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Dottleshead

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Blog Entries posted by Dottleshead

  1. Dottleshead
    I went on a 63 mile ride with my wife this last Saturday.  We didn't take a camera (I hate stopping and starting and thinking like a photographer while riding) but decided to revisit our path today.  Our ride took us through the Sammamish, Snoqualime, and the Snohomish river valleys.  So while there's not any photos of us and/or our bikes, I hope it gives you and idea of what it's like to ride in Western Washington.  I've really enjoyed the photo threads you guys have put together so thought I'd return the favor.
    The photos below are in series.  They are linear and represent the start to finish.  I had to filter out a lot so if you think there are too many -- sorry.  There could have been a lot more.  
    I also chose not to narrate them.  I hope they are self explanatory.  Please ask if you have any questions.
     






































  2. Dottleshead
    Named after the train that ran from Chicago-Minneapolis-Seattle, this bike route is a 15 mile ride that literally takes you from a starting point in Montana to your end point in Idaho.  It's a rails-to-trail line that drops down into the valley and passes though a kagillion tunnels and crosses over as many tresels deep in the Bitterroot Mountains.  The first tunnel which immediately starts the ride is about 1.8 miles.  But there's a catch.  The Lookout Pass ski area runs access to the trail and charges $9 to use the trail per person as well as provide a $9 bus ride back to the top if you don't want to ride back up it.  Plus you need a mountain bike w/ at least 700x35 tires and a helmet/headlight.  They have rentals at the top for those who just want to show up but you get what you get when you arrive there.  My wife and I decided to rent from a top bicycle rental shop for the day.
     
    To access the trail, one needs to drive 15 miles east on I-90 out of historical Wallace, Idaho, over Lookout Pass (which is the Idaho/Montana state line) and take Exit 5 or the Taft exit.  Then you must drive for 2 miles on a forest road to the trail head.  My wife and I opted to get the return trip back up the mountain because honestly we couldn't wait to get off the gravel and return to the paved CDA Trail.  So for the 2 of us, it cost about $20 for two trail passes, about $20 for two return trips, and about $65 for 2 Trek mountain bike rentals from the LBS for the day.
     
    It set us back about a $100 for the two of us.  Was it worth it?  I dunno.  We had a great day out in the mountains and forests.  We got some great photos.  But it was pretty damn dusty, there were a lot of lemmings on the trail, and the surface was pretty bad as you worked your way to the end (Pearson trailhead).  The Route of the Hiawatha was one of the main reasons we returned to the Silver Valley in the Northern Idaho Panhandle.  We're glad we did it.  But I doubt we'll ever do it again.  As far as I'm concerned, if it isn't paved, I don't get to excited about riding it.  There are many more rides in Montana on their highways I'd like to do -- and it's free and w/o dust.
     
    Once again I'm not narrating the photos.  Takes too long and you get the idea anyway.  Feel free to ask questions.
     

     




















































  3. Dottleshead
    Over the long weekend, my wife and I took the following Tuesday off after Memorial Day and rode the CDA Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes.  It was a great time.  The following is a conversation I had on another website -- which got me inspired to ride this trail .  
     
    The guy above was 100% on everything... including the exact trail entrance in Enaville. We rode on Sunday and had great weather.
     

    We stayed here A Unique Place to Stay in the Silver Valley - VRBO in Pinehurst and were a mile from the trail. 


    The homeowner was able to find us a guy who drove us out to Plummer for $50 and we started there and ended at our cabin. I could have ridden the round trip but I knew my wife could not so that money was worth it. We rode 52 miles in all and it was some of the best trail riding I've done and it completely lived up to its expectations. The weakest part, arguably, was the middle section of farmland between Cataldo and Harrision -- and even that was better than most sections of other trails I've ridden on. 

    Dropping down to the lake from Plummer and riding around it to Harrison was exhilerating. We surprisingly had a very good lunch out on the deck overlooking the lake at the Landing bar or whatever in Harrison... right next door to the ice cream joint.

    These first 16 miles were some of the easiest and sadly some of the fastest riding we've done (together). This was not planned. We were just so immersed in our ride that we were pedaling with ease and made it a point to slow down afterwards.


    It was in the late morning that we saw a young male moose just 2 miles into the ride and yet again later in the afternoon at the 42 mile mark. We also ran into deer, saw dozens of herons, an eagle or two, and plenty of other wildlife all from the seat of our bicycles.

     
    Kudos to all the agencies involved for designing an environmental solution to the mining runoff problem. They did a great job in spacing trailheads, stops, and bathrooms along it as well. My favorite part was probably from Bull Run to Enaville in which we were hugging the Coeur d'Alene River. In short, the trail hugs a lot of water bodies... lakes, rivers, streams, marshes... while tucked away in the mountains. I can see why you're proud of it.


    And he was correct in stating that everything east of Enaville is just a trail. From where we exited, there was only 20 miles of it left and I doubt I'll ever complete the rest of it. Hugging I-90 through industrial mining waste land just doesn't have the same appeal. 

    If you haven't ridden this trail at least once in your life, your missing out IMHO.
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