Hey ya'll. I'm new to the forum, and have been researching hunting and shooting for a while now to prepare myself for this hobby. To make the long story short, I live in Alaska, and will be relocating to Maine next summer. I will be taking all of my worldly possesions with me, and I am considering buying a rifle or muzzleloader while I am in Alaska to begin practicing and preparing for the Fall 06' hunting season. My major questions are as follows:

1.) I will have to drive through Canada to get to the lower 48 obviously, and so far as I know I can get through with a "temporary license/permit" for about 25 bucks. Is this correct, and is it a major hassle, or relatively straightforward dealing with Canadian Customs?

2.) Once I'm in the lower 48, I still need to drive across the country to get to Maine. I will probably stop at a few National and State Parks along the way. As long as I render the gun inoperable if possible, keep it in a locked case, and the ammunition seperate, do I need to contact each state that I will be entering in order to let them know I have a firearm in my possesion?

3.) I won't have a residence until I get to Maine and do some apartment hunting. Will this be an issue, or is there a grace period or such where I have a certain amount of time before I have to provide an address?

I appreciate any and all help you can provide, and I apologize of this is the wrong forum, but since I am moving to that area, I figured I might as well try here. Thanks again.