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Do Not Illegally Invade the USA, Twice!


MrGutz
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Well, I was saving this story for Long-Hair to tell at the Summer Gathering, but with Mini having the Terrorable Twos at Three he did not get a chance. We did tell it on our end of the table and some of you may have heard it.

It was late in this past season, I Posted/Asked for suggestions close to home and with good snow. Some one suggested SawyerVille and with a quick phone call we were on our way! We had never been to the Eastern Townships so this would be a scouting trip and last run of the season. Sawyerville (No Bank/ATM, One Hotel, One Restaurant) was quiet and nice. The Hotel SawyerVille was clean and cheap.

We were on the trailz by 8am and rode and rode and rode. Looking at the map and moving in a vague direction we ended up at the relay between Jackman, ME and St Georges, Qc. I wanted to get some cash from an ATM and we wanted to go to the border crossing. In past years we had ridden in Maine and had taken a picture on the other side and just wanted to complete the collection. Off we went to the border and an ATM at the Duty Free.

Parking the sleds at the end of the trail in the parking lot at the border crossing we walk across the parking lot to the closest shop. It was closed and we had just missed them (Closed at 4:30pm, this was not sinking in yet...).
But as luck would have it when we turned around, there across the parking lot was the other duty free, and it was flashing OPEN. The day and trailz were fabulous so we were BS'n as we walked to the other store.

All of a sudden the doors to the US Border Office Fly Open and some of our finest troopers start moving to surround us.

Awkward.

The youngest in the group walks up to us and says...... wait for it..... "What are you doing here and how did you get here?". Now for those of you who have not been to this border crossing, it's 10+ miles from Jackman and 10+ miles from Quebec Anything. We are also dressed in snowmobile suits, helmets and our sleds arevisible across the parking lot, 2 feet of snow on the ground and it was 30 degrees.
Pointing over our shoulders we say "snowmobiling.....on snowmobiles" and looking to get some cash from an atm. This sent the young trooper into a fit, he was clutching his holstered gun and yelling we could be arrested, fined and deported to Gutanamo bay, truly we were enemies of the state. After his tirade ended we asked why?

Invasion of the sovereign country of the USA. We failed to present ourselves at customs after crossing the borderline of the two counties. It appears that happened as we crossed the parking lot. Long-Hair pointed out they may want to paint a line in the parking lot denoting this..... this was not received very well, and the trooper said there was a marker indicating the separation of the countries (Later we find it). Agreeing to proceed to customs, because we are US citizens, he made us walk to the car booth and present ourselves, the trooper followed us across the lot and to the booth, his hand on his weapon, just in case we start waddling away in our snowmobile suits. We handed the trooper in the booth our US Drivers licenses and he said..."Thanks"... not knowing what was going on. The young trooper said "They crossed illegally, failed to present at customs, ......" the trooper in the booth said

that we are US Citizens, we were already across, on US soil, and (in a more civil way) who gives a shit. The poor younger trooper felt so deflated... but wanted to prove he was still in control. As we turned to now walk all the way across the lot to get back into Canada, he made us proceed toward Maine, all the way around the building where the cars go, and up toward the Quebec Border Guard.

Approaching the Border Guard Booth we can see the trooper looking at us like "What are you doing?". Just as we reach the booth and look to our right there is a one foot wide cut in a snowbank and 10 feet back in the cut is the border pillion, easily visible to all who are within 9 feet of it. The Quebec Trooper asked us why were at his booth and after relaying the previous events (and showing him the 6x9 color glossy pictures with writing on the back) he chuckled and said "Welcome to Canada".

Back at the sleds and starting to get our gear tucked in and latched up we realized it was now 5:30pm and we are 200 miles from the hotel, crap, and still no cash.

Long-Hair turns to me and says "I dropped my glove", we both turn and gaze toward the border guard booth and we start heading back down the hill across the parking lot. I waited on what was defiantly the Quebec side and he walked down to the US Booth, through the car lane, into Maine, and there, all the way on the back side was his glove.

Up he comes to the Canadian Border Guard booth, the guard must be, at this point, rolling on the ground laughing as he has watched this whole fiasco unfold. Before Long-Hair reaches the booth, the window slides open and a hand pops out waving him on, with a quick wave and laugh we are on the sleds and heading back to the closest

town with gas and food.

Later

GutZ

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Guts for true you always seem to find Adventure. Too funny. I can see it clearly.

