Life is a Beautiful Ride: June 2023

Friday, June 30, 2023

Hiawatha Trail

Friday, June 30, 2023

Rest day in Wallace Idaho. Hiawatha Trail day.

We decided to do the Hiawatha Trail on our rest day instead of taking the time to do it on our route tomorrow. This turned out to be a good idea so we could do it at a leisurely pace. It is not something to be rushed. The tunnel is 1.6 miles long. It takes you from Montana back into Idaho. The trail is about 15 miles to the bottom where the shuttle bus brings you back to the top. There were 11 tunnels and 7 high trestle bridges.

After we finished and cleaned up (bikes and bodies), we found The Center of the Universe right here in Wallace Idaho.

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/5K5h1Ryo4Ab

Relive video:
https://www.relive.cc/view/vPOprDn2VRq

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Coeur d'Alene Trail

Thursday June 29, 2023

Harrison to Wallace Idaho

We had a wonderful breakfast at the Osprey Inn. Sherry is the very nice owner. I stayed there back in 2018, and it was still a great place to stay.

We left around 930am. We didn't make it very far before we stopped to take pictures.

Last time I rode this trail, I didn't see any moose. Today I saw 5. Here are 2 adults and a baby.

Another moose...

We stopped for a snack at the Snake Pit Restaurant.

Then, we stopped at the CDA Bike Shop in Kellogg. Lynn needed her front hydraulic brakes fixed and her electronic shifter fixed, which only got partially fixed. Kay needed her shifter adjusted. I got the armour insert back into the front tire (the mechanic may have found a tiny piece in it that caused my flats... we'll see). All that in 90 minutes. We made it to Wallace around 6pm.

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/mUIBXuxM2Ab

Relive video: https://www.relive.cc/view/vevWB3mNpyq

50.94 miles

728 elevation gain

Tomorrow is a rest day... doing the Hiawatha Trail.

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

From Washington to Idaho

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Oakesdale Washington to Harrison Idaho

We loaded up the car and went in search of breakfast. Subway was closed. Coffee shop only had bakery items... so, gas station it was! We got to Oakesdale, unloaded, and we're ready to ride by 8am. It was a nice 68 degrees. In town, we saw a couple of guys that were cycling Tacoma to Wyoming carrying all their gear. After small conversation, they said we'd be faster and thought they ought to get moving. After a few curves in the road, we never saw them again!

We took the beautiful state road Wa-27 to Tekoa, where we found a lemonade stand. The kids told us that Tekoa is pronounced Tee-coe (long o, silent a). I gave each of the kids a pocket token. We chatted for a while and moved on. The Palouse to Cascades Trail goes through on a tall trestle bridge.

While waiting in the shade of a grain bin for Lynn to take some pictures, a guy came over to ask where we were riding. We told him our story and route. He said he is a cyclist and offered an alternative to our route. We took his advice, and it was beautiful. It was paved, lower trafficked, less hilly and kept us off US95 longer for a longer time. His suggestion was to take Agency Road.

We arrived at Plummer, grabbed a bite to eat and a huckleberry milkshake from Zips, took it to the Coeur d'Alene Trailhead and had lunch.

The trail is paved with every crack sealed (to prevent arsenic contamination) and in perfect condition.

Wait. What? https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/trail-coeur-d-alenes/history/

We're staying at the Osprey Inn B&B. Heading to Wallace tomorrow... all on trail!

44.43 miles

1,309 elevation gain

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/SPW73k060Ab

Relive video: https://www.relive.cc/view/vr63wQJKk86

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

The Pink Pig

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

LaCross to Oakesdale Washington

The planned route was Washtucna to Colfax. Since we did extra miles yesterday, we did extra miles today. This will make tomorrow only 44 miles, which should give us time to enjoy Harrison, Idaho a little... and time at the bike shop to see if they can put my armour inserts back into my front tire without causing a flat.

So, we had a nice breakfast of yogurt and fruit, packaged oatmeal, zucchini bread and coffee. This is not really what I would expect from a B&B but it was good enough, and the owners were very nice. Plus, it was the ONLY option in Washtucna.

We loaded up the car and got to our last spot on the road around 930am. It was 62 and a little drizzle. We continued on Wa26, Palouse Scenic Byway, until we got to Colfax.

This is also where we found The Pink Pig. For some reason, The Pink Pig, actually shows up on Google maps. We discovered him a long time ago when we first started planning the route. As is sometimes the case, the anticipation of seeing it was more fun than actually seeing it. But, we posed Wallace (the pig on my bike) with The Pink Pig for the obligatory picture.

We grabbed a sandwich at Subway in Colfax, then headed up the giant hill on US195. After about 6 miles we turned into the beautiful Hume Road. There were lots of rolling green wheat fields waving in the wind (which was at our backs) and bright yellow Rape Seed (for Canola oil) fields.