Sadly, this is our last day of the bike tour and having lots of fun with our ‘new’ friends. We will miss our two guides, DJ and Serena, who still have one more tour next week before the end of the season. With that being said, everyone wants to make the most of this last day of our tour.

A cold start – 50 degrees with a slight wind. Everyone brings their luggage and battery back packs down to the van by 8 AM. Then we are off riding our bikes to The Beanery for coffee and breakfast. Serena briefs us on the days ride.

A neighborly woman comes in to the cafe with a bag of apples she picked off the tree in her yard for anyone to take for free. Easily sold to all of us!

Today, we are riding from Kellogg to Mullan and then returning to Wallace, ID for lunch, a silver mine tour, and shopping before heading back to Spokane. We are still on The Coeur d’Alene Idaho portion of the Centennial Trail and it ends at Mullan.

The trail follows along a river into the forest and you can also hear/see I-90 for much of the way. Because of the surrounding beauty, it isn’t hard to tune it out.

Just before arriving in Mullan, there is a mine waste area and a “Miner’s Club.” A reminder that this area was/is the largest silver mining area in the world.

Mullan is a small community with a few bars, restaurants, churches and city buildings. The ‘Schitz’s Creek’ hotel is still there, waiting for miners or tourists, we aren’t sure which. Captain John Mullan’s statue, the town’s namesake, is still standing, dedicated in 1918.

The ride back to Wallace is downhill so a nice end to the 5 day bike ride. The bikes are loaded up onto the van and everyone goes their own way wandering the town of Wallace and having lunch before the silver mine tour. Goodbye to our Pedego Interceptor bicycles!

We spend out time poking into the different shops, simply enjoying the 70 degree weather and the relaxing time together. The town of Wallace is/was a hub for the silver miners back in the 1800’s. Many older buildings has historical significance and the entire town is a National Historic Site. Check it out on Wikipedia sometime.

There is a mining museum in town where we stopped in picked up a map of the town. Funky stuff in the antique stores gives us some laughs! The movie Dante’s Peak was filmed in Wallace – we found a picture of the stars in a case in one of the stores.

The re-dedication of Wallace as the Center of the Universe will be next weekend. There is a raffle for $25 you can be entered to win 200 ounces of silver. Almost did it!

We have lunch with another couple from the tour at City Limits Brewing. Good food and interesting beers.

The rest of the tour group went on the Silver Mine Tour, which we did last year. When we are heading back to town, we see them on the back of the Trolley.

The guides drive us in the van back to The Centennial Hotel in Spokane where we spend the night. It is such a fun group, we decide to meet for one last dinner. What a fantastic week!

There has to be a couple of pictures of the day. First, a chair in the middle of a field along the bike trail – why? Second, the sign from a hotel with a space ship that was used in the movie Dante’s Peak – strange!