There are two routes to the USA on the way to Oroville. Just past Cawston, there is a turnoff to the Nighthawk border station, or, one can continue on to Osoyoos and turn right on Highway 97 and go through the big border station there. We almost always go the Nighthawk route. Although both routes are very scenic, this route has more interesting things to see. The road is more rustic and takes a bit of concentration, but well worth it.
I wish I had a photo of the border patrol station at Nighthawk, but for obvious (?) Homeland Security reasons, this is forbidden. The Canadian side is small and rustic, a throwback to the 50's or 60's, looking much like a one room country schoolhouse on the prairies. On the USA side, there is a new station, replacing the twin to the Canadian side. It is a state of the art, solar powered fortress, ready to take on a full blown insurgency complete with nuclear weapons of mass destruction. And you never know when someone is going to try to smuggle a Canadian apple across the border. Only a few feet from where we are required to stop and be interviewed, there is a firing range, in full use the last time we were there. I could not hear the questions for the gunfire just a spit away from my vehicle.
The USA border guards seem to be suspicious as to why one would want to come through the border right there. I answered honestly and said that we just can't get enough of the beautiful desert scenery on the road to Oroville. Of course, that demands a search of the vehicle and more questions. Any answer will solicit a response like this. These people are intimidating and not the least bit friendly, not seeming to recognise that we are going to their debt ridden country and stimulating their economy in a small way.
It reminds me of what Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the USA, said. "A people afraid of its government is called tyranny. A government afraid of its people is called democracy."
As we pull away from the border, having narrowly escaped a body cavity search, I soon put these kinds of thoughts behind me as I marvel at the beautiful landscapes and the relaxing time at the lake, just a few minutes down the road. The ride back home, through Canadian Customs, is always more pleasant.
2 comments:
We no likey the invasive questions and searches. We avoid Nighthawk at all costs. Gorgeous scenery or not.
We have never been searched at Nighthawk and try to use that border crossing when we can. The Osoyoos one we have been searched or more thoroughly interrogated, and often encounter long line-ups. I love the way you just seem to quietly drive into the town of Oroville and then it allows us to stop at Prince's to get some essentials before getting to the lakehouse.
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