[David9694]

A bit t random here – look it up and you’ll find things like the current set of requirements to pass through the border crossings, how it was settled in the 1840s, how although there aren’t fences and walls, things were tightened up somewhat after 9-11, and of course its length.  Following lakes, rivers and inlets at either end, it famously follows the 49th parallel from near Winnipeg to Vancouver, around 1,100 dead straight miles. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%E2%80%93United_States_border

You do notice a few airstrips near some of the border crossings straddling the border – these apparently were a workaround to restrictions on USA involvement in WW2 – a new plane was landed on the USA side and was wheeled into Canada and adopted there. 

But there’s nothing I could find about the border’s more recent history. I’ve been having a look at it from Google Maps and Street View.  I know we’ve got at least one American viewer of these forums, so I hope you can maybe shed some light? 

 There are plenty of roads, with each country’s border crossing facilities on each side. Occasionally the Google car traverses the facility, for example at the Oroville-Osoyoos Border Crossing. It also takes a cross-border ferry crossing from Vancouver.  

I was more interested in the farm tracks and trails that cross with seemingly no physical barrier.  There are many others that peter out as they get near the border. 

The border has been there long enough to affect how towns have developed –  that is away from each other, like an unhappy couple living in different time zones and places under the same roof.  

I found at least one former border crossing closed up and barriered. I was most interested in the examples I found where a significant highway clearly crossed the border at one time, but has been closed-off in more recent times. My two favourites are: where a road still has a 60 mph speed limit side sign for Canadians entering the US – we see it from the USA side. The other is the only instance I can find where the Google car has visited both sides of a border site.  Screen grabs to follow. 

Topic

[andystow]

I just remembered I have

I just remembered I have Garmin tracks for all the running around on SeaDoos we did that weekend. We were definitely in and out of Canadian waters (east of the thick brown line.)

[Nick T]

This is a curious bit of road

This is a curious bit of road that runs parallel to the border

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/0_Avenue

and another interesting place is Point Roberts, isolated from the rest of Washington state due to the border running along the 49th. There’s no school there, so the bus has to drive kids through Canada every day. During covid when borders were closed they weren’t able to go

[Nick T]

Oh no, no whisky chasers here

Oh no, no whisky chasers here. It’s typically whiskey anyway. I’m actually British so it’s quite a different drinking culture than I’m used to. I think if you go over to Alberta it’s more relaxed, alcohol is classed as a food group in their province

[andystow]

ktache wrote:

I must ask andy, what drinking laws?

If you’re on the US side, anyone on the boat over 21 years old can be drinking, but your captain can’t be over 0.08% BAC. Michigan is actually more strict on this than a lot of US states.

On the Canadian side, you can’t even have alcohol on the boat unless it has a permanent stove and toilet (and hence is a houseboat) and the boat is stopped and anchored. Nobody on the boat can be over 0.08% BAC.

[chrisonabike]

David9694 wrote:

David9694 wrote:

We believe here that our pubs, rural ones in particular, have a divine right to exist, you see.

OT but I should note though that between the massive PubCos, cheap supermarket booze and changing drinking patterns we may no longer be making that belief reality…

[David9694]

That’s interesting Nick.  In

That’s interesting Nick.  In the UK that would be headlined as “Village pub to close due to one petty licensing rule”.  We believe here that our pubs, rural ones in particular, have a divine right to exist, you see.

In our drinking culture, the BC rule would presumably prevent a seasoned drinker ordering a beer (don’t forget that’s at the bar and from a hand pump) and a Whisky chaser. 

[David9694]

Not sure if you avoid the

Not sure if you avoid the gates you’re entering someone’s yard? 

[David9694]

There some pretty remote

There some pretty remote areas where it looks like farm roads / gravel tracks cross the border with no control.  (This isn’t one of them)

[David9694]

it’s interesting not note how

it’s interesting not note how in the more recent pictures above the plant pots have been upgraded, and now the sidewalk seems to be blocked with plastic cones.

[David9694]

Here is the aforesaid library

Here is the aforesaid library / opera house and a fascinating street scene unrecogniseable to mainland Brits. 
 

[Rendel Harris]

Nick T wrote:

There are a lot of curious places like this town library that was built on the border, and recently had a passport control installed due to current US-CA relations

That’s wild. Do you have to go into the Canadian half to borrow the banned books like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Handmaid’s Tale?

[JohnP_SM7]

Earlier this year I was on

Earlier this year I was on holiday in Canada, and spent a day with a group of my Vancouver-based cycling friends who were spending a weekend cycling near Osoyoos.  They mentioned that in the past they’d often crossed the border into the US on their rides. But this time, in the current political situation, none of them had any wish to do that.  So the day I was there we headed north through Oliver and up to Okanagan Falls before returning to Osoyoos.

[Nick T]

I think it varies for each

I think it varies for each province, but here in BC you can’t order more that one drink per person at once, so you can’t go to the bar and get a round of shots in for example. 10 of you sat at a table can order 10 drinks, but even just waiting for a friend to arrive you can’t be served 2 drinks in anticipation

[Nick T]

Canadian resident here, the

Canadian resident here, the border controls appear to be primarily to ensure duties and taxes are paid on good brought across the border. It’s very common for us in Vancouver to have mail orders delivered to Point Robert or Blaine where there are dozens of PO Boxes, either the seller only ships to the US or it’s just a lot cheaper, particularly for things like bike parts. There are a lot of curious places like this town library that was built on the border, and recently had a passport control installed due to current US-CA relations

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haskell_Free_Library_and_Opera_House

 

[ktache]

I must ask andy, what

I must ask andy, what drinking laws?

[Author]

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