Montréal Spring 2020

[webny99]

I'm not one for giving advice either - I would think we're quite a long ways from the US/Canada border being significantly affected, but I could be wrong. I have two trips to Canada planned in the near future, including one this weekend. We'll see how that goes and maybe post an update here afterwards.

I'm not sure what the situation looks like in your town/the Albany area specifically, but I believe most of New York's 216 cases have been in the immediate NYC area, and especially the New Rochelle outbreak. There was a county-level map of cases at one time, but they're now reporting at the country- and state-levels only due to the influx of new cases.

[vdeane]

I'm reminded of what I said last June when my wife and I cut short our trip to Toronto when we learned my father was about to die: The roads will still be there in the future, but Dad wouldn't be (he died 13 days later). The roads will be there in the future after the pandemic passes.

But will I be able to clinch them?  I'm very aware that it's very unlikely that I'll be living in Albany forever.  My excuse for crossing back into the US at US 11 was already flimsy... if I tried it after moving elsewhere, I'd have none at all.  As for the cross country trip, Portland plans to toll I-5 and I-205.  E-ZPass won't be interoperable with whatever tolling scheme they use.  I do not do bill by mail.  Therefore, I-5 and I-205 will become completely impossible for me to clinch at that time (as ON 407 is now, as are a lot of Florida toll roads, as A-25 would be if I hadn't already clinched the bridge in a mini-meet where AsphaltPlanet was driving).  I really, really don't want that to happen, especially as interstates are my first priority clinches.  I'll be further away from Long Island, making clinching Regions 10 and 11 harder.  I'll be further away from New England, making many items on my clinching todo list there harder.  Basically, while Rochester is home and I expect I'll move back someday, I will admit that Albany is much more useful from a roadgeeking perspective.  Not to mention that if anything ever happened to my state job (like the massive layoffs that nearly happened in 2011) and I had to go to private industry, I wouldn't have enough time for such roadtrips.  I already feel like I could use more time off, and private industry had less.  A lot less.  Roadgeeking would basically become impossible for me (especially as my issues with having enough energy to function require me to take an extra day or two and just veg out in my apartment after all trips).

Besides, I'm only getting less and less comfortable with the asterixis on my clinches of US 11's north end and any and all roads I've only been on at night (including a portion of ON 417), to the point where I may have to delete those clinches from Travel Mapping if this goes on too long... which would make my map ugly, and take away my clinch of Region 7, and any possibility of finishing New York.  Not good.

And, of course, no idea what to do with the personal leave.  I'm getting frustrated at the idea that I'm using a ton of time uselessly.  Every day off is far too precious to waste, and now it's looking like I'll be forced into doing just that.

I'm not one for giving advice either - I would think we're quite a long ways from the US/Canada border being significantly affected, but I could be wrong. I have two trips to Canada planned in the near future, including one this weekend. We'll see how that goes and maybe post an update here afterwards.

I'm not sure what the situation looks like in your town/the Albany area specifically, but I believe most of New York's 216 cases have been in the immediate NYC area, and especially the New Rochelle outbreak. There was a county-level map of cases at one time, but they're now reporting at the country- and state-levels only due to the influx of new cases.

Three cases in Saratoga County, two in Albany, not sure if there are any in the other counties.  This includes a student at SUNY Albany (where my co-worker's live-in brother is a student) and a staff member at Union (where another co-worker's husband works).  Cuomo is now saying that the state will become just like Italy.  I had hoped the US wouldn't get that far, and as someone who has a hard time with even small disruptions to my life, this fills me with absolute dread.

[MikeTheActuary]

Vdeane --

This is free advice.  It may be worth what you pay for it. 

Like you, I hate uncertainty.  I love it when I can get plans nailed down.  Unfortunately, the current mess is not one good for folks who need certainty.

Earlier this thread you mentioned that you were looking at late April / early May for this trip.  That's still some time off, and gives you the opportunity to watch and see how things develop.  Be mindful of when the cancellation deadlines are for various places you might make reservations at, and you'll know when you have to commit one way or the other.   I am on the road about 50% of my time normally; I'm anticipating that when I get home from my current trip, I will be staying home until May.  However, I won't be canceling any travel plans until the last minute.  Things could change.

Yes, it is possible that you could become sick (or be deemed sick) before your trip, and have to burn your leave days for that.  It would suck, but that's life...and not really something I'd worry about until/unless it happens.   I've had enough chaos, enough unplanned crap arise in my life, especially over the past few years, that learning to go with the cards you're being dealt and adapting your game strategy as necessary is a required survival skill.  It sucks for people who desire certainty and like to plan...but unfortunately it's life.

It is also possible that additional controls will go up at the border.   If you're going now, and the risk of that happening is a problem for you...don't go.  But if this is a late April/early May trip... I think the odds are pretty good that any controls that are implemented (at the border, or as local/regional quarantine zones) will have been implemented by then.

If you are going "now", however...it wouldn't be a bad idea to put off the trip and try again later, when circumstances permit.  The virus probably wouldn't affect you much if you were exposed to it, but if you came into contact with your parents while contagious....  I work in risk management in insurance, so I'm a professional worrier/pessimist.  I think it's not unreasonable to avoid unnecessary travel for a couple of weeks and avoid unnecessary risks, until we have better information about what's going on.  Live life, do what you have to...but make sure that what you get out of such actions is worth any additional risk you are exposed to, or that you might be exposing others to.

