Washington State Route 155 runs alongside scenic Banks Lake, a 27-mile-long reservoir with a corrugated shoreline.
Nighthawk is one of America?s least frequented border crossings. The postage stamp of officialdom is all but lost within the rolling grasslands, vineyards and orchards that demarcate the boundary between British Columbia and Washington State. On average, just 20 vehicles daily pass through the crossing, which means motorcyclists can expect a thorough interrogation from customs officers.
My riding buddy, Bob McCormick, and I are seasonal refugees from British Columbia, fleeing the cool, wet spring weather of Canada?s Pacific Northwest in favor of predictably dry and sunny skies on the eastern, lee side of the Cascade Mountains in Washington. The U.S. border crossing at Nighthawk, Washington, receives just 20 cars per day on average, so you can expect some scrutiny.
Getting here proved to be a trial, dodging seasonal potholes still awaiting highway maintenance crews, and shivering at snowflakes falling at 4,403-foot-high Allison Pass on the Crowsnest Highway. Bob?s fingers became so cold, even with heated grips, that we made an emergency stop in the café at Manning Park Resort.
Now, Nighthawk is the final impediment to our ride through the desert lands of Washington all the way to idyllic Bend, Oregon, with its craft breweries and trendy restaurants on the Deschutes River.
Approaching Nighthawk, we ride together to the customs check. Bad idea. The officer in the...