August 18, 2016
Day 3: Trail of the CdA: Pinehurst - Wallace - Mullan - Kellogg
Hard Core
After a night of sleep deprivation induced by the endless roar of Interstate traffic, Jeff and I crawled out of our tents at the By the Way RV park on Thursday morning and infused ourselves with heavy doses of caffeine.
Our tents dripped with dew. That postponed our departure while we worked to dry the gear. The delay enabled us to guzzle more caffeine. Shortly after 8:00 we waved our thanks to Dave—the affable campground host—and pedaled back toward the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, roughly a mile away along a path parallel to the main street of Pinehurst.
Our eastward progress on the trail took us past familiar surroundings in Smelterville and Kellogg, then into terra incognita as we pedaled toward Osburn, Wallace, and Mullan. Osburn did not appear to be the most charming community in the Silver Valley, at least what we saw of it from the trail. Wallace, on the other hand, emitted a much more inviting vibe. We tried to visit the office of the Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Trails, but it only opens on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Beyond Wallace, the trail pitched upward. It was an easy grade that didn't really slow us down, but we could clearly discern how much elevation we were gaining. The river dwindled to little more than a stream. Trees transformed into forests. The hills around us grew taller. Mountains loomed in the distance. The landscape appeared markedly different from the marshes and lakes toward the west. Only the smooth, pleasant trail itself remained unchanged.
In Mullan we reached the eastern end of the trail. After a quick lunch, we toured the town and visited the museum. Then—barely needing to pedal—we rolled back down to Wallace, losing about 600 feet of elevation in approximately seven miles. After Jeff purchased a present for his wife in Mullan, I found some wifely trinkets in Wallace. It's always optimal, we've discovered, to return from expeditions bearing gifts.
Kellogg seemed to be little more than a couple of pedal strokes from Wallace, and upon arrival we took ourselves out to eat enough dinner to ensure we would be ready for the continuation of the expedition on Friday morning.
Summary
Date: 18 August 2016
Time: 8:00 - 4:30
Weather: 65-90° F
Route: From Pinehurst east on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes through Smelterville, Kellogg, Osburn, and Wallace to Mullan, then back to Kellogg
Distance: 44 miles
Bike: Surly Long Haul Trucker
Riders: Bill and Jeff
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Thankfully, the metal monsters in the By the Way RV park in Pinehurst remained calm and silent.
However, the nearby Interstate highway and on-ramp generated a constant thunderous roar all night long. On top of that, shortly after midnight, some kind of heavy machinery on the street cranked up, sending wave after wave of deafening, grinding noise reverberating off the hillside. It seemed to go on forever, and when it finally subsided, the highway noise returned.
Jeff and I were happy to see the dawn so we could crawl out of our tents and get going.
Bill and Jeff back on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, just east of Pinehurst.
This monument to its mining heritage seemed to be the highlight of Smelterville.
Beside the trail at the edge of Kellogg, this sign offered impressive facts and figures about the extent of mining activity at the Bunker Hill site.
This kind of mass extraction of wealth took place up and down the Silver Valley.
You know you're in Kellogg when you ride under the Silver Mountain gondolas.
Riding west from Kellogg led toward the lake.
Riding east from Kellogg led toward the mountains.
Although visible from the trail, the billboard is really intended for traffic on Interstate 90.
We'll be on the Route of the Hiawatha tomorrow, not in fifteen minutes.
Compared to its size as seen from the trail for the previous two days, the Coeur d'Alene River became smaller and smaller as we pedaled east.
When we reached Wallace—or "Historic Wallace," as the locals like to say—the bike trail ran right under the elevated roadway of Interstate 90.
We detoured through downtown Wallace to visit the offices of the Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Trails, but it's only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
We'll be back.
On the way back to the bike trail, we spotted this inviting establishment.
Is that "Bordello & Museum" or just "Bordello Museum"?
Leaving Wallace's bordello and/or museum behind, Jeff and I returned to the trail.
Much like the climb from Chatcolet campground to Plummer, the segment from Wallace toward Mullan proved to be a gradual but steady uphill grade.
East of Wallace, the terrain around the trail begins to look much more rugged and mountainous.
Yep, the Surly realized we were definitely going uphill.
Along the trail.
M on the mountain.
We must be rolling into Mullan, or else we overshot and pedaled into Montana.
The Mullan trailhead marks the eastern terminus of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, approximately 72 paved miles from the western terminus in Plummer.
Although the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes ends in Mullan, the unpaved and relatively unimproved Northern Pacific multi-use trail continues into the Bitterroot Range.
That trail wasn't in our plan for the day, but we'll be in the Bitterroots tomorrow.
We decided to check out the free museum in Mullan.
Quite the collection of historical artifacts! And very friendly proprietors. Jeff purchased the perfect gift for his wife, thanks to their knowledge and assistance.
Looking up Earle Street in Mullan.
A random woman on the street unexpectedly tried to rent us an apartment here for $400 per month.
The park in Mullan.
After touring Mullan and visiting the museum, we returned to the trail and began rolling west, retracing our morning route.
When I say rolling, I mean rolling.
Although the ride up from Wallace was easy enough, the fast downhill glide from Mullan showed how much elevation we had gained.
We didn't see many other riders on the trail, and none at all carrying gear.
I think it was this couple who eyed our panniers, tents, and sleeping bags and remarked, "You guys are hard core!"
Of course, they didn't realize we had reservations at a motel in Kellogg.
Yep, that's us. Hard core.
Along this part of the trail, the Coeur d'Alene River is little more than a mountain stream.
A photo op along the trail.
The river, terrain, flora, and fauna gradually transform along the length of the trail from Mullan to Plummer.
Along the trail.
This looked like an inviting spot to take a break.
Not a good place to swim, leap from a bridge, or pee in the river, but perfect for soaking toes.
Given our brisk downhill speed, it didn't take long to return to Wallace, where the trail runs under the elevated Interstate highway.
Here's the sign at the Wallace trailhead under the Interstate.
This shot might illustrate why residents refer to their community as "Historic Wallace."
There's the fancy Northern Pacific Railroad Museum in Wallace.
Another view of the Northern Pacific Railroad museum in Wallace.
The railroad museum, we discovered, offers convenient outdoor drinking fountains, perfect for refilling water bottles.
Of course, the boys are always attracted to other kinds of establishments for other kinds of fluids.
Pedaling west from Wallace, the trail remained nearly deserted.
Approaching Kellogg, the river was already considerably wider and considerably deeper as the valley flattened out.
We stopped at Excelsior Cycle in Kellogg to look around.
The guy there provided some valuable tips about the Route of the Hiawatha. For example, there's no need to stop at Lookout Pass unless you want to rent a bike, because you can buy tickets for the trail at the East Portal trailhead. Good to know.
I always stop for a photo whenever I spot a howitzer along the trail—doesn't everyone?—this one at the Silver Valley Veterans Memorial in Kellogg.
Is there a Photoshop filter for removing flagpoles from the middle of images?
At the end of the day, the hard core boys consumed hard core meals at a hard core restaurant.
Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 153 miles (246 km)
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