You also mentioned that you're concerned about losing the opportunity to clinch US 11, given an expectation of moving in the future.  You are concerned that you will run into trouble if you don't have a reasonable explanation for taking that particular route.   I have been slowly, quietly "collecting" border crossings, when I go to/from Montréal.  If the weather's decent and time permits, I follow unorthodox commute paths.  So, with that background, I can say that I don't think you have anything to worry about if you want to clinch US 11 after you've moved away.   I've found "it's a nice day, and I don't want to waste it on the interstate"  or "freeways are boring" are answers that border guards accept, if/when they ask.   Yes, there is an increased risk of having to do a secondary inspection....but allow extra time for that, be honest, and be familiar with what you can/can't take across the border (and abide by those rules), and it's not really a big deal.

I don't know that any of that is useful to you, but I thought I'd share those thoughts on the off chance they help.

[vdeane]

My hotel reservation is April 22-27, free cancellation until 4/21 at 6 PM.  I'm thinking that if I plan to convert cash at the duty free at the border instead of AAA, that would mean that I wouldn't have to invest anything more into this trip until the last second.  That might keep my from jinxing myself.  I've been starting to brainstorm ideas for reallocated personal leave if I have to cancel the trip (my four days expire sometime around 5/22), though nothing is quite "equal" in my mind.

Oddly enough, other than potentially affecting travel plans depending on timing, a quarantine wouldn't actually hurt my vacation time much.  We're allowed two weeks leave with pay for a mandatory or preventative quarantine, and I have 5 weeks worth of sick leave built up.

As for US 11, the reason it would be an issue if I ever move is because a move would be, more likely than not, back to Rochester were I grew up, or somewhere in that direction.  I don't want to get much farther away, plus I don't like the congestion of larger cities.  Thus, US 11 wouldn't just be a little bit out of the way (vs. I-87, as it is now), but way out of the way (vs. I-81).  Plus I don't have NEXUS and don't cross as often (haven't been across the border since 2014, actually), so I would probably draw more scrutiny.

[froggie]

I'm not one for giving advice either - I would think we're quite a long ways from the US/Canada border being significantly affected, but I could be wrong.

Oh, it's happening.

https://jaypeakresort.com/resort/blog-updates/jay-peak-closing-winter-operations-reopening-summer-may-1st-2020 (references Quebec restrictions)

https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/live-updates-quebec-doctors-want-limits-on-travel-gatherings-to-curtail-covid-19 (Quebec premier recommends closing the US border)

[AsphaltPlanet]

Canada isn't going to close the US border.  We aren't closing the borders to Europe (though we are limiting them somewhat).  The economies of the US and Canada are too closely intertwined for the border to be closed.

[hbelkins]

International travel, even to Canada, is an entirely different animal, but I can state without hesitation that if I had the money and the leave time from work, I would not think twice about jumping in the car and going anywhere in the Lower 48. Gas prices are down, and there are probably good hotel/motel rates to be had.

[webny99]

I have two trips to Canada planned in the near future, including one this weekend. We'll see how that goes and maybe post an update here afterwards.

Darn, I jinxed it. No trip to Canada this weekend, and probably not later in the month either.

[vdeane]

I have two trips to Canada planned in the near future, including one this weekend. We'll see how that goes and maybe post an update here afterwards.

Darn, I jinxed it. No trip to Canada this weekend, and probably not later in the month either.

I probably jinxed mine when I went ahead and plotted out the routes in Google Maps and saved them to a text file.  I've found that I don't want to keep those around too long, as eventually changes in Google's algorithm will make them inaccurate or break entirely.

In a pinch I can try pushing this trip out three weeks to mid-May, but who knows if the world will have returned to something even remotely resembling normal by then.  I have long had a feeling in my gut that things were on borrowed time and that something big was going to happen, maybe this pandemic is it.

[1995hoo]

Canada is closing the border to most foreigners, though American citizens are an exception for now.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canada-to-close-borders-to-most-foreign-nationals-except-americans/

[1995hoo]

CNN reports the US and Canada will suspend "non-essential" travel between the two countries:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/politics/us-canada-suspend-travel/index.html

[webny99]

CNN reports the US and Canada will suspend "non-essential" travel between the two countries:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/politics/us-canada-suspend-travel/index.html

Well, that includes basically all of my travels. At this point, mid-summer seems like a best-case scenario for when it would re-open, but who knows? We really need two straight weeks of people taking tests and getting the results just to know where we're at.

[AsphaltPlanet]

Yeah.  This situation sucks.

I never thought they could ever close the border.  Though, I have continually underestimated this situation from the onset.

[02 Park Ave]

It has been announced that the U.S./Canada border will remain closed until 21 June.

[vdeane]

It has been announced that the U.S./Canada border will remain closed until 21 June.

In any case, I ended up cancelling this trip for this year, and possibly (maybe even probably, depending on how things shake up) next year too.  I'd like to push up something I had planned for next spring into late summer or fall this year, but the way things are going, I'm not going to get my hopes up.