Dateline: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The drive north from Great Falls to Lethbridge is less interesting than the drives we did yesterday and the day before. Mostly rolling high plains with the occasional river valley cut deeply into the plains - in this part of the world such river valleys are called "coulees." Whole towns huddle down in these river valleys or coulees, probably to try to escape the everlasting prairie wind.
We had heard horror stories about crossing the border into Canada, most recently yesterday from a pleasant fellow installing a pair of new batteries in our RV who swore it happened to him. I don't know if such stories are urban legends but they never seem to happen to us. I guess the other DrC and I just don't fit the profile of "folks who need to be hassled."
The pleasant lad from Canadian Customs did ask a couple of additional questions, in addition to the customary ones about cash, tobacco, alcohol, and firearms. This time they also wanted to know if we were transporting firewood(we weren't), what our occupations pre-retirement had been (professor), and what we had taught. On the other hand, unlike years past, they didn't ask about meat - I guess the "mad cow" scare is mostly over. I remember several years ago we had to give up a couple of packages of beef.
Anyway, the bottom line is that we had a brief, pleasant chat with a nice young man and were waved through. That is exactly what we expected but you truly never know till it happens. They certainly have the right to disassemble your vehicle and its contents and then leave it for you to reassemble, if they choose.
The characteristic thing you see on the great plains of Canada are the grain elevators, they've been called "the prairie skyscrapers." Oddly, although the farmers on either side of the border raise essentially the same crops, they use quite different technology to store, aggregate, and ship the grain they produce. Maybe someone can let me know why, I haven't a clue. I know I find the Canadian versions more picturesque.
