Thank you eveansdad, great job on the write up.
Kris

 

Weirdest crossing I ever had was entering the USA. What M/C do you belong to? I don't belong to one. Then he asked what the patch was I was wearing on my vest. "Oh. I'm a member of the HOG" What's that club? he asked...Then out came the dog, out came all our clothes and the interrogation ensued. he finaly let us go after the only thing he found was when his dog stuck its nose in the saddlebag and came out with a sticky Mars bar wrapper stuck to his cheek. I was going to comment that chocolate will kill his dog if he keeps that up, but decided not to get cute. He was wearing a gun..I had only my Leatherman.
But, the Northern ride is great. I have nothing else to say about it, but will add that the Mackinaw bridge in the middle of the night is awesome, especially when a meteor streaks overhead, lighting up the whole countryside.
Enjoy your trip.

 

Running this back to the top looking for any more info, but adding a question? How do you cross with cigars or what questions will they ask and what is the short simple answer? I will be 100% truthful because i have nothing to hide, but would sure like to bring a few good ones along. As always any input is appreciated.
Kris

 

Are you talking about taking a few cigars with you? That's legal. There is a limit on what is for "personal usage." Stay below that. You're allowed to bring up to 100 "legal" cigars back into the US, but I don't know what the Canadian limits are.

If you're talking about bringing Cubans back into the US.....try a busy crossing like at Blaine, WA

But the less-trafficked ones like in MT or, I assume, MN.........those guys are bored.

 

Sorry for the delay on the reply, just been busy catching up on things since the vacation. Here’s what I can recommend though:
Like stated earlier, split up when crossing the border. Especially if anyone in your group has a questionable charge on their record. My girlfriend and I crossed just fine, but the bike behind us (my sister and her boyfriend) got stopped. He thinks it was just a random stop, because he never saw the officer scan his passport. But, when he got inside the building, they checked his record and found a dui he got on a snowmobile in Northern Wisconsin about 2 years ago. So they wouldn’t let him cross. They took the south shore and we met in the UP. They said that was also a very nice ride. I also had a friend who was up there the week before, a guy in their group got turned away for having a disorderly conduct on his record. Just a heads up.
Anyhow, so we kept on going since we already had reservations. Nothing I say can prepare you for the scenery you will have. Its breathtaking!! The first night we stayed in thunder bay at the econolodge. It was ok, nothing special. Clean rooms and shower, that’s all I need!!! It was within walking distance of a few bars and resturaunts so you don’t have to drive if you have a few cocktails. Talking to the locals, I wouldn’t chance it, they treat dui’s like a felony drug charge here in the states. We stopped at shooter, just down from the hotel. Nice bar, cool bartender, she said it gets really busy late at night, especially when college is in session.
The next morning we left with a destination of wawa. We didn’t see all the things we wanted, because all of the locals said to avoid driving at night, especially in the wawa area, the moose are thick. They are also hard to see, because of their darker color they blend with a lot of the rocks and such along side of the road. We arrived in wawa a lot earlier than we needed to, not keeping in mind that it stays light for almost an additional 2 hours up there! So don’t rush!! Outside of thunder bay is canadas highest suspension bridge, that’s suppose to be pretty neat to walk over. Hit Sleeping Giant, that’s suppose to be cool. Its about 30 or 40 miles off the highway though….. I didn’t mind not stopping to see much of that stuff, just caused I enjoyed the riding so much…..
In wawa we stayed at the lakeside motel. It was great! The outside looks like something straight out of a horror movie, but it was awesome. The rooms are really nice. They have a bar(Woody’s) which has just been renovated and is really nice. And they have small single stall locking garages for you to park your bikes in at night! The only downfall is that they don’t have food in the bar, But there are plenty other places in town. Just south of Wawa is highfalls. Definitely a beautiful sight, but it’s a mile or so off the highway on a gravel/sandy road. It changes from gravel to sand without warning! I almost ate **** twice!
Then next day, we woke and drove back into the states. They asked way more questions upon returning than they did when we crossed into Canada. Just stay calm, don’t lie, and you’ll be fine. If you bring any tobacco or alcohol to or from, keep it to a minimum or you will have to pay fees for them….
That’s pretty much all I’ve got. If you have any questions, hit me up! I’ll answer the best I can. Hope you have a great trip! It’s one I will definitely do again in the near future!!

 

Thanks for the great report. I really appreciate all the tips I am getting here. I think I will just try to find a few cigars in Thunder Bay. The only time I ever smoke a cigar is on vacation or when I have a half hour and no one else is either home or awake at my house. I will report back after our trip too with some stuff that I either learn the hard way, or just tips like all you guys are giving me. Again thanks to all and ride safe
Kris