Getting to Canada without a passport--Washington style

As most know, you can't get back into the United States from out of country without the proper paperwork. From Canada or Mexico through a land-crossing you'll need a passport or a Passcard. But wait! There's yet another alternative--an Enhanced Driver's License or ID. Issued by individual states following the dictates of the Federal Homeland Security Department, these "new and improved" driver licenses and ID cards will let you back into the states, and they're usually easier (and less expensive) to obtain than a PASScard or passport. For RVers, they may be just the alternative you want.

As Washington residents, we decided to go the "EDL" route, as the cost of a federally issued PASScard is $45 (for the initial issue--and $20 to renew), while a Washington EDL is only $15 above the "normal" rate for a driver license. Another "plus" is that instead of waiting for several weeks for your application to be processed, you can walk in to most Driver License Exam Stations and walk out with your new "temporary" EDL, and have the permanent card in hand within a few days.

There's a few caveats: For men, the application process for an EDL is fairly straight-forward. Bring your current driver license, a certified copy of your birth certificate, and proof of address (utility bill, pay stub, etc), fill out the application, go through a quick interview, and you're ready for a photo. For women, if you've gone through the process of a name change, it gets a bit more complicated. Add a divorce and a remarriage, and things could get really messy. Here's an example:

One woman wanted to apply for an enhanced license, so she called in to ask for details on proving her identity. She'd been born in California, married in Washington, subsequently divorced, and had remarried. After the lengthy wait on the phone to Olympia, she was told she'd need her birth certificate, original marriage certificate, divorce decree, and the marriage certificate for her current marriage--all of which needed to be "certified" with an official state seal. After spending a number of hours running from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, she presented herself to the driver license station, only to be told she simply needed the birth certificate and current driver license. Apparently too many folks complained about the paper chase issue, and the state had seen fit to "relax" their standards--days after she'd called and got the information that led to the chase.

So under the most recent "incarnation" of bureaucratic direction: If you're planning on getting a Washington EDL, plan on spending up to two hours in the office from start to finish. Be sure the license station of your choice doesn't require and appointment--if it does, it may take a couple of weeks to get an appointment. You DON'T have to go to the station near your home address, you can get an EDL in any station in Washington.

Once at the station, you may have to "take a number and wait." Be sure to get the RIGHT number, as EDL applicants must see only certain representatives. When it's your turn you'll be asked to provide all your paperwork, and spend a few minutes with a representative. You'll then wait for your interview--which is essentially verbally answering the same questions you filled out your application: Names of your parents, where they were born, where you were born, and information of that nature. And hey, if you don't know just where your parents were born, just tell the first representative up front. After the interview, you'll be photographed and handed your temporary EDL.

You should be aware that the EDL does contain a computer tag that can be "read" at a distance by a computer scanner. The scanner is able to read only an individual ID number, not your name or personal information. Still, some folks are concerned about what they view to be a personal security issue. Your new driver license is provided with a "scan proof" slip envelope that theoretically prevents the license from being scanned when inside it. One other issue: Your photograph will be taken without your eyeglasses on your face. This allows the system to build a biometric profile based on your facial characteristics, for example, measuring items like your eye sockets, cheek bones, and the sides of your mouth. The state says this will help prevent identity theft. Just don't let anybody rip off your dentures!

"Mobile identity theft lab" nabbed at Canada border

Most folks use their RVs for recreation, some use them for business, but the "Rainbow Five" used theirs for a life of crime, until they made a wrong turn at the Rainbow Bridge.

Five US citizens left California last December in a motorhome with more than just the usual travel equipment. Included in the cargo, equipment that helped the "criminal quintet" to manufacture bogus credit cards and driver licenses. They made their way across the US, apparently by using their phony products to make cash advances. It looks like one piece of equipment they failed to have on hand was a GPS system, because last March, while traveling through Niagra Falls, the group made a wrong turn and wound up on Canada's doorstep.

The motorhome's driver, Felicks Balon, told custom's official he'd made an error, that he really hadn't intended to head into Canada. That was fine with officials, but they went ahead and ran identity checks anyway--turning up a criminal record on Balon that meant he couldn't enter the country. At this point, officials told Balon he was unwelcome in what some call The People's Republic of Canuckistan, but he could turn the motorhome around and head back to the US. Instead of taking advantage of the gracious offer, Balon panicked and fled north.

Excercising a bit of suspicion, officials then searched the motorhome, finding illegal drugs, and eventually the counterfieting equipment. They took the motorhome's other passengers into custody, and eventually, Balon was nabbed and all stood before court on charges. Balon got 27 months for importing illegal drugs and fleeing an immigration officer; the others--who all came equipped with phony identification--all good nine month sentences.

Doing the Winter Olympics at Vancouver? Bring Your RV

If you're planning to take in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver has a deal for you. Two of the city's big beach parking lots will open the gates for RVers to stay with their rigs. Washrooms, concession stands, showers, and easy access to public transportation will be right at hand. Why the big welcome?

