Monday, June 29, 2009

Idaho to Montana

        Four states down! We're getting there. Last we left off we were still in Washington. About a week ago Ryan and I left Spokane, taking the Centennial Trail to Idaho, all the way to Coeur D' Alene. We decided to stay an extra day in Coeur D' Alene to get some laundry done, use the Internet, and refresh ourselves best we could until we headed south to pick up the Trail of the Coeur D' Alenes which runs through the panhandle of Idaho. Our first night we found an empty house for sale along the Spokane river, standing alone next to an undeveloped lot. The house had a great yard facing the river, and blocked by the trail, so of course we couldn't help but take advantage of the opportunity. The two of us set up our camp chairs and made dinner as we enjoyed our view of the river. Just as I served up our gumbo the back door of the house slid open and a family appeared on the back porch. They acted so appalled that we were sitting on their grass eating.........the over-reaction to the situation was stunning. The children picked up empty wine bottles and began throwing them at us as hard as they could. They're mother grabbed a broom, bolting at us while all three of us were dodging flying bottles crashing around are feet. The best chance we had was to ditch dinner, grab the chairs and bike over to the vacant lot adjacent to the house far away enough for the family to give up on the possibility of beating us up. Ha ha! Not true, but would have been hilarious; it makes me think of Trailer Park Boys.
         The family did ask us to leave the yard, that much is true.We spent the night on top of our tarp in the grassless expanse of property between the river and the bike trail; a very un-private area to sleep in. We're both pretty flexible so all the bike riders and joggers along the path the next morning was no big deal to.
      The next day Coeur D' Alene's public swim area was perfect for a quick dip. After the laundry mat the heat of the day called for some way to cool off with the onslaught of the warm weather that we have been heading into. I took a quick swim in the lake. Evening though it must have been 85 or 90 degrees, Ryan soaked up sun in the grass and passed up the cold water, (he's e not a fan most of the time). Later on that day we made our way south on Hwy. 95 to Plummer, Idaho to pick up the Trail of the Coeur D' Alenes
       I must admit that we had no idea about the trail at all until multiple people told us about it as we made our way toward Idaho. From the city of Coeur D'Alene, getting to the trail is a bit of a jog south, but it was well worth the extra day of biking to get to. It's a spectacular trail that runs along the Coeur D' Alene river, lake, and many other bodies of water for 71.6 miles, surrounded by farms and forested areas. The trial use to be a railroad that is now paved over for biking and running. It is flat most of the way along the route, and as it begins to climb the grade stays at 3%, the standard for trains, making the ride easy. Along the way we witnessed a couple of moose sightings, a bald eagle's nest, baby coyote, multiple other birds, and many small critters. Every night we found a great spot next to a body of water where we could camp comfortably without being noticed by anyone else. 
          The trail ends in Mullan, Idaho, four miles away from Lookout Pass on Hwy.90, one of the easier ways to cross the first large set of mountain passes before getting to the Rockies. It took us an hour to bike four miles in order to get to the top of the pass to give you an idea of how steep it is. After our victory climb and a quick lunch we shot down I-90 with bated breath riding the breaks on our bikes hard as we glided over tons of loose gravel from the snowy season.
      Once we saw the signs for Lincoln's 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar we could not resist it's well advertised all in one restaurant, casino, bar, gift shop, motel, and FREE RV park in the back of the Establishment; plus seeing that many silver dollars is not something that we're likely to see again anywhere else. It ended up being a great place to end the day and have a couple of beers, well, at our campsite anyway, the bar is not cheep but worth seeing if you stop in. 

Ryan and Allegra.



                  Lincoln's 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar in Haugan, Montana.  
                               Sign at the top of Lookout Pass on Hwy. 90.
                                The town of Wallace, Idaho.
                                        Another view of Wallace.
Moose on the Trail of the Coeur D' Alenes through Idaho.
                              One of the camp sites we had along the trail.
                               Bridge over Lake Coeur D' Alene on the trail.
                                  Ryan's new bike tour hair cut courtesy of Legs.
                                 Another great camp site off the trail.
                                 Legs making chicken and black bean burritos.
                              Bald eagle's nest with a chick inside.
               Baby coyote walking on the trail.
                                   Ryan ''shooting'' the no shooting sign.
                                                     Hiding in the pillars......
     Map of the Trail of the Coeur D' Alenes; it runs 71.6 miles across the panhandle of Idaho. 
                                                   Taking a break on Hwy.90.
    Camp site in the middle of a large undeveloped field in Coeur D' Alene, Idaho.
 Oh when the saints, are only $20. Oh when the saints are only $20. How id love to have $20. When the saints are only $20.
                                                     Crossing into Idaho!

1 comment:

  1. Legs you look like a super biker. O wait I guess you are

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