Crossing the Line: Seattle in a Delica

[marsgal42]

I've been off work this week, and once the dust had settled from my trip up north, I decided to end my week with a shopping trip to Seattle.

I cruised at 100 to 110 klicks down I-5. Some people passed me. Some didn't. I got a lot of "who is driving that thing?" RHD gawking, and explained to people in a couple of parking lots what they were looking at and why it was special. A Japanese gentleman I passed just north of Northgate clearly knew exactly what he was looking at, and grinned from ear to ear.

Diesel seems a lot more available in Washington than on past trips, though this is, admittedly, the first trip I've really cared. Why is diesel more expensive than premium gas in the U.S.? It works out to about $CDN 0.85 a litre, so it's still a little cheaper than in B.C. Look for the green signs and green pumps. Almost all Shell stations have diesel, but you can't pay at the pump with a Canadian credit card. Grrr...

The border lineups were disgusting, 1.5 hours southbound at 7 in the morning. Officialdom (RCMP, Canada Customs, U.S. Customs, etc.) have thus far shown zero interest in Gumdrop. I guess I'm just not cut out to be an outlaw bad girl import driver. Can I borrow a Skyline for my next trip?

...laura

[chris&ahlye]

So overall was your border crossing easy? Im heading down to cali in a few weeks in our deli.....

[marsgal42]

They didn't give Gumdrop a second glance. I was almost disappointed.

All the Canadians cared about was if I was bringing back any alcohol or tobacco. The Americans didn't even care about that. Both seemed prepared to reach in as I leaned over to hand over my passport. YMMV: a trip to California may attract more attention, but it would in any vehicle. As long as you, your Delica and your paperwork are in order, why should they care what you're driving?

If you want to bore people at parties, look up the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, to which both Canada and the U.S.A. are signatories. This is the legal basis for tourists being able to drive across the border, and is also why your drivers license is valid in the U.S.A. There are a few extra wrinkles between Canada and the U.S.A., like not requiring front license plates if the state/province doesn't issue them, and not requiring the white oval country sticker on the back of the car.

...laura

[piyeguyo]

To Chris & Ahlye

You guys are going to Cali, Colombia? It's a beautiful city, though the drive from Canada is very long, and you'll have to take a ferry from Panama to Colombia because of the Darien Gap. (Can't drive from Central America to South America, must take ferry)

More info about Cali here: http://gosouthamerica.about.com/od/cali/p/Cali.htm

Also, make sure you brush up on your Spanish before going there...

Fabio

[tomanique]

Am guessing cali is California

[tomanique]

So overall was your border crossing easy? Im heading down to cali in a few weeks in our deli.....

We'll break trail for you. We're headed down to Disneyland on Thursday

[Adrock]

border = no problem