog]

Boy Eddie, what a nightmare. That seems almost crazy to charge you a fee to be 'rehabbed'. I assumed the US agents would be the most stringent. Any thing to make a buck.

I'm really fortunate that I've never had any run ins with the law, except for speeding tickets. I did some crazy stuff in my high school & college days, but no arrests. Luckily, I didn't run across Bird while he was on duty!

Jack

 

[Bird]

I did some crazy stuff in my high school & college days, but no arrests.

Didn't we all? I never got caught hot rodding or stunt driving, in spite of doing a lot of it, but I did get some tickets for doing 10 mph over the speed limit back in those days. And I sure got questioned about that in the final interview before the police department hired me when I was 24 years old.

And when I've crossed Canada, I'm not sure they've ever even asked to see ID; just asked whether I had any handguns or tobacco and where we were going. But things are always changing. In 1972, I had 3 handguns and they only told me to bring them inside, unloaded, and they put them in a heavy clear plastic bag with a waxed cord and lead seal after recording the serial numbers and told me to show them to the customs guy when we left the country (so he could see the bag had not been opened). By 1990 and 1991 we knew to not even have any handguns in the RV, but long guns were OK. I told them I had shotguns and rifles, but they didn't even ask to see them.

But I haven't been up that way since '91, so I know it's changed a lot since then.