Day 3

Niagara Falls, Canada through Canada, to Kalamazoo, MI

Mileage – 400

Learned:

You can’t enter the parking lot of a duty free store unless you’re really leaving the country.

If you ride the Maid of the Mist boat at Niagara Falls, you will get wet. Really, really, soaking, through and through wet. Even with a raincoat on.

Oh, Canada!

On our way to the highway, leaving Niagara Falls, we saw a duty free store. We pulled in, shopped around, then learned we couldn’t actually buy anything, because we weren’t crossing the Rainbow Bridge there at Niagara Falls, re-entering NY; we were driving through Canada, then entering the US in Detroit. Only problem was, once we were back in the parking lot, we *had* to cross the bridge and return to New York. There was only one exit from the parking lot.

The US immigration official asked us our citizenship, where we were coming from, where we were heading. We explained we wanted to go back across the bridge, we had simply made a wrong turn. He ushered us through the checkpoint, then instructed us to make a u-turn. We paid the toll (again) to cross the bridge, then approached the Canadian immigration official.

Official: What’s your citizenship?

Daniel: US.

Official: What about her?

Me (looking up from my book): US.

Official: Where is your destination?

Daniel: Detroit. We’re driving through Canada.

Official: How long will you be in Canada?

Daniel: Just today.

Official: What’s in the car?

Daniel: My belongings. I’m moving to San Francisco.

Official: Do you have any drugs, alcohol, or firearms in the car?

Daniel (trying not to snicker): No.

Official: Will you stop at our stop signs?

Daniel: (perplexed) Of course.

Official: You just missed two. Continue on.

We looked at each other in astonishment. We looked behind us. We didn’t see any stop signs. We had just come through the parking lot. We shrugged and continued on our way.