It's scary really to think that some of the fine officers there are the first line of defense for the good ol' US of A. Makes me shake my head in wonder sometimes. Where do they find these guys? Don't get me wrong most are super and know their shit, but the others i have encountered i am certain need help dressing themselves each day.

The Canadian side never an issue, always polite and professional. Not rude like when heading south.

Been much better going south with my NEXUS card I will say.

Edited by iceman
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LOL....... so funny... that could only happen to the Burdicks .... would have loved to have seen no hair's face when he realise his glove was missing .... priceless ...

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Hey Gutz,

Great storytelling unfortunately of facts & not fiction! Hard to believe such nonsense goes on.

We need young troopers like that at the border with Mexico not Canada!

5:30pm with no cash & 200 miles to the hotel? Count me out!

Enjoy the dog days of summer!

Tom

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I agree with Tom, send that trooper to the Mexican border. On a side note we were detained over 2 hours coming into Canada at 1 in the morning. They made us pull off to the side, never looked in the truck or trailer just made us sit inside and asked a few questions and wanted to see our drivers liscense.

Complete BS if they were so concerned they would have looked in the trailer ....

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Too funny Gutz! Do you guys ever have an uneventful trip without either breaking down, forgetting snowsuits or getting hassled at the border?

This was an uneventful trip?

That my friend is some funny stuff ..... :rofl::rofl:

Thanks! Hope your summer is going well.

LOL....... so funny... that could only happen to the Burdicks .... would have loved to have seen no hair's face when he realise his glove was missing .... priceless ...

It was actually Long-Hair, No-Hair may have left the young trooper in a hole.

This could only happen to Team GutZ. Too funny. Are you sure it was Long Hair? Reason I question that is you mentioned being on the trail by 8AM? That is not like Long Hair.

I could not believe it either! But it happened, 8am.

Too funny guys

Noticing the missing glove I'm sure Long Hair made a mess in his pants.

Snowmobiling is always an adventure

Adventure for sure!

Guts for true you always seem to find Adventure. Too funny. I can see it clearly.

It's scary really to think that some of the fine officers there are the first line of defense for the good ol' US of A. Makes me shake my head in wonder sometimes. Where do they find these guys? Don't get me wrong most are super and know their shit, but the others i have encountered i am certain need help dressing themselves each day.

The Canadian side never an issue, always polite and professional. Not rude like when heading south.

Been much better going south with my NEXUS card I will say.

We take Trailblazers motto to heart.

Thanks Guys

GutZ

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Well, I was saving this story for Long-Hair to tell at the Summer Gathering, but with Mini having the Terrorable Twos at Three he did not get a chance. We did tell it on our end of the table and some of you may have heard it.

It was late in this past season, I Posted/Asked for suggestions close to home and with good snow. Some one suggested SawyerVille and with a quick phone call we were on our way! We had never been to the Eastern Townships so this would be a scouting trip and last run of the season. Sawyerville (No Bank/ATM, One Hotel, One Restaurant) was quiet and nice. The Hotel SawyerVille was clean and cheap.

We were on the trailz by 8am and rode and rode and rode. Looking at the map and moving in a vague direction we ended up at the relay between Jackman, ME and St Georges, Qc. I wanted to get some cash from an ATM and we wanted to go to the border crossing. In past years we had ridden in Maine and had taken a picture on the other side and just wanted to complete the collection. Off we went to the border and an ATM at the Duty Free.

Parking the sleds at the end of the trail in the parking lot at the border crossing we walk across the parking lot to the closest shop. It was closed and we had just missed them (Closed at 4:30pm, this was not sinking in yet...).

But as luck would have it when we turned around, there across the parking lot was the other duty free, and it was flashing OPEN. The day and trailz were fabulous so we were BS'n as we walked to the other store.

All of a sudden the doors to the US Border Office Fly Open and some of our finest troopers start moving to surround us.

Awkward.

The youngest in the group walks up to us and says...... wait for it..... "What are you doing here and how did you get here?". Now for those of you who have not been to this border crossing, it's 10+ miles from Jackman and 10+ miles from Quebec Anything. We are also dressed in snowmobile suits, helmets and our sleds arevisible across the parking lot, 2 feet of snow on the ground and it was 30 degrees.

