DENIED

Wednesday, July 20th

Bar Harbor to Augusta, Maine is a 102 mile drive.  I drove from Bar Harbor to Augusta, but drove 330 miles.  My intended route home was from Maine to Quebec City, to Ottawa, to Toronto for a reunion with friends from Korea, then Buffalo back to Cleveland.

After I came back from Cadillac mountain, I had a delicious breakfast at a cafe, packed up, and headed for the Canadian border.  From Skowhegan, Maine, the last city in Maine to the border with decent cell phone reception, it's 80 miles up a two lane road called the "Old Canada Road."  The Old Canada Road Scenic Byway is a snapshot in time, this segment of U.S. Rt. 201 winds right alongside the Kennebec River and Wyman Lake.  For generations, it was the preferred thoroughfare for those traveling between Maine and Quebec, looking for a better life and a way to support their growing families.  Thousands of French Canadians journeyed south along the road in the 1880's to work in Maine's woods, mills, and factories.  It's a beautiful drive with very small towns along the way, and logging trucks.  The logging trucks annoyed me because bark frequently falls of the trucks, but I enjoyed the smell of freshly cut trees.

  


I got to the border and pulled up to the Canadian border agent's booth.  She asked me the usual questions.  Where are you going?  How long will you be in Canada?  Do you have any weapons on you? etc.  I answered all the questions, seemingly to her satisfaction.  She then handed back my passport with a yellow sheet of paper and told me to pull over because I would be searched.  I pulled over under the canopy as instructed, and two border agents came out and did a very thorough search of all my belongings.  After they finished, and found nothing illegal, they allowed me to put all my things back and said to follow them into the immigration building.  They told me to sit down.  Shortly after, one of them called me up to a counter.  He asked all the same questions the border agent at the booth had asked.  In addition he asked, "How much money do you have?"
"On me?' I responded.  It's normal for them to ask how much money you have in your possession.  
"No, in total."
"In my bank accounts?"  A bit confused that he wanted to know my net worth.
"Yes.  Do you have thousands of dollars?"
"Uh, yes.  I have thousands of dollars."  Annoyed he wanted to know my net worth.
"Have you ever been arrested?'
"Ever?"
"Yes."
"When I was 24 I got a DUI."
"Did you go to jail or pay a fine."
"I paid a fine."
"And?"
"And that's all."
"Anything else?"
"No."
"Sit down."


I sat down and struck up a conversation with an elderly couple from Florida that were going through the same process, and had been one step ahead of me.  They had driven through the border several times, and this was also their first time going through this process.  After about 15 minutes, the elderly couple was called up and given their passports.  They were free to go.


Then I was called up to the counter.  The agent held my passport in his hand as if he were reading a book, and had some papers spread out on the counter.  He looked at me and said, "Sir, you have been denied entry into Canada."  I nervously laughed, a bit in shock at what he had just told me and asked why.  He said that I have a DUI on my record from 2003, and that no one is allowed entry into Canada with a DUI on their record for ten years after the offense.  In the past year, most recently March, I had driven to Toronto, and had no problems getting through the border, and explained this to him.  He said that those two times they did not do a background check, and if they had, I would have been denied entry.  Then he explained that I was not to try to enter Canada through any other border, and that if I tried, I would be detained.  Two of the documents on the counter were identical.  One was for Canada, and one I was to give to U.S. immigration when I drove back through.  A third document was to expedite the process of allowing me entry into Canada.  He explained this process would take about a year.  I signed both documents, picked up the one I needed to get back into the U.S., and he gave me my passport.  Then he tried to hand me the document to expedite the process.  I said, "No thanks.  I don't want that.  I won't ever come back to Canada.  Now how do I get outta here!"  I was not happy.


As I drove back down the "old Canada road", I laughed, then got very upset and was near tears I was banned from a country, then got angry.  I had payed for that crime in the states long ago, and had been to Canada since.  Periodically I raised my left hand high, with my right hand twisting the accelerator as far as it would go, and gave Canada the finger.    


I drove to Augusta to get a room for the night.  I drove 330 miles to stay in Maine.  Dejected, I checked in, then went back outside to get my things and park my bike.  Two guys were hovering around it.  Turns out they were admiring it.  They were from southern Illinois.  One retired.  One enjoying his six week vacation.  They had ridden here on Honda Goldwings.  They told me about their trip, and I told them about mine.  They were in awe, and asked to shake my hand.  We ended up talking for quite a while.  Stories from the road, great routes to take, and future rides we'd like to take.  I'd really like to thank these guys for lifting my spirits out of my "banned from Canada funk."  They helped me realize how amazing my trip has been, and how lucky I am that I got to do it.  After talking to a couple of hard working Americans out enjoying our great nation on two wheels, I wasn't so down about not finishing the trip with my planned Canadian route.  


I called my friends in Canada that night to explain why I wouldn't make the reunion.  Fortunately, four of them could make it down to Buffalo on Saturday night.  So while I won't make the big reunion in Toronto on the 26th, I'll get to see four of my friends in Buffalo!   


P.S.  I did a little research.  Canada's land mass is 7% of the earth.  I am banned from setting foot on 7% of this earth!....until 2013.