August 16, 2016
Day 1: Trail of the CdA: Kellogg - Harrison - Heyburn State Park
Rip-Proof Overalls and the Hexagram of the Heavens
The initial concept for the first phase of the expedition—pedaling the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes—involved an out-and-back ride, which would amount to approximately 150 miles, divided into three days of about 50 miles each. While it seemed natural to start at one end of the trail, ride to the other, then ride back to our starting point, that simple solution was complicated by considerations of lodging, leaving the car, locations of campgrounds, and eventually getting to our next destination with minimal hassle.
After considering a variety of options, the final route ended up being less than completely intuitive.
We would arrive in Kellogg on Monday evening, stay at a motel there, leave the Forester, and head west on the trail Tuesday morning. Tuesday night we would camp at Heyburn State Park near the western terminus of the trail. Wednesday morning we would continue west to the end of the trail in Plummer, then turn around and ride east. Wednesday night we would camp in either Cataldo or Pinehurst. Thursday morning we would continue east to the end of the trail in Mullan, at which point we would reverse our direction and ride back to the motel in Kellogg on Thursday afternoon. After touring the full length of the trail twice and ending up back at my vehicle in Kellogg, we would be well placed on Friday morning for a quick drive into Montana for the second phase of the expedition.
And so with that route in mind we availed ourselves of waffles at the motel Tuesday morning, weighed down Jeff's Trek and my Surly with touring gear, stocked up at one of Subway's ubiquitous sandwich shops, and hit the trail.
Right from the beginning, the trail exceeded our high expectations with smooth pavement, no motorized vehicles, picturesque landscapes, warm weather, and plenty of friendly bicyclists hailing from near and far.
Summary
Date: 16 August 2016
Time: 9:00 - 4:00
Weather: 65-90° F
Route: From Kellogg east on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes through Smelterville, Pinehurst, Enaville, Cataldo, and Harrison to Chatcolet campground at Heyburn State Park
Distance: 49 miles
Bike: Surly Long Haul Trucker
Riders: Bill and Jeff
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The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes runs through Kellogg, passing about twenty yards from our motel room, which made it a snap to hop on the path and begin pedaling.
Jeff paused to make some final adjustments to his gear.
Within the first couple of miles we were already smitten by the beautiful landscape and the charming Coeur d'Alene River.
The old railroad infrastructure has been repaired and converted for use with the bike trail. This was the first bridge we encountered for crossing the river and its tributaries, but not the last.
I think Jeff wanted to jump in and splash around. I restrained him.
The Surly paused on the bridge to admire the Coeur d'Alene River.
This fellow on a Catrike recumbent trike lives in Kellogg and talked to us at length, conveying much useful information about the trail and various amenities along the way.
Trail amenities include many picnic tables and restrooms, all located on pavement laid down—like the trail itself—to seal off contaminants in the soil.
Forest, river, and reflection.
As usual, Bill spent less time pedaling and more time desperately trying to figure out how to take decent photographs.
Photo by Jeff.
The Surly along the trail.
Jeff speculated a hired guide manned the oars while a wealthy and rather plump business executive from Seattle learned to fish.
As shown by these bales of hay behind Old Grumble-Face, a few farms and ranches can be found along the trail.
Photo by Jeff.
This couple from Coeur d'Alene, riding east, stopped to talk to us. She told us he started running marathons at age 60, and has already completed sixty of them.
The kindness of strangers, part one.
The lady from Coeur d'Alene riding with the marathon runner offered to photograph us. A friendly offer, but unfortunately she forgot to focus. Oh, well. The fuzzier we are, the better we look.
We stopped for lunch in a shady nook set back in the trees along the trail. Note, as always, the pavement around the table.
While we were dining on Subway's finest delicacies—purchased in Kellogg before departure—we spotted a huge bald eagle as it swooped down from the sky and perched in a tree on the far side of the river. Unfortunately, my telephoto lens wasn't up to the task of getting a decent photo of the iconic bird.
As we continued pedaling west after lunch, the scenery became better and better.
More marshes, cattails, shallow lakes, and lily pads.
Having heard of their presence, we watched intently for signs of moose along the way. Mostly we just spotted a lot of scat on the trail.
Not a moose!
This guy from Toledo was on a mission to ride 100 miles in each state in the nation. Jeff conferred with him about some routes they had both pedaled in Ohio.
The trail crossed more waterways and wetlands away from the main channel of the river.
