We said we'd be in Boston tonight, but we were making good time and decided to keep going to Portland, Maine. But let's rewind a bit. We left Grand Haven yesterday (are you kidding, that was yesterday), and after a quick stop off at Grandma's in Grand Rapids, we hit the road. It was not an easy thing to leave our comfortable lives at Keri's parents' for the unknown. We also had to leave behind a few things (like C.J.'s percussion stuff and the TV) because there wasn't room in the car. So, let's just say we weren't too excited about our trip at that point. After a few hours on the road and acceptance of living without some things, we were doing a lot better.
We soon left Michigan for our quick trip across Ontario to Niagara Falls. Canada, however, wasn't too excited about having us. We were questioned about where we were eventually going, and got sent inside to immigration. We explained our situation and that we weren't going to be paid for our time at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, but we didn't have any written proof or a letter from Dr. Kirby (who we're working with) saying what we're doing. It's all in e-mail, which we couldn't reach on our computer from a secure immigration office. To shorten a 45 minute experience (which included a call to Dr. Kirby's cell phone on a Saturday from the immigration officer--how embarrassing!), they decided we needed a work permit to complete our time in Canada. Apparently, "ideas" and "knowledge" count as payment (wonder if we have to pay taxes on that?!)...whatever... $150 dollars later for a work permit, we were on our way.
We stayed the first night in New York right by Niagara Falls. It was C.J.'s first time there, so before we got to our camp ground, we stopped off for some sightseeing at the falls. All we can say is "AMAZING!" Camping was great. We slept really well and hit the road again in the morning.
We soon left Michigan for our quick trip across Ontario to Niagara Falls. Canada, however, wasn't too excited about having us. We were questioned about where we were eventually going, and got sent inside to immigration. We explained our situation and that we weren't going to be paid for our time at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, but we didn't have any written proof or a letter from Dr. Kirby (who we're working with) saying what we're doing. It's all in e-mail, which we couldn't reach on our computer from a secure immigration office. To shorten a 45 minute experience (which included a call to Dr. Kirby's cell phone on a Saturday from the immigration officer--how embarrassing!), they decided we needed a work permit to complete our time in Canada. Apparently, "ideas" and "knowledge" count as payment (wonder if we have to pay taxes on that?!)...whatever... $150 dollars later for a work permit, we were on our way.
We stayed the first night in New York right by Niagara Falls. It was C.J.'s first time there, so before we got to our camp ground, we stopped off for some sightseeing at the falls. All we can say is "AMAZING!" Camping was great. We slept really well and hit the road again in the morning.
Us at Niagara Falls
Now you can see them...
As we said, we were going to stay in Boston, but we made really good time and decided we'd drive a bit longer. We're now in Portland, ME for the night and only have about 3 hours to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor where we're going to stay tomorrow. We're really looking forward to a day of hiking in Acadia and maybe a lobster dinner in Bar Harbor. We'll try to update more tomorrow. Thanks for your continued prayer. We're really thankful for safety and a renewed sense of excitement about our trip!
1 comment:
Love the pic of you guys at NF! So cute! Sounds like Canada really cutting down on the rifraf...
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