In 1971, we moved to Sarnia in southwestern Ontario, where I would begin my teaching career. The St Clair river was all that separated us from Port Huron, Michigan.
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| Sarnia (bottom) and Port Huron (top) |
Within days, new acquaintances took us over to Port Huron. They introduced us to London Dairy where they served huge dishes of ice cream for about a buck. I used to order the Idiots Delight, which, according to my students, suited me well. I think the dish consisted of 4 scoops of ice cream plus a little of this and that, but I can't recall the particulars, except to say that it was rather filling.
It was easy to cross over the border in those days. We'd pay the 50₵ toll (or 30₵ if we had pre-purchased a book of tickets). When we pulled up to customs, it was almost a matter of just saying hello, answering a question or two, and being waved on. That freedom lasted for 20 years, and then 911 happened. First reports were that the hijackers had crossed from Canada. Those reports were erroneous, but the border crossing has been ever more difficult since then. We needed better ID and had to answer more questions. The extra time spent at the border plus the increased fares, made it no longer worth the effort for little trips, and we stopped bothering to visit Port Huron.
Now, let us cast our minds back to the 70s once again. Aside from ice cream, we'd mainly cross to gas up.
It's been a long time since we crossed the border into the US of A. 20cents to $6 a gallon is time in a far far away galaxy.
ReplyDeleteI never crossed the US/Canada border in the good old days but I know from recent experiences, it isn't something I would do for a dish of ice cream.
ReplyDeleteMy arteries hardened just reading about that ice cream treat! We are paying about $4.50 a gallon at the moment, but we would be paying more across the border in Canada.
ReplyDeleteYow! I think I paid $3.37 last fill-up. I don't drive very far these days either. Happy to know you had that incredible ice cream thing, as well as cheap gas. I do remember a gas shortage also occurred in the 70s where we had to line up to hopefully get gas, and it was limited to how much we got. But also back then, there wasn't such a thing as unleaded gas!
ReplyDeleteI've crossed at Detroit/Windsor, no trouble, and at Niagara, nasty personnel on both sides! I never fathomed the difference.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people used to cross quite casually. Not so much now.
Living in a border town, I can tell you that your countrymen are still crossing the border for cheaper gas!
ReplyDeleteThe last time I went to Canada was by plane to Regina for Canadian Nationals (Arabian National horse show) in 2004. When I used to drive in I found the Canadian customs to be friendly and polite. The US customs, let's just say I had some unpleasant experiences.
ReplyDeleteI remember the gas wars in the '70s when stations would compete with each other and drop prices even lower.
Good post. We pay $4.00+ per gallon in Hawaii. Things are insane these days.
ReplyDeleteFun bit of Canadian & US history. Early in my career, my students thought I could be an idiot too, and they were right, haha.
ReplyDelete4 scoops of ice cream! That doesn't sound very 70's lol. But the gas prices sure do.
ReplyDeleteIn the late '70s it was about $1 a gallon in Seattle from what I remember. But there were also gas shortages which were painful and scary. My younger daughter went to college near the border and many Canadians were coming over the border to get gas and shop at Costco and other stores. She told me that they would buy Costco out of milk? I got gas yesterday at Safeway for $2.89/gallon but that was with $1 off. :)
ReplyDeleteI can’t get my mind around the 50th anniversary of my science degree this year. It really feels far less. Our bodies betray us!
ReplyDeleteThe last time I crossed it was in BC, at the I5 crossing. Going into BC the border agent just looked at me and my two daughters and waved us over, didn't take the offered passports.
ReplyDeleteComing back, the US border agent grilled us about what we did, who we were, and scrutinized our passports at length.
This was in 2018.
I can remember just getting on a bus In Windsor and going through the tunnel to Detroit to go shopping and just saying "I'm here to shop" and they would say to enjoy myself. And that was it. Times have changed.
ReplyDeleteGas is about $4.90+ a gallon here in Walla Walla, WA. Sometimes it's about $4.09 in Oregon about 12 miles round trip from home. And no border check. We are lucky.
ReplyDeleteOne young chap on the trips to NZ was actually from Michigan. We talked quite a bit during the boring bus ride. The petrol was that cheap back then
ReplyDeleteI don't remember 20 cent a gal gas but I do remember 29 cents.
ReplyDeleteThose were the days, including border crossing. I have Canadian artist friends who quit coming to shows in the US because crossing for them became so difficult.
ReplyDeleteI remember gas being 25 cents a gallon.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Windsor, with both the Ambassador Bridge and the Tunnel to get to Detroit. As a teen, my group shopped for clothing in Detroit, and I sent my mother to buy baby clothes, as we had moved to Hamilton.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is also a border kid. Fort Erie. His family bought their gas in Buffalo as a matter of course and a lot of other things that were less expensive.
Sigh. 25Cent gass.
It is an interesting journey through time, it is interesting to follow the small changes that we are not aware of and to see how they affect our lives.
ReplyDeleteThat is crazy right there! Think about what this generation would think about the crossings back then. What we have to go through now is their norm. Now come August you have to fill out a CDC form just to get your dog across! What will it be like in another 20 years?
ReplyDeleteThe good old days!
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the cross-border travel. Hit it at the wrong time and the line for getting through is so long. You have to remember your passport -- a driver's license (unless it is a special one) won't due. And it's not fifty cents anymore! Still, for us, it's worth it to escape the mess called the U.S. these days!
ReplyDeleteWow that ice cream sounds good. Those gas prices! I didn't drive until the end of the '70s so I didn't notice prices for fuel but it's hard to believe it was ever that low. Amazing. xoxo
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