After a tough border crossing, we had to zoom down to pick up packages in the New York area before they got shipped back (we left Quebec 3 weeks later than planned because of some mechanical issues that needed to be taken care of). There are a few reasons why we don’t do the East Coast (or even the East part of the States). First, there is no Public Land and free camping, and with a big RV, this mostly means sleeping in parking lot (the ones that allow it)… We like to take chances and check out trailheads and more remote spots on maps, but more often than not it ends up being extremely frustrating in this part of the country. We had an epic night of driving up steep hills and narrow roads (man the roads are narrow and the turns tight in New England: another reason we don’t come often!) to scout out a few spots to find them all with No overnight signs… So we stuck to Cracker Barrels and Walmart parking lots and paid for campsites in a few places that were worth it. One that was worth it in our opinion was Turkey Swamp County Park in New Jersey. It’s still $40 a night, which is a big expense for us, but very reasonable for the area and it includes a parking pass to the beautiful Seven President Oceanfront Park (35 minutes drive from the campground). Also, if you are in the area, do not miss Antoinette Boulangerie (a great stop after the beach) for amazing croissants and pâtisserie (get their raspberry chocolate mousse).

Also know that there are Parkway regulations in NY and NJ that prevent RVs to travel on some sections. We got stopped by a police officer who told us we could not be on that specific Parkway (even if this is a touristy area, there were no signs to that regard). We asked if we could take the next exit 2 miles further and he said he would have to give us a ticket if we did that… So we had to drive in reverse to take the exit!

The roads are narrow, the corners are sharp and the bridges and tunnels are low. This all makes for some stress driving.

So about the border crossing… As I posted on Instagram and Facebook, it was our toughest border crossing in 7 years. I can't tell you if it's truly because they are starting to be stricter or because we got a zealous border agent. What I can tell you, is that during the hour we all sat inside the building and the agent literally yelled at JF, I was already making plans for a winter in Canada.
Everything started as usual with the agent at the window. The usual questions; we made sure not to have any food that was problematic (no tropical fruits, especially). He then asked us to park and come inside. Nothing unusual there, we’re used to being searched at customs. However, when we stepped inside, JF was called by an older and much sterner officer who started drilling him with questions, not letting him finish a sentence and not taking our story for an answer.

He kept asking JF why we truly were coming into the States and JF kept saying : to visit, to mountain bike and to enjoy the outdoors, but the agent kept cutting him, saying: “You’re not being forthcoming with me! This is ridiculous!” And he was laughing in JF’s face…

JF went to grab his computer, showed him that we truly had jobs in Canada that we were doing online and that our girls were really studying online with a Yukon program. He searched their schooling website, JF’s job and mine and after a long while came back and told us that we were all set…
The main red flag in our case is that we don’t own a property in Canada. If we hadn’t had the girls registered in school and a job that we could both prove, they would very likely not have let us in this time.
So if you sell everything and go, make sure you have something to prove that you still have ties to Canada because it is possible that you will not be allowed in the US. Have the address of a campground where you will spend the first few nights (they don't like hearing that you don’t really know where you’ll sleep tonight...) and don’t forget that our lifestyle seems totally farfetched for many people. “You’ve been living in this thing for more than 5 years with teenagers?! That’s too funny…” is not what you want the border agent to tell you…

Something else that seems to trigger agents is when you try to give context to your answers. Simply answer by “yes” or “no” if no details are asked for, stay calm, even when the agent is trying to make you lose your cool (I’m so thankful JF is so naturally calm and not easily intimidated) and be patient and in no rush.

This one person has your plans for the upcoming years in their hands. It's not a good feeling, but to keep stating the same facts while being courteous and honest is the best thing you can do.