Oh Canada!

August 5 we crossed into Canada from North Dakota and spent the night in Regina, Saskatchewan.   Had some difficulty with the phone (no, Verizon, we couldn’t just carry on as usual!).  It took about half an hour on the campground land line to get our phone Canada ready.   The second night we stayed outside Saskatoon and on the 7th arrived at our destination - Camrose, Alberta.   We spent 14 days with Jack’s cousins and enjoyed the Tim Horton’s.   In fact, they even got to know us and asked us about the US!

Some differences between the US and Canada:   They are on the metric system so fuel is in liters and temps are in Celsius.   It’s good to have a conversion app on your phone.   Diesel fuel cost us roughly $4.40/gallon.

Canadians do not use pennies - their smallest coin is a nickel.   To handle this, they round up or down, depending on your bill.   They also do not have paper money under $5.00.   They have a $1 coin called a “loonie” and a $2 coin called a “toonie”.  

When we get fuel, we say we’re going to the “gas station” or filling station.   They go to a “gas bar”.  

Do not plan to cross the border until you’ve checked what you can bring into Canada or into the USA.   Depending on the mood of the crossing guard you may have to donate any fruits, veggies, meat, etc.   They aren’t too keen on your guns or drugs, either.

We camped in Calgary on August 22, and crossed into the USA on the 23rd at Sweet Grass, MT.