Across the border
22/09/25 02:18
We are heading out on a little adventure venture this morning. When we moved to the Pacific Northwest, I expected to make many day trips across the border into British Columbia. We had some time to explore BC in 2006 when we were on sabbatical, and the beauty of the province made us feel like coming back again. However, we retired and moved to this part of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic when the border was closed except for essential traffic. Sightseeing wasn’t considered to be essential. The process of moving was a bit more complex than we initially anticipated. The house we initially rented was in a different town from where we eventually purchased our own home. That move was a bit more involved than we expected. We went back to work for a couple of years, filling an interim position and enjoying the work. There are other reasons, not the least of which is that we form habits and get into patterns. However, the bottom line is that we haven’t explored the territory just across the border as thoroughly as we expected.
When we looked at this autumn, we made it a priority to plan a little trip to see the sights. We’ll cross the border and head to the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen, about 35 miles from our house, and take the ferry over to Duke Point on Vancouver Island. The ferry takes approximately two hours for the crossing. Then we will drive across the island to the west coast to visit the popular tourist district of Tofino. It is known for Pacific Rim National Park and is said to have a laid-back surfer vibe. We are staying in a small town south of Tofino, called Ucluelet, which is known for its ecotourism. We plan to spend three nights in the region before coming back home on Thursday.
One of the things that changes when we cross the border is the system of measurement. Canada, like much of the rest of the world, is on the metric system. On our side of the border, we have a hybrid system of sorts. Back in 1975, President Gerald Ford signed the Metric Conversion Act. The law declared the metric system to be the preferred system for trade and commerce. It created the United States Metric Board to oversee voluntary conversion. The plan was not very popular, so we didn’t really switch to kilometers on our highway makers. We still think of temperatures in Fahrenheit, and measure liquids in cups and quarts and gallons. Many manufacturing processes have transitioned to the metric system, and a good set of metric wrenches is required to work on vehicles manufactured in the US. The lug nuts on my Ford pickup are 18mm, and you need the correct wrench to change a tire.
Each time we drive across the border, speed limit signs greet us in kilometers per hour. Fortunately, our car’s speedometer has small markings for kilometers, and our GPS converts the speed limits to miles per hour, so it doesn’t require much mental math to drive safely. The main highway we use when going to Vancouver has a speed limit of 100 km/h, which is approximately 60 mph, so there isn’t much confusion. The accurate formula for the conversion is 1.6 km per mile, but it is easier to memorize a few key speeds and think in approximate terms. 90 km/hr is about 55 mph. 40 is about 25. It doesn’t take much practice for the speeds to seem pretty standard and comparable to those we drive on the US side of the border.
Converting temperatures is more challenging for me. (F-32) x 5/9 doesn’t come automatically. It is currently 55 degrees outside. 55 - 32 is 23. 23 x 5/9 is 12.8. 13 degrees sounds cold, and I might choose the wrong jacket. On the other hand, 40 degrees Celsius is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I listen to Canadian radio a lot and have become somewhat accustomed to the temperatures, but they still catch me off guard. I haven’t found an effortless way to make the conversion.
Then there is the matter of money. Currently, the Canadian dollar is worth approximately 72 cents US. For most purchases, it works to round the conversation to 75, so you can think in terms of an item costing about 3/4 of the price when converted to US dollars. Most of the time, we use our debit cards for purchases, so the conversion is automatic, and our bank does not charge us a conversion fee. However, we do carry a bit of Canadian cash, just as we carry US cash when traveling on our side of the border for incidentals. It has been a long time since my card stopped working at a gas station, but I still feel uncomfortable pulling up to a station unless I have cash as a backup in case the card doesn’t work.
Spending a few days in Canada, as opposed to just crossing the border for a meal or a trip to the airport, will get us thinking in Canadian terms. It won’t take long for us to adjust to the different systems of measurement; after a while, conversions will no longer be necessary. We can learn to think metric. Our trip this week will be too short for it to feel natural, but the conversions are part of the joy of travel. We like seeing things from a different perspective and thinking in other ways. When we traveled to Australia and Japan, we had to make all of those conversions and also learn that traffic drives on the other side of the road. The mental concentration required to drive on the left and locate the turn signal on the right side of the steering column, while obeying traffic signs in kilometers, is a workout.
