If Day 2 taught us that trailer tires are important, Day 3 doubled down on the lesson.
Actually, tripled down.
Tire #2 blew.
Then Tire #3 blew.
Then Tire #4 went flat.
The silver lining is that our trailer is now riding on four beautiful new tires. Thankfully, every tire incident happened near a truck stop, tire center, or somewhere that could help. We’re hoping all the bad tire luck has been spent while services are plentiful and before we get into the more remote parts of the journey.
Despite the tire drama, the convoy continued north. Starting the day in Iowa, the route carried them through Minnesota, across North Dakota, and finally into Canada.
One of the biggest changes was a swap in travel companions. After helping get the convoy this far, Uncle Scott handed the baton to Papa (Stacy), who joined the trip in North Dakota while Scott began his journey back toward Oregon.
Papa and Ana reached Portal, North Dakota, ahead of the rest of the group and spent a few hours waiting before everyone linked up. Once together, it was time to tackle the Canadian border crossing.
The border crossing wasn’t completely without excitement.
Going into it, we were prepared for questions about Ana crossing an international border without both parents present. We had travel consent forms, supporting documentation, identification, and enough paperwork to fill a small binder. Dax and Ana had even spent part of the day practicing Mom’s signature in case any last-minute adjustments were needed.
As it turns out, the border agents had absolutely no interest in any of that.
They barely glanced at the paperwork for Ana.
Papa had successfully transported what can best be described as an entire cow’s worth of beef destined for the deep freezer Zed is hauling to Alaska. Surprisingly, customs wasn’t concerned about the beef either.
No concerns about the child.
No concerns about the beef.
Just questions about why there was ammunition in the convoy but no firearms.
Cue Sam digging through emails, moving inventories, and every PCS document imaginable from hundreds of miles away.
Thankfully, we were able to provide documentation showing that all firearms had been properly inventoried, transferred into the custody of our household goods shipment, and were currently aboard a container ship headed for Alaska. We were even able to pull up the AirTag locations showing the cases sitting safely at the Port of Tacoma awaiting their own trip north.
Once customs confirmed the inventory and chain of custody, everyone was sent on their way.
The beef crossed the border.
The ammunition crossed the border.
The firearms continued their independent adventure by sea.
With customs behind them, the convoy loaded the beef into the deep freezer, said goodbye to Uncle Scott, and continued north into Canada.
Meanwhile, those enjoying a relaxing weekend in Maryland headed back to D.C. so they could finish their final three days of school before starting their own adventure.
One of Ana’s favorite moments of the day was entering Canada for the very first time.
In her words:
“This is my first time in Canada, so it is an exciting experience to drive through. I’m having fun on my drive, but not as much fun as it would be if you guys were all with me.”
As for the Alaska convoy, they’re still pointed north.
Enjoy Dax and Ana’s photography skills
Herd Stats
Miles Driven: 1,871
States/Provinces Traveled: 10/1
Tire Blowouts: 3 (+2 swapped tires to prevent future blowouts)
Moose Sightings: 0
Hotels Occupied: 5
Herd Morale: Surprisingly High
Sanity Level: Holding Steady Despite Tire #4
The Davies Herd 
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