Another shallow lake covered by lily pads.
Water lilies along the trail, brought to you by Claude Monet.
These ospreys occupied one of the many nesting platforms along the trail.
At the Springston trailhead, the trail crosses a quiet road which in turn crosses the widening Coeur d'Alene River on a one-lane bridge.
We'll be back at this spot tomorrow for some entertaining antics.
Like most of them, the Springston trailhead offers automobile parking, a sign with interesting information (and warnings about contamination), and a pit toilet.
There's no drinking water available on the trail except in some of the little towns along the way, making it a long, dry stretch from Cataldo to Harrison. Be sure to carry plenty of potable fluids when riding the trail on a hot day!
A fancier version of the trail logo.
More trailside scenery.
It was the hexagram of the heavens,
it was the strings of my guitar.
Oh, Amelia,
it was just a false alarm.
—Joni Mitchell
Near Harrison, another rider zoomed up the trail.
Today we encountered no cyclists loaded with touring gear.
Harrison proved to be a funky little town situated where the Coeur d'Alene River flows into Lake Coeur d'Alene. The trail runs through the lower part of town by the marina.
We rode up a steep street to check out the main part of town and buy some supplies.
Although we didn't stay there, the Lakeview Lodge—just up the street—came highly recommended as a welcoming place for cyclists to spend the night.
The Harrison Trading Post carries just about all the groceries a touring cyclist might need, including a wide variety and ample supply of cold beer.
Jeff and I can testify.
The Cycle Haus stands right across the side street from the Harrison Trading Post.
In addition to rental bikes—with which they seem to do a brisk business—Cycle Haus sells a modest range of parts and accessories. The young fellow minding the shop was very friendly.
Jeff and I had reason to visit here again on the way back from the western end of the trail on Wednesday.
No collection of bicycle touring photographs is ever complete without a picture of the Surly leaning against an interesting wall.
Besides, who doesn't need at least one pair of rip-proof overalls?
We'll see more interesting parts of Harrison tomorrow on the way back.
Back down at lake level, this is the little tent camping lawn at the Harrison municipal RV park adjacent to the marina.
We already intended to keep rolling west, which was a good plan given that all these sites seemed to be occupied.
From Harrison, the next segment of the trail runs right along the southeastern shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
The lake is naturally formed, fed by the Coeur d'Alene River and St Joe River. The water flows out as the Spokane River.
This view looks quite bucolic, but many homes and summer cottages line the shore—sometimes the trail barely squeezes between homes and water—and plenty of boats and jet skis race up and down the lake. Summer weekends tend to be thronged with vacationers and tourists from Spokane and beyond.
Near the southern end of the lake we caught in the distance our first glimpse of the old Chatcolet railroad bridge.
Like the remainder of the rails-to-trails conversion, the Chatcolet Bridge has been refurbished for bicycling. No motorized vehicles allowed. And no trains!
It's a pretty impressive structure.
Jeff waited patiently while I tried to figure out how to line up an artful shot.
The next thing I knew, as usual, I had to restrain Jeff from ignoring the sign and leaping into the lake.
At least the old guy didn't try to build a campfire on the bridge.
The bridge nowadays features a curious system of rolling steps, apparently designed to make it easier to climb and less inviting to race down at high speed.
The kindness of strangers, part two.
After I snapped several photos of a pleasant family of four from Calgary at the top of the Chatcolet bridge, the dad offered to photograph us. Unfortunately, he managed to immortalize his thumb in every shot. This was the best of the lot after I cropped out most of the offending digit.
From the top of the Chatcolet Bridge, we rode the roller coaster down to the southwestern shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Banzai!
This view looks back toward the east after we crossed the bridge.
At the bottom of the bridge we found the steep dirt path up to the hillside Chatcolet campground in Heyburn State Park.
Watch carefully, because it's easy to miss the sign and path, especially if you're eastbound on the trail.
The Chatcolet campground was adequate. Rough, dusty spots just big and flat enough for small tents. Picnic table and fire ring. A couple of nearby outhouses. A cold water faucet. No showers. No electricity. No wifi or cell signal. Just about what hot, sweaty, dirty bike riders usually expect to find at the end of the day.
Fortunately, no matter how lavish or how primitive our accommodations might be, the boys always carry a chilled aluminum cargo of America's most well-respected 24-ounce craft brews.
Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 49 miles (79 km)
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