*Zoe said when she tells people she is from Kellogg, she is often asked about the Hiawatha Bike Trail, and if she had ridden it before. She doesn’t remember riding it, but I swear we all rode it together one summer after we moved here in the early 2000’s. But, since she didn’t remember, (or maybe they didn’t go!), Paul and I decided to gift Zoe and Jason with a bike ride on the Route of the Hiawatha for their upcoming birthdays on July 13 and 15.
*THE "CROWN JEWEL" OF RAIL-TO-TRAIL ADVENTURES
The Route of the Hiawatha mountain bike or hike trail is 15 miles long with 10 train tunnels and 7 sky-high trestles. The ride starts with a ride through the 1.66 mile long St. Paul Pass Tunnel, also know as the Taft Tunnel. It is a highlight of the trail that follows the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains near Lookout Pass Ski Area. The best part is.... it's all downhill with shuttle buses available to transport you and your bike back to the top. This family friendly trail is easily enjoyed by a wide variety of people from young children to super seniors.
*If you want to learn more about this phenomenal bike ride, you can go here. I meet people from all over the country, and the world at work at the mine tour who travel to North Idaho to ride this trail. This summer is the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Hiawatha.
* Since 1965, more than 1,200 trails have opened on former railways nationwide, drawing bikers—along with hikers, bladers, and wheelchair users—in droves. No wonder: the paths are often flat (so even fledgling riders can get rolling) and almost always scenic (mountains! rivers! bridges!). Here in Kellogg, we happen to have quite a few very close, but the two I am most familiar with are the Hiawatha, and the one that is practically outside my front door, The Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. If you want to bike on some easy trails that go through beautiful country, come and visit us here in Kellogg, and we will take you for a ride!!
*When you get to the end of the Hiawatha, a bus shuttles you back to the top. Our bus driver was Ed, who had driven trolley for us when Paul and I used to do the Ghost Town Trolley Tours in the summer. We also saw lots of other familiar faces working on the bike trail.
*When we arrived home, it was time to change into painting clothes to make my contribution to the painting of the house. I painted the front door, the back door, and some of the trim on the front windows. When we were gone, Taylor, Cosette and Travis all painted some areas, too. As of right now, the Chimney Smoke is pretty well done on the whole house, with maybe some little touch ups here and there. There is still some window trimming left to do, and some painting on the back door and back garage door still need painted. We are so thankful for all the help we had from everyone this week. To thank them for all their hard work, we took them out to dinner at Radio Brewery last night to say thank you!! When we got home from dinner, we grabbed paint brushes again, and worked some more. Then Travis and Molly loaded up and headed back to Post Falls, since Travis had to work in the morning. And a bit later, Taylor and Cosette headed back to Moscow. Paul, Zoe and Jason leave for Boise in the morning. It is a rare treat anymore to have all three girls home at the same time, and it was fun to work together, enjoy meals together, and play together throughout the week.
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