Re: [Leica] U.S. Customs (long and funny story))

[Bill Grimwood <Bill@grimwood.net>]

I have been going out of the US to Canada and other countries for about
thirty years.  I have always gone to customs and had the ownership forms
filled out.  For the last few years the local customs agents have acted
like I am wasting their time but they have not told me I don't need the
ownership form.  I usually type up a list and they just spot check my
equipment.

I have never had to show my customs forms when entering the US coming home.
 The only times I have every been inspected closely is when I have traveled
to Canada by car and am pulling my RV trailer.  On several occasions the
Canadian customs agents have gone through everything in the car, opening
the trunk, going through my ice chest and even opening the hood and looking
at the motor.  One customs agent even crawled in the back door of my car
and looked under the front seat while my children were sitting on the back
seat.  The children aged about 9 and 7 just raised their legs and let her
crawl under.  The strange thing about all this is that they have thoroughly
inspected my car but have never asked to look inside the trailer.  I guess
the moral of this story is, if you want to hide anything put it in the
trailer. 

A funny experience happened to a cousin of mine a few years ago.  Her
father is a professional bird dog trainer and trains in Saskatchewan every
summer.  She and her college roommate were going up for a visit and were
taking a local boy, friend of my cousins up to visit.  Russell had probably
never been out of the county in which he was born much less the state of
Alabama or the US.  He was worried about going through customs and talked
about it all the way while traveling to Canada.  The girls were in a pick
up truck with a cover on the back with a bed so one of them could sleep
while the others were traveling.  My family drives over 2,000 miles while
only stopping for gas and food.  Russell was so nervous about the border
crossing my cousin told him to just lay in the bed and pretend he was
asleep when they crossed the Canadian border.  

She stopped at the border and answered all the customs agents questions and
told them they had one sleeping in the back.  The customs agent told them
they could proceed and they started off.  Unbeknown to the girls Russell
had opened the tailgate of the truck and set his boots on the ground and
was proceeding to step into them when my cousin took off.  She left Russell
standing in his boots.  The customs agents all laughed because they thought
it was a joke.  When the girls had not returned after about 10 minutes one
of the agents put Russell in one of their patrol cars and took off after
the truck.

Meanwhile the girls are traveling along enjoying the scenery when the
customs vehicle passed them.  One of the girls remarked that the agent had
someone in the car that looked almost like Russell.  Finally the agent had
to turn on his blue light and pull them over to get them to stop so he
could transfer his passenger.  Needless to say we have never let Russell
live this down.  That was about 15 years ago and my family still teases him
about this.