Made it!!!!!

Just before I went to bed last night, L sent me a story in one of the Toronto papers describing some guy's border crossing early Monday morning. It had been complicated because he used the mobile app, and didn’t have a critical update. I had used the same version to queue my trip and I realized I would run into the same problem. So I redid my application using the browser version of the questionnaire and got the correct information loaded. (The mobile app didn’t let you upload pictures of your vaccination card.) 

So I left home a few minutes after 6 this morning. The drive to the border was uneventful. When I got to the border, the line was short (shorter because I have Nexux), and they looked over all my paperwork. Then they handed me a little box labeled test kit, and sent me to the line for testing. I waited in line for an hour, and then (with supervision) swabbed my own nose, turned over the sample to the helpful Red Cross person and drove off. I was released from quarantine, and stay released unless the test returns a positive sample. 

So two hours later the hugging started. The kids are at day care and day camp. We’re going to leave soon to pick them up,

And the next…

The urgent care center does the RT PCR test, which is accepted by the Canadians. I had a negative test result in about 15 minutes, and just completed my ArriveCAN app. I have an ID number to give the border agent, and an appointment scheduled for 11am Tuesday.

So I have bacon. Tomorrow I see if they give me the eggs. Time to get packed!

First next step...

I'm scheduled for my covid departure test at 10:30. Hopefully the rapid pcr test is accepted and I'll have the results before noon. Then i can finish registering on arrivecan, and spend the rest of today preparing to leave. (If the rapid pcr isn't accepted I'll have to wait her for a day or two for results.) 

I'm hoping to drive across the border at sarnia late  tomorrow morning and see them by mid afternoon. 

That's best case scenario. A friend of mine used to say, "if we had bacon, we could have bacon and eggs, if we had eggs." 

On the video call this morning one of the 28-month twins, when asked what she was looking forward to about my visit, spread her arms wide and said "big hugs."

Amen sister.

Canada or bust...

I can't keep track of all the people who asked me to keep them posted about my efforts to get across the border. I decided to revive this old blog to share my progress. Chances are you landed here because I sent you a link. You should see a subscribe button somewhere on the page. Use that if you want to get email notices when I post something new. Otherwise, come back at your leisure, or not.

As you probably know, the US/Canada border has been closed since March 21, 2020. I was last in Canada to see my daughter and her family on March 9, 2020. Since then I've been Papa Glass, only present via video calls. It's better than nothing, but it has been hard missing in-person time with three - make it five - precious ones. The last time I saw the smaller ones they were 13 months and 3 1/2 years. Now they're nearly 2 1/2 and 5.  

So on June 20th, after making noises that the border might reopen, the Canadian government broke my heart again and announced they were extending closure for another month. Then the following Monday, we got whiplash when they announced special exemptions for vaccinated family members, effective July 5: we could visit and skip the 14-day mandatory quarantine. We have to show proof of vaccination, and have a negative covid test within 72 hours of arriving at the border, and take another test when we arrive.

Information has been sparse about these requirements, and the processes. The Canadian government has produced a mobile app, ArriveCan, as a platform to submit all of your documentation and manage your application. 

At this point I'm planning to get my first covid test Monday morning, and then drive to the border on Tuesday. If all goes well I hope to be at L's house by Tuesday evening. There are a lot of things that could impact that: Will the rapid PCR test offered by our local clinic be acceptable to the Canadian government, or will I have to wait here for a couple of days to get a negative test? When I get to the border, will they also use a rapid PCR test, or will i have to wait in isolation for a couple of days until I get the green light to enter?

This morning I realized that I have a friend who is visiting the US, and his Canadian apartment is empty for the rest of this week. He was happy to let me use it if necessary. That is a huge relief to know I have a place I can isolate in if I need it. 

I'll post periodic updates here. Stay tuned...