"People are going to come to the Olympics in their RVs and we don't want our shopping mall parking lots to become de facto RV parks," said Vancouver parks board commissioner Aaron Jasper. Jasper is quoted in The Province, a regional Canadian paper. But don't think the welcome is going to be strictly good hearted. There's a wee bit of business for the city department. At $95 a night to stay, if only the city can see a one-third occupancy rate, they say they'll break even financially on the affair. With the love affair of sports and RVing combined, it would be hard to imagine that the city will have to worry about breaking even.

Lots will open at Jericho Beach and at Spanish Banks. And one more thing: Don't imagine you'll want to bring your swimsuit and sunscreen. There have been occasions in winter where snowmen occupied the beaches in Vancouver, rather than bikini-clad cuties.

Jericho Beach photo by nattie bug on flickr.com

RVers Get Break on Manitoba Park Access

In a move that's drawing heat from some critics, government officials have thrown away entrance fees at Manitoba's provincial parks. This translates into a $7 a day break for entry into any one of the half dozen regions, comprising dozens of parks.

The discount runs from now through April 2011, and officials hope it will help bring more Canadians and visitors into the province's parks. Critics argue that the costs of running parks certainly isn't heading down, and with an estimated overall loss of over two and a half million Canadian dollars per year, the buck has got to stop somewhere.

Politics and economics aside, if you're in the neighborhood, a visit to one or more of Manitoba's park jewels is only sweetened with a small discount. For more information on parks and activities in the Keystone Province, check out their website.

Photo: Duck Mountain Provincial Park, courtesy Manitoba Parks

Some US RVers Will See Canada Travel Barred

Some US RVers may soon see travel in Canada only from a distance--from the US side of the border fence. In case you missed it, the free border crossing that US citizens had to the north country will evaporate under new standards, courtesy of Homeland Security.

Effective June 1, US citizens returning from Canada (or Mexico) by land or sea MUST show a valid passport, passport card, or other documentation acceptable under Homeland Security standards. This means flashing a driver license and a birth certificate won't cut it. If you're planning on travel out of the US and you haven't already applied for (or possess) the requesit papers, best not leave the US.

Passport cards, as we've mentioned, are a less expensive alternative for travel by sea or land to Mexico or Canada. You may apply for them at a post office or other agency that handles passport applications. However, the application process still takes several weeks, at best.

RVers Looking for Excitement--Visit WildPlay Element Parks in Nanaimo

Need a little more adrenaline to run through your veins? The last "almost got us" truck driver not enough to keep your blood flowing? How about a stint of bungy jumping, tree climbing, or zip-line riding over a river gorge? WildPlay Element Parks want to drag you kicking a screaming into a pucker-string tightening adventure in Nanaimo, B.C.

The "tree course" takes you above ground on swinging bridges, zip lines, and various obstacles. The course has several levels, rated for children, young people, and adults running up four levels from that requiring minimal skill (and to a minimal height above ground), to that taking you way up high, and requiring a lot of skill.

Perhaps climbing trees and running down wobbly bridges isn't your cup o' tea. How about 150' drop with rubber bands tied to your ankles, singly or with a friend? WildPlay's bungy jump dumps you over the Nanaimo River. Think we'll pass on this offer. You could always belt up in a seat-like harness and "sit" your way through the drop on the park's King Swing. Or perhaps the least green-skin producing is the big zip line run over the width, and one long length, of the river canyon below.

Is it exciting? Sure looks like it. Is it safe? Well---you'll have to determine that one for yourself, and before you'll be allowed to do any of the park's challenges, you'll be asked to sign off on a waiver that releases everybody and their brother involved is something out-of-place does happen. Check out the website at www.wildplayparks.com.

photo courtesy wildplayparks.com

Canada RV Dealers Not Feeling the Pain Like American Counterparts

While dealerships are closing doors around the US, Canadian RV dealers say things aren't so bad up north. Some say that sales this year are around a par with last, in fact. Still, they want help from the government to smooth the sales ways.

Published reports on RV sales out east in Saskatchewan show over a 45% increase in sales in December/January of this year, compared to a year prior. From across the 'Great White North' RV show promoters are happily reporting in with glowing reports of great crowds which no man is practically able to number. What seems to be driving the boom?

Those practical Canucks are seeing the cost-effectiveness of RVing as opposed to hotel-vacationing. Canwest Publishing reports the story from one RV show where Rob Butler, his wife, and four children were trolling about, eyeballing pop-up rigs. Butler told Canwest, he couldn't stomach continuing to spend thousands on hotels and flights for an annual vacation in this economy."My family is so big, we're looking at other vacation options."

Butler has plenty of company, as the sales of everything from pop-ups to luxury motorhomes seem to be continuing. But that doesn't mean Canadian RV dealers aren't looking for help. If Johnny Canuck is the Canadian equivalent of Uncle Sam, Johnny had better think about getting his phone number de-listed. The Canadian Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association has gone public, saying the federal government needs to step up to the plate and help RV dealers get more access to credit to help customers secure financing for RV purchases. In a story published in today's The Canadian Press, dealer association president Michael Corte called on the crown for help. "Canada must take a bold step in addressing this credit as it relates to the RV industry,