July 8, 2015
Day 6: Kellogg to Cataldo
The motel was crowded with grampie style (old!) cyclists this morning, but we did not feel much affinity with them. The reason was that they were a "group", and all arrived by car. No doubt a cycle to Mullan and back from here is an admirable activity for some of them, but we just felt no spark or affinity with them. did not even take a photo.
On the other hand we did encounter a pair of cyclists with full gear as we headed West. Not that we stopped to talk, but these at least warranted a photo.
Snooty "adventure cyclists" as we seem to be, we were not deterred from stopping at Walmart in Smelterville.Wow, toys to look at, bike accessories, electronics, garden shop! We sure are tough!
There are two distinct sections of the Coeur dÁlene route. From Mullan to Cataldo, the path parallels the highway. In this area, there are many services, and lots of mines and industry to look at. After Cataldo, the trail heads south, into a more remote lake area. As we write this by the trailside, we have not yet reached Cataldo. Yet already we seem far from roads or towns, the air is fragrant with pine, and there is birdsong all around. The kids are talking to chipmunks, who have come right up to them. And we are heading into moose territory!
The Kahnderosa campground is located just at a point where I-90 crosses the Coeur dÁlene River. It features river frontage and a large amount of open space where tents can be placed. We scored a spot with a picnic table as well as shade trees, so we are eally happy. There is no wifi here, so likely you are not reading this (unless I find some kind of answer - so far no 3G for us either). The only other demit of the place is the proximity to the highway, a constant source of noise.
We noticed a post office ear the trail as we approached the campground, so Avi and I aree going to cycle back and post a card to Momma. With the temperature over 45 c, Dodie with Violet will prefer to hide under the shade tree!Therer is a secret agenda too, since I think there is a place for ice cream (the cataldo Mission Inn) out there as well.
We used the GPS help plot a safe route to the Old Mission at Cataldo. This will be our ride and objective for tomorrow. Only then (after an extra night here) will we strike off for Harrison and the south end of the Lake.
The reason you are actually reading this is that I swapped out our useless (for this region) T-Mobile SIM and went with the very expensive OneSIM, which has found a link to AT&T. The main service in this valley is actually provided by Verizon There is wifi down the road at the Mission Inn, so one way or another we will be able to stay on the air.
Today's ride: 21 km (13 miles)
Total: 70 km (43 miles)
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