Manitoba - Minnesota - North Dakota Tri-point

Description

This tri-point is in the center of the Red River of the North near Pembina, ND. We had some difficulty reaching this point thanks to Canadian customs officials. Our original plan was to leave our boat south of the tri-point, drive the car to the first bridge crossing north of the border, walk back to the boat, and paddle downstream across the tri-point, possibly stopping for photos. However, the nearby Canadian port of entry is on a divided highway and is geared toward car and truck traffic. We even had difficulty getting into the building on foot. Once there, our plan was nixed because it is illegal to enter Canada on the river. Unfortunately we had to pass through US customs on foot to get back to the car, which irked the US official. We devised an alternate plan of driving the car and boat into Canada to the bridge crossing several hundred meters north of the tri-point, trying to paddle upstream, taking our pictures and floating back to the bridge. As we approached the bridge we noticed a road to a public boat ramp just south it. As we scouted the river and wrung our hands about the speed of the current, a Canadian fisherman, Gary Klassen, and his daughter arrived at the ramp in their boat. We starting talking about our mission and Gary offered to take us up the river by motorboat. This took only a few minutes and his skillfully maneuvered the boat to the zero-point according to the GPS. We were not able to take photos from the bank of the river but got several good shots of the tri-point from the boat.

Photos (click to enlarge)

	View from the bow of the boat a few meters north of the tri-point. Photo by Brian J. Butler
	Gary Klassen watches the GPS and pilots the boat as we transit the tri-point. Bridge and boat ramp in background. Gregg Butler in foreground. Photo by Brian J. Butler