Best Tips to Cross the Border

Our 5 day, 1,500-mile journey through Canada continued from Quebec to Ontario and then across the border back to the USA. We stopped for an overnight in Kinburn, Ontario and after setting up the trailer headed out to see the sights. Our first stop was the Diefenbunker Museum, located in Carp, Ontario, just a short drive from our campground.

Cold War Museum

Diefenbunker History

The Diefenbunker Museum is a Cold War bunker that was built in 1961 in response to escalating world events. The bunker was among many built across the country and would hold Canada’s key government personnel and military members in the event of a nuclear strike. Fortunately, the bunker was not used in that capacity. It was used, however, for 32 years by the military for secret communications and was kept well-stocked with food and provisions. It could support over 500 people for 30 days!!

In 1994, the Diefenbunker became a national historic site and in 1997 it was turned into a museum. And what a cool museum it is and reasonably priced at just $17.50 for adults and $11 for kids. The museum is over 100,000 square feet and has four levels. I’m sure without a map, we would have gotten lost! We could have easily spent hours exploring but we were short on time so we took the abbreviated self-guided tour.

Self-Guided Tour

The tour takes you from level to level, pointing out various rooms and interesting equipment. Corbin liked the tour because he held the MP3 player that gave us the information…entertainment for the child is always a good thing. He ended up finding the museum to be a very interesting place. We started at the bottom two floors with the mechanical room and storage and worked our way up. It was like we traveled back in time to the 1960s when a lot of electronics were big and bulky. The computers were huge and took up a whole wall!

The top two floors were the main living areas with male and female sections. There was also a cafeteria, recreational spaces, and a medical/dental station with a decontamination section. Large meeting rooms, communication rooms, offices, and a separate living area for the Prime Minister were on the top levels as well. They even had a “store” for folks to get the basics. Overall, this museum was a great visit for us and a learning experience for Corbin. Next, we were off to find some poutine!!

Poutine? Yummy!

Poutine is a dish that includes French fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy. Many folks said that if we were headed to Canada, we had to try this legendary dish. It is a common dish in and around Quebec province and while we weren’t in Quebec anymore, we wanted to try it. We found a brewery that was serving poutine and the waitress said it was delicious. We weren’t disappointed. It was absolutely heaven but tasted too good to be healthy. So that was our last poutine until our next journey into Canada.

Crossing the border…if we can find it!

Our drive from Ontario to the U.S. border back to the USA was interesting. We could see the border entry point and see the International Highway Bridge to cross the St. Mary’s River but we couldn’t find the entrance. There was a sign that said to turn right but when we turned, it was onto another street. So we drove around the block and tried again. The next time we turned after the sign and again had to go around the block. The third time’s a charm!! The last time we turned directly underneath the sign and there it was. Finally, we were on the bridge and in line for entrance to the U.S. border. After a simple passport check and a few questions, we headed to our campground in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Hinton Hints:

7 Tips to Cross the Border Back to the USA

Roll down your windows.
Have your passports ready.
Know where you live.
Don’t bring anything back from Canada.
Don’t have firewood.
Know where you’re going.
Be polite!

Soo Locks Campground

The Soo Locks Campground in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan was on the St. Mary’s River and had beautiful views. It was conveniently located near the town and the attractions of the area. The campground had water, electricity, and a dump station and was only $31 a night. It also had a little store, tour information, and nice restrooms with showers. After we set up our trailer, we talked with the campground host and she recommended taking the Soo Locks Boat Tour so we headed back out and down into the town.

Soo Locks Boat Tour

The Soo Locks Boat Tours, established in 1934, offers 2-hour tours of the Soo Locks and costs $32 for adults and $11 for children. The tour starts out under the International Highway Bridge on the U.S. side of the river and goes through two locks. The first lock is the giant U.S. lock and it raises you up 21 feet to Lake Superior bypassing the St. Mary’s Rapids. The second is the historic Canadian lock which lowers you back onto the St. Mary’s River. It was a pretty cool ride. After the locks, the tour continues and you see many freighters and steel plants with massive piles of iron ore and taconite. It was a great boat ride, a very informative tour, and a nice way to end our day.

Tahquamenon Falls

On the last day of our drive from Ontario back to the USA, we decided to make a detour. A friend recommended the Tahquamenon Falls for our journey and we were driving almost right by them….ok so maybe it was 40 miles and an hour out of the way. It was definitely worth it. Tahquamenon Falls is located in Paradise, Michigan, and is a state park close to 50,000 acres in size. The highlights of the park are its waterfalls. There are trails that lead to both waterfalls and are not challenging. There is also a restaurant, store, and restrooms at the waterfalls trailhead.

The Upper Falls, one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River, is a nice amber color due to the trees in the area. It’s really pretty and you can feel the cool spray while standing on the boardwalk. The Lower Falls is 4 miles away from the Upper Falls. You can either hike to it from the Upper Falls or drive as there is a parking lot nearby. The Lower Falls has a few smaller waterfalls with an island in the middle of them. There are multiple spots to view the falls from on the trail or you can rent a boat and view them up close!

The Tahquamenon Falls was well worth the extra drive time and a nice ending to our trip from Canada back to the USA. The next day we pulled into our friends’ place in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota for a much-needed stop and some fun and relaxation.