After a few days in Canada, we might even slip “eh” into our conversation from time to time. Maybe we’ll even order a double-double at Tim Hortons. Poutine, however, is an acquired taste. That might take a bit longer.
When we looked at this autumn, we made it a priority to plan a little trip to see the sights. We’ll cross the border and head to the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen, about 35 miles from our house, and take the ferry over to Duke Point on Vancouver Island. The ferry takes approximately two hours for the crossing. Then we will drive across the island to the west coast to visit the popular tourist district of Tofino. It is known for Pacific Rim National Park and is said to have a laid-back surfer vibe. We are staying in a small town south of Tofino, called Ucluelet, which is known for its ecotourism. We plan to spend three nights in the region before coming back home on Thursday.
One of the things that changes when we cross the border is the system of measurement. Canada, like much of the rest of the world, is on the metric system. On our side of the border, we have a hybrid system of sorts. Back in 1975, President Gerald Ford signed the Metric Conversion Act. The law declared the metric system to be the preferred system for trade and commerce. It created the United States Metric Board to oversee voluntary conversion. The plan was not very popular, so we didn’t really switch to kilometers on our highway makers. We still think of temperatures in Fahrenheit, and measure liquids in cups and quarts and gallons. Many manufacturing processes have transitioned to the metric system, and a good set of metric wrenches is required to work on vehicles manufactured in the US. The lug nuts on my Ford pickup are 18mm, and you need the correct wrench to change a tire.
Each time we drive across the border, speed limit signs greet us in kilometers per hour. Fortunately, our car’s speedometer has small markings for kilometers, and our GPS converts the speed limits to miles per hour, so it doesn’t require much mental math to drive safely. The main highway we use when going to Vancouver has a speed limit of 100 km/h, which is approximately 60 mph, so there isn’t much confusion. The accurate formula for the conversion is 1.6 km per mile, but it is easier to memorize a few key speeds and think in approximate terms. 90 km/hr is about 55 mph. 40 is about 25. It doesn’t take much practice for the speeds to seem pretty standard and comparable to those we drive on the US side of the border.
Converting temperatures is more challenging for me. (F-32) x 5/9 doesn’t come automatically. It is currently 55 degrees outside. 55 - 32 is 23. 23 x 5/9 is 12.8. 13 degrees sounds cold, and I might choose the wrong jacket. On the other hand, 40 degrees Celsius is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I listen to Canadian radio a lot and have become somewhat accustomed to the temperatures, but they still catch me off guard. I haven’t found an effortless way to make the conversion.
Then there is the matter of money. Currently, the Canadian dollar is worth approximately 72 cents US. For most purchases, it works to round the conversation to 75, so you can think in terms of an item costing about 3/4 of the price when converted to US dollars. Most of the time, we use our debit cards for purchases, so the conversion is automatic, and our bank does not charge us a conversion fee. However, we do carry a bit of Canadian cash, just as we carry US cash when traveling on our side of the border for incidentals. It has been a long time since my card stopped working at a gas station, but I still feel uncomfortable pulling up to a station unless I have cash as a backup in case the card doesn’t work.
Spending a few days in Canada, as opposed to just crossing the border for a meal or a trip to the airport, will get us thinking in Canadian terms. It won’t take long for us to adjust to the different systems of measurement; after a while, conversions will no longer be necessary. We can learn to think metric. Our trip this week will be too short for it to feel natural, but the conversions are part of the joy of travel. We like seeing things from a different perspective and thinking in other ways. When we traveled to Australia and Japan, we had to make all of those conversions and also learn that traffic drives on the other side of the road. The mental concentration required to drive on the left and locate the turn signal on the right side of the steering column, while obeying traffic signs in kilometers, is a workout.
After a few days in Canada, we might even slip “eh” into our conversation from time to time. Maybe we’ll even order a double-double at Tim Hortons. Poutine, however, is an acquired taste. That might take a bit longer.
