Florida seemed like ages ago as the border attendant asked us where we were traveling from. Our last 30 days at the beach had gone by way too fast. The weather had turned fickle and unpredictable after Labor Day which meant our days of sun and surf became less and less. Beach time was quickly replaced with scouring craigslist for a Vancouver home and planning our move out west.
Our nostalgic reminiscing quickly turned to nervous tension as the border attendant further questioned us and our intentions in Canada. We had been given an Immigration attorney by the hotel who had already walked us through our 'crossing procedure' and everything seemed easy enough. I had crossed the border from California to Mexico 100 times, so how hard could it be to cross into 'friendly' Canada? Oh, you have no idea.
Travis read verbatim the three lines given to us by the Immigration attorney, requesting permission to present our application for work permits to a CBSA officer, which, of course, triggered a slew of questions. She asked us where the rest of our stuff was, how long we had been in Florida, and why we had left New York. After Travis advised that we were moving for a job, the way she asked 'what happens if you don't like it?' stone-faced, and obviously requiring a serious response, I knew Canada was not messing around. She told us to pull aside into one of the lines of cars that were waiting for inspection. She told us to leave Bob in the car and go inside to line B.
As we drove out of line, our hearts were beating fast.
We parked the car and as we were leaving the vehicle, we thought it was a good idea to let the officer that was patrolling the parked cars know that Bob was inside (who was somehow sleeping through all of this). Her monotone and curt response was that he could be left in the car or pointed to a small cage that had an empty water dish on the outside. Ok, then.
The 'lobby' wasn't crowded and we stepped in line B. Like McDonalds, the agents were helping each person until they had been fully served, in lieu of taking the order and then calling the number when ready. So, Travis and I were standing in line for what seemed like a very long time. I felt myself making stupid small talk even though we had been in the car for 10 days and there was absolutely nothing left to talk about. I had realized quickly that I had underestimated Canada and now had no idea what to expect. The Immigration lawyer had warned that the CBSA officer had the power to deny or approve our work permits on the spot. Additionally the first woman who questioned us, had asked if we had gotten the car "authorized to import" which could take up to 72-hours. Our Immigration lawyer had never mentioned anything about requirements for importing the car so of course this was a step we hadn't completed. I couldn't imagine being stuck in Seattle for another 72-hours if they didn't let us cross with the car. My head was getting the best of me. I started to wonder if I was being observed for suspicious behavior as my brow began to sweat.
When it was finally our turn, we sprawled our paperwork on the desk and luckily every piece the officer was requesting was in the pile. There was still a hold up because he needed to verify that Travis's position at the hotel fell under the permit guidelines and he asked us to have a seat. I was watching Bob through the glass who had just started to raise his head and look around when I heard commotion behind me. "Is your cell phone locked? Give me the password". I turned to find two CBSA officers questioning an older bewildered couple who obviously spoke another language. Say what? These guys were demanding to go through their cell phones! Was that possible? Within minutes the woman was putting her Chanel purse on the counter and both were being frisked. What was going on?
Just then, we were called to the counter and the CBSA officer that had been helping us, was ready and willing to grant us our work permits. Hallelujah. We said "thank you" a million times and we both did the sign of the cross as we left the building. My heart sank as I saw the vehicle of the older couple being towed away with their dog and teenage son, now sitting on the curb. Damn, Canada is crazy!
As we drove through the check point, we were missing the United States.
There was only 10 minutes left of our 50-hour audio book and I'm pretty sure neither one of us heard any of it as we followed road signs to Vancouver and tried to guess the speed limit that was now posted in kilometers. For the next hour, as we told Bob he was now Canadian, we reminisced about our amazing road trip that we were not ready to end.
We had left Florida ten days prior, all three of us packed like sausages in our little Nissan and made way for the Pacific Northwest. For our first stop, we drove through Georgia into Tennessee. We had booked a condo through Airbnb for our extended stay of two nights and it was perfectly located in downtown Nashville. We checked ourselves in after an 11- hour drive around 5p, which was really 4p since we had gained an hour somewhere in Tennessee. Bob had done great and was comfortable enough to slip into sleep as we slipped out the door headed for the Grand Ol' Opry. What an amazing experience. There's not a bad seat in the house as we watched Bill Anderson, Brett Elderedge, Connie Smith, Easton Corbin, Jackie Lee, Marty Stuart and my favorite, Rascal Flatts. We couldn't stop talking about the iconic show as we drove over to famous Broadway for a late dinner and drinks.
We were ushered to the only 2 empty seats at a table of 8 where 6 people were already digging into the large bowls of amazing looking food. Each plate of the place setting was different, yet all reminded me immediately of my Grandma's dinner plates growing up, which of course, with the large woman continually calling Travis 'sugar' was adding to the ambiance. We made small talk with the others that were at the table and found that half the table was from East Lansing and the other half was from San Diego. Weird. Awesome. And then the food just kept coming. Large bowls of baked chicken, pork chops, baked apples, pasta salad, corn pudding, stuffing, fried chicken, jello salad, green beans, corn bread, biscuits and gravy, mashed potatoes- all seemed like they were on a conveyor belt out of the kitchen. Every time one was placed on the table, we were reminded sweetly, yet strictly, that everything was to be passed to your left. With a strict no cell phones at the table rule, we ate and passed, and ate and passed, until no one was talking and the only sounds were groans of pain from overeating. As the table collaboratively cried 'uncle', plates were replaced with little cards that reminded us that if we took a seat, we must pay for our plate. Floorboards creaked as we waddled past the fireplace to the front to pay our bill. $12.00 per person. This place was officially heaven.
Still in pain, we went back to the condo and tried to walk off the newly acquired pounds while walking Bob. When Bob went back to catching up on sleep, we walked to nearby downtown and walked to the Ryman Theater, down Broadway and toured the Country Music Hall of Fame. By then, it was time for a beer so we went to the famous Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and headed to the roof. We listened to great live music and had some beers before heading back to the condo. While fighting an impending nap, we started googling foodie places nearby and were teetering on indulging in more gluttony at a place called Rolf and Daughters. When a friend then coincidentally recommended we try the place before we left, we jumped in the car for what turned out to be another amazing meal. When we returned to the condo, we hoped to wake from the incoming food coma to be able to drive the next day.On day three we loaded up the car, this time less a suitcase, and we were ready for another adventure. We put St. Louis Gateway Arch in Waze and headed for Missouri. Thank you Nashville for such an amazing stop.
As we drove out of Nashville, we were listening to country music.
From Tennessee to Kentucky to Illinois to Missouri to Kansas. Read Next: #26- Everything Happens For a Reason, Oct 23rd
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