Bordertowners UNITE!

[zyggy 9]

Another interesting thing about the differences in our border towns. I have some friends/colleages that I have met through my career that work at Sarnia, Windsor, Fort Erie, PIA that came out to visit me in the Prairies. When they saw my port and then saw the miles and miles of border that is basically only marked with a few cement pillars every 1/4 miles they were wowed. They asked me - well what stops us from walking thru the field across the border if we wanted to? I replied, If you want to - nothing. When I went to Sarnia and Windsor to visit them and saw the river I had to ask, "what is stopping me from swimming across the river or taking a boat across?" They just laughed and replied "Well, if you want to, nothing is."

It is really two different worlds from the southern Ontario district to the Prairie district. I remember the long wait on the bridges and tunnel at Windsor/Detroit. Here it's considered a long wait if you would have to wait in line longer than 10 minutes. Also I thought it was crazy at the tunnel where you enter in one city from a street, clear customs, exit in the other city and are on a city street again.

Yeah... I know wahat you mean.. during some of our training session we would run into other CBP officers from all these little POE's. They would tell us what they went through and we would just shake our heads and say to ourselves "you have no idea"..

However, all the guys on the Mexican border would do the same thing to us...

[neiks 19]

However, all the guys on the Mexican border would do the same thing to us...

That so reminds me of after 9/11 and in the big panic to "secure" the Canadian border they began sending people up from the Mexico border and major airports to double the staff at the ports 24 hours. It was very interesting meeting some of the officers from the Mexician border and their reaction coming up to these small country ports. They were also entertaining when winter set in. Some where is awe that they could drive on the frozen lakes, some freaked out when it snowed a little for the first time and many had some unpleasant "run-ins" with the local wildlife. I think the rental car company's must have been cringing when a new set of officers came in. I actually "dated" one of the officers that came from Miami - he had also worked for BP on the Mexican border at one time. He hit a moose - totalled out his rental SUV. He was actually delighted, he had a great story to tell about the moose which he got butchered and sent back to Florica and he loved to drive on the frozen lake.

[zyggy 9]

Not only officers from down south, but those officers that had quit or retired as well... I had been gone for about 6 months or so.. after 9/11 I got a call from my old Chief pleading for me to come back on a Temporary Part Time basis to help out. Well the patriotic side of me gave in and I "reenlisted" along with some other former officers. I stayed on TPT for another 3 years filling in when needed. When they started ramping up my hours again against the gentleman's agreement that my old boss and I made, I quit again... this time for good...

It's obvious that you went through the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel.. think about it.. I could have been your officer... wierd..

Edited June 4, 2007 by zyggy

[jynxNdragnfly 0]

I'm another border town love story LOL I'm in Windsor and my fiance is in Dearborn Heights. I have the nexus card as it saves me at least an hour every friday. I'm rarely ever bothered and only get the extra questions when we go through the regular line together in his truck. He's finally gonna get his nexus card as he's tired of waiting in the backups for the family events that we come to on the canadian side. I feel for those of you that have to book flights just to see each other. I'm not sure if I could handle not be able to just drive over to see him whenever I want.

[thermophile 0]

not the typical border town but in the west what's a 6 hour drive between friends. I used to drive up to see Doug so often that the immigration officers (yes I almost always had to talk to immigration even when we were just dating) knew me. They'd copy my drivers license and ask if all my info was the same as last time then send me on my way. The immigration officers at Caraway were obsessed with internet dating, they were concerned that I'd met some crazy on the internet and was on my way to my demise-photocopies of new articles describing how some poor girl was found in a guys freezer after they met on the net decorate the walls there. ah good times

[sly_wolf 199]

Hi. I have been doing the Bordertown thing every weekend for a few years now. I cross at a small border crossing. Would the nexas card really make any difference in my case?

Steve

[Jeremy + Kristy 0]

It depends on your particular border, but with the backups happening at Port Huron, to which they are responding "we haven't changed any procedures, we don't know why it's slowed down" I'm sure it will save me. I figure, for $50 over the next five years, even cutting the lines just on holidays and such when we visit the other half, the NEXUS card will be worth it.

[neiks 19]

Hi. I have been doing the Bordertown thing every weekend for a few years now. I cross at a small border crossing. Would the nexas card really make any difference in my case?

A nexus card is only useful if the border you cross at has NEXUS. Not all ports have Nexus. You stated that you cross at a small border crossing, do you know for sure if they even have Nexus? If they don't then there is no benefit to it. Flashing a NEXUS card to any officer doesn't give you a wave through.

[Krikit 1,163]

I was a quasi bordertowner. We actually met across the border in Buffalo.... I lived midway between Toronto and Niagara and he lived in Maryland at the time. So we would either drive to each other's houses or meet halfway in PA. It wasn't really that far of a drive. When he was transferred to Florida I'd cross the border to get to the Buffalo Airport and fly -- or pick him up -- from there. (Can you believe I actually paid only $39 for a Buffalo/Orlando flight? It's gone up a bit, though. I've just paid $50 to go home for Thanksgiving. )

It was never a problem crossing, though. Never got around to getting a Nexus card because the lineups weren't that problematic. But it did cross my mind. We don't have tokens at the Ontario borders.... but I did have an EZ-Pass so I wouldn't have to stop at all the pay-toll booths.

[SonoranSongbird 3]

Neither of us lives near the border (I live near St Louis, so I'm as far from any border as you can get), but my parents live in Bellingham, Washington, so when we visit them, we will most likely both fly into Vancouver (which is much closer than Sea-Tac) and drive across together. I'm hoping it won't be a problem.

[Krikit 1,163]

Oh, I've been to Bellingham! My relatives who live in Vancouver used to own a cabin in the mountains there. We used to stop at this fantastic hole-in-the-wall that made the best fried chicken I have ever had in my life. mmmmmm. I'm hungry. lol