We spent this past weekend in western Canada. It was very enjoyable and nearly all the people we interacted with were friendly and helpful (the one exception being the evening clerk at our hotel who seemed to be in a permanent snit). While IRAQ and SARS were prominent in the papers none of these folks intitiated conversations about them.
Some of you may be interested in the border crossing experience.
Heading into Canada at 5:45 AM Friday there was one lane open and the line was one car long at 5:45 AM Friday and the border guy way gruff but not rude. He asked the usual series of questions: nationality, where are you from, where are you headed, what for and how long. The car just before me had been pulled over for additional inspection and the border guy asked if I was related to any of the late teen/early twenty folks. I wasn’t and he waved me on without checking my documentation.
Returning to the US on Sunday at about 6:00 PM there were about 10 lanes open with the main road backed up only a couple 100 feet. The prescient driver stayed in the west lane because at the point where the line splits into the inspection lanes the lines ranging from 6-8 on the west side to 12-15 on the east side.
We observed both Canadian and US vehicles being searched: under vehicle, luggage compartment, inside containers and suitcases. To us there was nothing about these vehicle’s appearance that made them appear different. So the issue must have been the documentaion, the answers to the standard questions or some randomization tool.
When our turn came the border gal did take our passports and a birth certificate/driver’s license from the one person who did not have a passport. I do not remember that she actually looked at the passports but she did ask our rear seat passenger (w/o passport) to open the van door so she could see him visually. She again asked the usual questions for heading into the US: nationality, where do you live, where have you been, what were you doing, do you have anything to declare, do you have any fresh fruits, did anyone ask you to carry anything across the border for them, etc. She seemed particularly interested in citrus fruits and did not care about our apples and bananas. She waved us on without any additional searching.
Total time lost at the crossing: 20 minutes (I have seen it much worse). While waiting in the line we used to enjoy a nice view across the bay to the west. For over a year now empty train cars and an old engine have been parked blocking the view. I can think of no security reason to keep that junk there. Its removal would make this crossing a much more pleasant experience.