Ahh....that answers most of my questions....but I still have a few more:

1. I've heard that the Canadian dollar is worth less than the US dollar, so if I convert all of my
   money to Canadian, does that mean that I will owe money when I return to the states?

2. I understand that Vancouver is in British Columbia. Do the British own all of Columbia or
   is there a part of Columbia that is still Canadian?

3. If I wanted to walk from Washington State up into Canada and then go over to Alaska, do I
   have to have a US passport to get into Canada, and then a Canadian Passport to get into
   Alaska?