I'm planning a trip to California soon. Now, one of my ABSOLUTE RV STAPLES is to carry lots of oranges or apples, as they keep well. And now I have been reminded that you cannot carry any fresh fruit at all INTO California. Well, crap, there goes the two boxes of mandarin oranges I bought on a "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" deal..... they will stay home in the refridgerator. This means, once I get into California, I'll have to stop and buy some fruit. It's ok to take the fruit OUT of California, just not ok to take INTO California. Any other weird rules which mean you have to either use up or toss out before you enter the state? JJ
Before you stop and buy fruit at local fruit stands in California, check to find out if it happens to be in one of the MED FLY or APPLE MAGGOT quarantine areas. There are at present time a couple of areas in Calif. that have these restrictions on the transport of fruit from that area to another one. You will find that when you get to southern Calif. oranges will be much cheaper, there grown there locally.
We're FROM California and the "no incoming fruit" gets us every time. With this latest trip, we had stocked up at WalMart in Rapid City, SD (ok...I'm a fresh fruit nut). Checkpoint inspector let us keep the limes, but the bag of apples were goners. Who knew?! It was over 100 degrees when we crossed and the inspector was so glad to step into an air conditioned RV. We aimed her to the refrigerator and let her do her thing. Keep a sense of humor and don't sweat the small stuff. Happy traveling!
Before entering Maryland or the District of Columbia, fire off all of your ammunition and throw away your guns. (Of course, In D.C., you'll be the only one who isn't armed.)
Look into laws and rules in Canada as well. Lots of stuff is on the outlaw list. Not a problem if you know the rules and laws.
MD and DC.... Hmmm... I don't carry guns, but I sometimes carry a bow and arrows. Would I have to get rid of them? Canada, haven't tried that out yet. JJ
Ok, I crossed into California today. And, I dutifully stopped at the inspection station. I told the inspector I was carrying some fruit. The inspector asked where I bought them. I named the stores. The inspector thanked me for stopping. The inspector said most people in RV's don't even stop, which leads me to believe this isn't enforced. Ok, since I bought them from chain stores (not mom and pop produce stands), the inspector said they didn't need to look. DANG! And I left those mandarin oranges at home! The ones that I got on buy 1 get 1 free special!!!! JJ
Well, I found another "weird" rule. Well, most of us know that Oregon and New Jersey are the two states that don't allow "self serve" gas. Well, apparently, Oregon now has a law that says you cannot "Top off" your tank. What does this mean? Well....... you know how.... after the gas hose clicks off.... most of us just try to "squeeze in" just a couple gallons more????? Well, the gas attendant today told me that Oregon now has a law that you cannot "top off." Whenever I have received gas service in Oregon, the Oregon attendants always "topped off" whether you wanted it or not. And we all know this was not about doing YOU any favor, it was about squeezing an extra dollar out of you. But can't do that now! JJ
John Blue and DXSMac: you two have me thinking about visiting Canada. We'd like to visit Vancouver, BC. next summer. As fulltimers, we are a full-service home. There's booze in the blender ...and as an army brat, I know my way around anything that uses gunpowder. Any suggestions, war stories out there? DXSMac: your bio reflects Pacific Northwest. Any problems slipping across the border with a bottle of brandy in the kitchen? Foster Imposters
QUOTE(FosterImposters @ Dec 15 2007, 07:59 PM) [snapback]9489[/snapback] DXSMac: your bio reflects Pacific Northwest. Any problems slipping across the border with a bottle of brandy in the kitchen? Foster Imposters I haven't tried to cross the US/Canadian border in my RV yet. I have done it in my car..... I have an SUV, and they did ask to check the hatch back..... I didn't have anything in it. Sorry, can't tell you about taking liquor across the border. I know back in the 1970's (when I was a teen), my family used to go to Canada every summer with other families. I know liquor was always carried from US to Canada and no one had problems, but I seem to remember a story about liquor purchased in Canada and one of the cars we were travelling with had to stop and either drink it all or dump it all before they went back to US... (perhaps this was a "duty charge" issue???) JJ
i had a problem crossing the border, into canada, a few years back. the customs agent didn't like the fact that i had just a drivers license with me. in jersey i have to give them the same info as you would as if you where getting a passport. he really broke my chops. said he was going to put me on a watch list. we where just doing the sightseeing thing and stop for lunch up there. when he asked if i had anything to declare, i was already mad, i told him i was bringing back 2000 geese under my tonneau cover. after that he just said get out of there. we just went to the duty free bought two cases of absolute mandarin, and went back to wellesley is state park. the funny part was when i crossed back,i had to declare the vodka. the american agent, a nice irish lad that he was, laughed and told me to just go in and pay the duty. now to cross i think you need your birth certificate or a passport.
Hello and thanks Dog Bone. Yep, we all need passports these days: got those. Wondered if one just 'declared' the beer in the fridge and whatever else...or if (like crossing california borders) one 'donated' any and all to the border checkers. Sounds like enforcement is widely variable, depending on which state of the union you are crossing from...?
