Yesterday during ‘happy hour,’ Cole presented the winners of the find the moose contest. The group of 5 were awarded recognition and few special gifts – popsicles for everyone and a bottle of Freak-show red wine. A punishment was given to Elijah for losing a bet about bike batteries. He must do an on-demand push-ups by those who caused him to lose the bet (or something to that effect). Silly fun for a fun group! Next, the overview of today’s – Day 3 – plan by Cole.

Dinner at Bluebird restaurant was good and very filling. So many appetizers were ordered ahead, it almost meant we didn’t need to order dinner – but everyone did. Cute restaurant with good service. Interesting sculpture on the sidewalk near the front of the restaurant – forks?!

Today, Wednesday we are off for a 47 mile ride with a plus another 6 to the hotel – total, 53 mile ride through this beautiful country side. This is the Coeur d’Alene rails to trail.

The trail starts at this beautiful statue of a Native American in front of a war memorial. Always impressive.

From here the trail is a downward ride towards Lake Coeur d’Alene. We pass through an area where a fire occurred. Looking back at my older ride pictures, you will see the forest is coming back and there are new plantings along the ridge. June is such a lush time of year. The flowers are growing along the side of the trail and in the rocks.

A stop just before crossing the Lake on a long bridge where the trail takes us to the small town of Harrison, population 238. Lunch at the only restaurant in town – The Cycle Haus, and just down the street dessert – time to enjoy some Huckleberry ice cream.

The next 10 miles of the trail on my past rides is fewer trees and open space with a marsh on either side – HOT. This June weather is awesome – a nice breeze, temps in the 70’s, clouds in the sky – making this section seem as beautiful as the rest of the trail.

At the snack stop, Cole tells us about the smell of the bark of the Ponderosa pine. He is a tree hugger! – LOL – Others on the tour compare their moose sightings.

During this trip, someone had asked why the water is so clear in the lake, river, and streams. We are told it is due to mining pollution – so don’t drink it or eat the fish. The trail is built on an old Union Pacific Railroad. The Coeur d’Alene Native Americans sued the Union Pacific to clean up the pollution caused by the rail line carry mining materials. They won and the solution was to build a rail trail. This trail must be maintained regularly. Whenever there is a crack in the trail, they have to immediately seal it to prevent the polluted material from escaping. The signs along the trail also warn about the water – don’t drink it! – even though it looks harmless. If you do fish (see the fly fisherman in the photo below) you should not eat the fish.

There are few interesting bridges in this last section to be crossed before reaching our regrouping destination at The Snake Pit. I saw that someone had built a strange outlook post (in the bottom picture) as we near ‘civilization.’

Unfortunately, The Snake Pit is closed. A little about the Snake Pit Bar – built around 1880 and operated as a boom-town bar, brothel, hotel, railroad stop, and later a restaurant. It is widely recognized as Idaho’s oldest restaurant and has continuously served food and drinks for well over 140 years. I loved the signage outside on their deck. 

We are offered to ride in the van or take the trail to the Silver Mountain Lodge in Kellogg, Idaho. I opted to ride it and am able to see all the development happening in this area including a new WalMart. Signs along this section of the trail, highlight the various mines that were in this region. Arriving at the lodge, a motor-cross group is having a meet-up across from our hotel. They will be competing and riding a trail that runs down the side of the mountain this weekend. All part of the lifestyle in this area of our great country.

Lights in the hallway, show old photos and history of the mining industry of this area. Dinner is at Noah’s in the lodge and then a good nights sleep! And why is my room always at the very end of the hallway?

Here are the links to the previous bike tours in 2021 and 2022.

Bike Tour #2 – Day 3 – September 7, 2022

Bike Tour – Day 3 – 28, July 2021