Pointing over our shoulders we say "snowmobiling.....on snowmobiles" and looking to get some cash from an atm. This sent the young trooper into a fit, he was clutching his holstered gun and yelling we could be arrested, fined and deported to Gutanamo bay, truly we were enemies of the state. After his tirade ended we asked why?

Invasion of the sovereign country of the USA. We failed to present ourselves at customs after crossing the borderline of the two counties. It appears that happened as we crossed the parking lot. Long-Hair pointed out they may want to paint a line in the parking lot denoting this..... this was not received very well, and the trooper said there was a marker indicating the separation of the countries (Later we find it). Agreeing to proceed to customs, because we are US citizens, he made us walk to the car booth and present ourselves, the trooper followed us across the lot and to the booth, his hand on his weapon, just in case we start waddling away in our snowmobile suits. We handed the trooper in the booth our US Drivers licenses and he said..."Thanks"... not knowing what was going on. The young trooper said "They crossed illegally, failed to present at customs, ......" the trooper in the booth said

that we are US Citizens, we were already across, on US soil, and (in a more civil way) who gives a shit. The poor younger trooper felt so deflated... but wanted to prove he was still in control. As we turned to now walk all the way across the lot to get back into Canada, he made us proceed toward Maine, all the way around the building where the cars go, and up toward the Quebec Border Guard.

Approaching the Border Guard Booth we can see the trooper looking at us like "What are you doing?". Just as we reach the booth and look to our right there is a one foot wide cut in a snowbank and 10 feet back in the cut is the border pillion, easily visible to all who are within 9 feet of it. The Quebec Trooper asked us why were at his booth and after relaying the previous events (and showing him the 6x9 color glossy pictures with writing on the back) he chuckled and said "Welcome to Canada".

Back at the sleds and starting to get our gear tucked in and latched up we realized it was now 5:30pm and we are 200 miles from the hotel, crap, and still no cash.

Long-Hair turns to me and says "I dropped my glove", we both turn and gaze toward the border guard booth and we start heading back down the hill across the parking lot. I waited on what was defiantly the Quebec side and he walked down to the US Booth, through the car lane, into Maine, and there, all the way on the back side was his glove.

Up he comes to the Canadian Border Guard booth, the guard must be, at this point, rolling on the ground laughing as he has watched this whole fiasco unfold. Before Long-Hair reaches the booth, the window slides open and a hand pops out waving him on, with a quick wave and laugh we are on the sleds and heading back to the closest

town with gas and food.

Later

GutZ

Sounds like fun. You actually were in neutral ground. The young man was confused getmo was closed by the king. Or is it just for domestic atm threats
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The Arlo Guthrie reference wasn't lost! You can get ANY THING you want!...

"Obie looked at the seein' eye dog . . . then at the twenty-seven 8 x 10 colored glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one . . . and looked at the seein' eye dog . . . and then at the twenty-seven 8 x 10 colored glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one and began to cry."

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The Arlo Guthrie reference wasn't lost! You can get ANY THING you want!...

"Obie looked at the seein' eye dog . . . then at the twenty-seven 8 x 10 colored glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one . . . and looked at the seein' eye dog . . . and then at the twenty-seven 8 x 10 colored glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one and began to cry."

Thanks, I wasn't sure anyone would notice it, but with being Berkshires its mandatory.

GutZ

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Just a quick address to thread hijackers and those who peeve on thread hijackers: This sidebar is kinda relevant seeing that Arlo and his dad are/were ALL about getting vilified by and for morons with power!

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I learned a valuble lesson one time trying to cross into Canada at the Thousand Islands crossing. There were 4 of us in the vehicle. We had all the money we were going to exchange in 1 bank bag so that when we got to the bank to exchange it, we could just do 1 transaction instead of 4 seperate, wasn't my idea. We all put in the same amount. Anyway, we caught a border guard who was forced to work a double shift because his relief called out. It was 3 am and he was miserable. He was pulling every other vehicle over for a random search. The officers inside told us he was doing it all night. As we were inside doing the paperwork thing, he comes in with our bag of money that we had in a briefcase. Well it seems that you are not allowed to carry $10,000 in one envelope without declaring it. So..... we were denied entry AND, the money got confiscated! He would not listen to our claim that the money was all 4 of ours, not one persons. So, after 2 hours of trying to reason, we turned around and headed back south, It took 2 months but we finally got our money back through the Consolate in NY.

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