{"id":84033,"date":"2018-03-17T00:04:01","date_gmt":"2018-03-17T04:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wend.ca\/?p=84033"},"modified":"2021-12-29T20:31:51","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T01:31:51","slug":"we-drank-a-lot-of-coffee-during-the-first-few-hours-in-vermont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/?p=84033","title":{"rendered":"We drank a lot of coffee during the first few hours in Vermont"},"content":{"rendered":"

Crossing the CA\/US border was… well… an unexpected experience. We’d done the due diligence and researched busy entry times, Nexus line openings and overall important need to know details<\/em> on the USCBP website. The day we wanted to cross the border was rated red<\/em>, meaning we were crossing on an extremely busy day\/time.<\/p>\n

We left the house early to be at the border when the Nexus line opened. I figured it would be like boarding the ferries in B.C.<\/a> with hours-long line-ups and packed lanes with people who arrive 4-hours early to ensure a spot on the boat.<\/p>\n

As an added level of complexity, the Nexus lane opens at 6:30am and only remains open for two hours. If you miss this window of opportunity, you have to wait patiently in line behind all the cars, pick-ups, moving vans, slow-moving cross-border shoppers, band busses, and transport vehicles who don’t have the proper paperwork.<\/p>\n

And, anyone who knows me knows that I am not a very patient person… because life is too precious and too short to be wasted by bureaucracy. Come on people! We have things to do and see!<\/em><\/p>\n

We arrived at the border just after 6:30am and found… empty silence. The Nexus line was closed… and no other vehicles were anywhere to be seen. I thought that at the very least that there would be a line up of trucks waiting to be inspected. But, in lieu of trucks, there was… well… nothing!<\/p>\n

It took us less than a minute to cross in the regular lane… and most of that time was spent asking why the Nexus line was closed. On the other side, we sat for a few confused moments and in that time no other vehicles appeared. What is going on?<\/em><\/p>\n

St. Albans<\/h3>\n

We moved along very quickly… to the first town: St. Albans, which is a quick 20-minute drive south of the Highgate border crossing. It was the middle of rush hour and we hit one of the only open cafes in the small city: Catalyst Coffee Bar.<\/p>\n

For 30-minutes we watched locals come in and out for their morning coffee; and, while there enjoyed a hot chocolate served spicy (think Mexican chilli peppers) and a latte sweetened with maple syrup.<\/p>\n

Historically, St. Albans is famous for being the location of the northernmost battle of the American Civil War (October 19, 1864).<\/p>\n