Oh Canada!

                Stop number two included an epic border crossing, longtime friends, and much more campground time.   We crossed the border to Canada via the bridge from Detroit to Windsor.   Here I am pulling my 36 foot trailer across a bridge that seems so high you might touch the sky all along being worried about our first trip through border control.   As we pull up to the bridge we realize there is a toll.   We are trying to quickly navigate which line accepted plastic as we don’t have much cash.   We identify the correct lane ease in with the trailer and swipe our card.   Nothing happens.   I try two other cards.   Nada.   So, Keli, exits the car and sprints across several booths to the first one that actually had a person.   He was completely unhelpful and said he couldn’t leave his booth   At this point we decide we have to back out of the lane and try another one.   Somehow, no one had pulled in our lane but there were still cars coming fast and furious to the other lanes.   Keli then proceeds to stop traffic as I am trying to back up far enough to pull over to another lane.   To this point in the trip the trailer towing had been pretty darn easy.   But at that moment my heart rate was probably 150 and the sweat was pouring.  Somehow, someway, we made it through.   Luckily our campground was only about 30 more minutes away and I got to pull over for the night.  

                Most of this stop has been spent at our campground with one of my oldest friends.   Dan grew up with me in Florissant, was in our wedding, and we have always stayed in touch.   We last saw them two years ago at Disney.   Their girls are 9 and 12 and are both great at playing with and doting on our younger kiddos.  The campground offered a pool, waterslide, peddle bikes, wagon rides, crafts, chocolate bar bingo, and so much more.  We were also able to take one day and visit Dan and his family at their home in Detroit.   It required crossing the border two more times, much easier this time, and getting to do one of those crossing through a tunnel under the Detroit River.   It was great to see and be seen by such good friends.   The most pleasant surprise of this stop was downtown Amherstburg Ontario.   We are about 10 minutes outside of town so we were able to drive in very easily.   It is small but had several outdoor restaurants and beautiful views of the Detroit River.    Keli commented that seeing these towns we would normally never stop at has been the best part of the trip so far.   Tomorrow we continue around Lake Erie and stop in Niagara Falls.   We will be joined by three groups of friends!   Dan and his family will be joining us next weekend, another dear old friend Jill and her family will be there all week to visit us and her in-laws that live nearby, and our dear friends the Freemans from St. Augustine will be camping directly next to us most of the week.   It should be a great stop with lots of great pictures to come!