After printing screenshots of plane tickets back to Alaska and stocking the van full of food, we were off to Canada. My mom planned to drive my sister and I through Canada, then fly back to Alaska. Meanwhile, my dad would fly down and meet us in Seattle. However, the Canadian border had been shut down and was now only open for “mandatory travel.” This being a fairly loose phrase, we decided we would make our argument to the Canadian border patrol on the basis of going to the lower 48 to complete school work. Equally nervous and excited, we hugged my dad goodbye, gave Luna a few extra kisses, and drove beneath the beautiful fall leaves away from our familiar home towards an unknown destination.
When we finally arrived at the canadian border we were more than nervous. Many people had been turned around at the border, and our friends at home were doubtful we would make it through. The man at the border window was burly and stout with a serious face. When my mom handed him her return ticket to Alaska, he coldly asked why the ticket price was only one dollar. After my mom explained we got the ticket on Alaskan Airlines miles, he gave an unexpected laugh. Clearly, he was another Alaskan Airlines frequent flyer. After waiting for what seemed like a tense eternity while the border patrol did background checks, we were finally approved to continue into Canada.
Little did I know I was in for a surprise as soon as we crossed the border. First, we had absolutely no cellular since we were in another country. Second, the driving age was 16 so I was banished to the back seat since Lily and I had previously agreed that I would sit in the back when I wasn't driving. This meant I found myself experiencing the snake-like curvy roads of Canada in the back with absolutely nothing to do except watch miles of tiny scraggly spruce trees grow larger and finally turn into something like a Colorado spruce that actually resembled a tree. I soon discovered that a teenage girl with nothing else to do besides stare at trees, quickly learns to sleep for twelve or more hours a day. That is, as soon as I was used to the random items falling off shelves and hitting me in the head while I drooled over the armrest. All in all, Canada was absolutely beautiful and it was wonderful spending three days of uninterrupted time with my mom and Lily.
