great weekend riding

[beechfront]

thursday left from omaha to chicago. spent a couple nights downtown... ate some good food, saw a couple of great bands.

sunday morning headed north. planned on driving around the north side of lake superior in canada - but was told that you now need a passport to get into the US from canadian side????? not sure if this is true or not, but i didn't want to drive that far only to have to turn around again.

so i then began my trek home. I left marquette, MI at about 9:00 AM, and twelve hours and 780 miles later I arrived home in omaha.

I don't know what is is about those long, long days - but I just love it. I can do 500+ miles every day for weeks and not get tired of it. It's just a great feeling at the end of the day to realize how much ground you've covered, and how much the scenery can change in just one day's riding.


I ran into a guy on an 83 goldwing around escanaba somewhere. i made a remark about how my rig looks pretty sad compared to all of these nice new bikes you see on the road. in response, he just told me- i'd rather be able to brag about the places i've been and the miles i've put on then how much chrome i've got.

in the last year i've put on just under 20,000 miles on my $500 '79 special. and all that without a windshield, too. i'd say most harley's don't see that during the first 5 years of their life - and many probably never see that many miles ever.

perhaps i'm just bragging, but i think that it is quite an accomplishment for a 26 year old nekkid motorcycle.


the end.

[Pat Kelly]

Brag away. We'll brag right alongside you.

[Dragonrider]

Not sure about the passport thing.

That is/was passed...passports will be needed as proof of citizenship to re-enter, from Canada AND Mexico... but I thought it did not go into effect until 2007...

Could be though.

As for the rest....Ride On!

[Czekus21]

If your a U.S. citizen, isn't your drivers lisence and SSN enough passport?

[mitch]

Passport

Passport i dont need no stinking ...passport !! Been in and out of the great US of A several times this year and have only been asked for my id once. But then again i dont wear a towel on my head either. Dosent seem to be a prob down east. ............MITCH

[xssiveone]

This is coming soon to a border crossing near you. Did a quick google search, but didn't find what I was looking for and it's late.. tomorrow is another day.

Rumour has it that either a passport, or some form of identity card will be required in the near future for anyone entering the US. Apparently, it won't matter if you are US or Canadian, you will still need this card/passport.

[beechfront]

i was told this is a very new development. and that getting into canada will still be no problem, but you will be required to present a passport to get back into the US.

[bikerhawk]

I just went into and out of Canada on my big ride last month...July 11, to be exact. A passport wasn't required AT THAT TIME (things tend to change quickly in the homeland security "business"). I was able to get back in to the US w/my drivers license and the standard barrage of questions. Of course, i had been in line for nearly a half an hour, it was 96 degrees in Sault Ste. Marie that day, and I'm quite sure I looked like I was not one to f*** with at that moment.

If I had thought of it before I left home, though, I would have packed my passport...it would have made things go a bit quicker at Customs.

BTW...getting in to Canada was no problem whatsoever. The American corncob is wedged a wee bit more tightly in these post-9/11 times...no, that's not a political statement in any form, just the truth.

[xs650mike]

Things ARE different since 9/11 so I think it's a good idea to carry a passport. I have a friend (Phillipino) in Kobe, Japan with parents living in Vancouver, BC. who was denied a visa by the Canadian government last year so he was unable to visit his folks. He was also going to visit me in NorCal but couldn't get a visa from the U.S. gov't. either. Canadian gov't. told him since his parents lived in Canada and he was an alien they were suspicious that he would stay in Canada illegally after his visa expired so they wouldn't issue one. The US gov't. gave no explanation at all!

Back in 1962 I went to Tijuana with a friend who was born in the US of Mexican parents. When we went to come back into the US the Border Patrol asked to see his green card. I told them that I had gone to high school with him and that he was a native born citizen. He showed his California driving license and car registration and the border guard said that didn't prove anything. Finally he dug out his ID badge from North American Aviation Rocketdyne Division and his security clearance and they finally let us cross!

[beechfront]

"since his parents lived in Canada and he was an alien they were suspicious that he would stay in Canada illegally after his visa expired so they wouldn't issue one."

--that's a bunch of crap. so if japan did the same thing, he would never get to see his parents again???!!!

ridiculous.

[xssiveone]

Originally posted by beechfront
"since his parents lived in Canada and he was an alien they were suspicious that he would stay in Canada illegally after his visa expired so they wouldn't issue one."

--that's a bunch of crap. so if japan did the same thing, he would never get to see his parents again???!!!

ridiculous.

Yep, it certainly is... but that's just your tax dollars, (well, I guess MINE in this case ) hard at work to keep us safe.

[xs650mike]

It IS totally ridiculous but the bureaucratic mind works very strangely...I suppose because he's a Phillipine citizen and they have an Islamic terrorist/guerrilla movement there everyone is suspect but I know others who go back and forth from the Phillipines no problem. My Japanese friends have no problem getting USA visas either. Possibly they are suspicious because he's Phillipino but resides in Japan...it makes absolutely no sense to me especially since Canada has historically had a very liberal immigration policy but now they're afraid he'll overstay his visa since his parents are legal residents!? He's really bummed but says he'll try again this year...his parents aren't getting any younger either. He thinks it might have something to do with the fact that he's a musician without a "real job" so they think he has no real reason to return to Japan even though he's established there and has a full schedule of gigs...I believe that Civil Service is the last refuge of the brain dead.

The US gov't. is even sillier, they hassle people at the airports, Canadian border and at Customs stations on the Mexican border but let a flood of illegals just walk across. If someone wants to sneak in it's certainly easy to do but they put folks through the wringer who are trying to enter legally, it simply defies logic.

[beechfront]

"The US gov't. is even sillier, they hassle people at the airports, Canadian border and at Customs stations on the Mexican border but let a flood of illegals just walk across. If someone wants to sneak in it's certainly easy to do but they put folks through the wringer who are trying to enter legally, it simply defies logic"


indeed. is somebody wants in this country bad enough, i have a really hard time believing we will keep them out.

the hassles i experienced last year getting into canada (and i'm sure canadians getting into the us) are just ridiculous. i was coming off of a ferry from alaska with my motorcycle in prince rupert, bc. they went through every inch of storage space on my motorcycle for no apparent reason to me. in reality, what good does it really do?

[rdarnitall]

Passport update

Being so close to the Bridge and tunnel to Windsor, I thought that I was up to date on the new passport rules, but just to be on the safe side, I did a bit of digging. As nice as Canada is, I don't want to get stuck over there waiting for my wife to fight through the Detroit traffic to bring my passport over so I can get home. I didn't realize that so many of you traveled through here back and forth across the border, but since that seems to be the case, here is a portion of an article that I found:

U.S. Will Tighten Passport Rules
Canada, Mexico Borders to Be Affected by 2008

By John Mintz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 6, 2005; Page A01

Millions of Americans will be required to show passports when they reenter the United States from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean by 2008 under new rules announced yesterday by the State and Homeland Security departments.

The new policy, designed to thwart terrorists from exploiting the relative ease of travel in North America, means that Americans who lack U.S. passports will have to obtain them to travel between the United States and neighboring nations. It also will require Mexicans and Canadians to present either passports or another official document to enter this country, with details to be determined.

[beechfront]

i had read that too, but what i was told, is that since the london bombings that they have rushed this ahead. don't know if the person who told me that was right or not.

if i had to guess though, i'd say that article is probably right.