Foster... I would have thought by now someone would have given you the specifics of border crossing restrictions. A little research (googling , AAA, etc.) on your part will give you the current do's and don't's. In general, thing AFT (alchohol, firearms, tobacco) when going into Canada. If memory serves me correctly, you are limited to the amount of alchohol (40 oz. liquor, or 1.5 liters of wine, or a case of 24 12oz. cans of beer) and tobacco (200 cigarettes (1 carton) or 50 cigars). These limitations are to prevent Americans from bringing our cheaper (due to Canadian taxes among other things) goods into Canada and selling them for profit. Firearms are basically a big NO NO. There are also restriction on a variety of other weapons. There are exceptions (and a ton of paperwork, fees, and licenses) for hunting or recreational firearms. I once heard a horror story from an RVer who normally carries a handgun with him in his US travels. He remembered to leave the gun at home but had the holster on board. Canadian customs found the holster and spent hours looking for the gun. So, if you don't smoke, declare that bottle of brandy upon entry, and don't have guns (or anything indicating guns), you will be OK. By the way, in another thread you voiced concern about wind chills of 27 and your water system. Wind chill has no effect on the freezing of water. If it is 33 with a wind chill of 20, water will not freeze. Also, for most RV's, an overnight low that dips into the upper 20's for an hour or two should not be a problem.
Appreciate your reply Jerry. I'll dig into the AAA site. Either way sounds like we make a stop at a storage unit or friend's home: offload the shotgun/ammo next summer before we head north. Also learned the couple nights at 27 degree temp (without wind) is apparently an anomaly in Concan, Texas. Cheers!
When we entered Ca this past summer from Oregon the agent was so mad at me for being in the "Truck Lane" when I said I didn't have any fruit he fold me to get moving..... A couple years ago going in from Yuma Az they took all my cold Georgia peaches and ate them as we watched. I was told by a native Californian, if I had said I bought the peaches in Az I could have kept them????? Ain't life grand?????
QUOTE(tallyo @ Jan 23 2008, 10:03 AM) [snapback]10001[/snapback] A couple years ago going in from Yuma Az they took all my cold Georgia peaches and ate them as we watched. Reminds me of a friend's trip to Australia a few years back. When leaving through LAX, they told him he couldn't take his lighter (which was a really nice one). So he pulled the wick out of it and handed it over. When the agent asked him why he did that, he replied "So you can't use it." The snickering of the other agents and the red face of that one agent said it all - this guy kept those things for himself.
QUOTE(tallyo @ Jan 23 2008, 07:03 AM) [snapback]10001[/snapback] When we entered Ca this past summer from Oregon the agent was so mad at me for being in the "Truck Lane" when I said I didn't have any fruit he fold me to get moving..... A couple years ago going in from Yuma Az they took all my cold Georgia peaches and ate them as we watched. I was told by a native Californian, if I had said I bought the peaches in Az I could have kept them????? Ain't life grand????? When I went to California last November, I was surprised at what I consider to be a lacksadaisacal attitude. I told them I had fruit, they asked where it came "from," and I said, "I have no clue." (I said this because I have no clue where Safeway and Costco get their fruit, so it was a true statement!) They said, "oh, that's ok." HUH? I then explained it was Safeway and Costco, and that I truly did not know where they bought their fruit. They let me keep it. But then again, I had WA state plates...... And I told them, "the people on the public posting board said I had to stop...." JJ
We routinely go into Canada to camp, and we know not to take meat, produce or firewood across the border. We stop at the duty free store both ways, and never have a problem. We do take our 2 furbabys with us, and have been asked to see their licenses and rabies certificates, so we've made little doggie-passports for them too... V
QUOTE(NY Nudist @ Jul 22 2008, 08:34 PM) [snapback]12376[/snapback] We routinely go into Canada to camp, and we know not to take meat, produce or firewood across the border. We stop at the duty free store both ways, and never have a problem. We do take our 2 furbabys with us, and have been asked to see their licenses and rabies certificates, so we've made little doggie-passports for them too... V I have to go through everything in the coach before I get on the road. I have 2 cats, and get their flea prevention stuff from that 1-800 company. Said company is very nice, and always includes a packet of catnip. At any one time, I'm likely to have an open bag in the fridge, and another couple sealed bags in the medicine chest. After hearing all these new laws that allow law enforcement to seize vehicles even suspected of drug transport, that is "SUSPECTED" and not convicted, I always throw out the catnip. It could be mistaken for pot I guess, and the idea of some lamebrain or crooked law enforcement person seizing my coach, sending me to jail and my cats to a shelter, possibly euthanized before I get out, and the coach sold scares me to death. I remember seeing on 60 Minutes awhile back a story where the cops seized an elderly woman's Lincoln on I-10 in Louisiana on suspicion. She of course had no drugs, but the cops drover her Lincoln for a year, then sold it at auction. I guess I'll stay out of Louisiana too.
