Berry Heaven in the Panhandle of Idaho

After finishing the Route of the Hiawatha bike trail, we continued west and officially entered another new-to-us state ... Idaho. When most people think of Idaho, they think of potatoes. But for us, Idaho is ''berry heaven'' since we have fond memories of feasting on fresh blueberries and raspberries while making new friends in the northern Panhandle of Idaho.

First Stop: The CCHC Ranch in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

After biking along the northern Montana/Idaho border, we arrived for a four day stay in the cute lakeside town of Coeur d'Alene arriving at the lovely ''ranch'' of our Boondockers Welcome hosts, Collin and Holly. 

It would have provided the perfect place to rest, except that Doug got interested in Collin's latest project, the construction of a bunkhouse/storage shed. Three hours later, they had the roof sheeted. The Habitat for Humanity Care-a-Vanner program may still be shut down because of Covid, but we were happy that Doug can get his hammer gun ''fix'' while helping out some wonderful new friends!

While admiring their gardens, Holly invited us to help ourselves to the abundant herbs and berries. I was excited to be able to add fresh basil and rosemary to my pasta sauce. And the raspberries became a part of a special dessert that we shared with our new friends, when I realized that I had all the ingredients to make raspberry crepes. My small van kitchen doesn't produce homemade sweets very often, so it was a treat to be able to enjoy a ''berry'' delightful dessert with our new friends on their patio.

The next day we biked another beautiful stretch of the Trail of the Coeur 'dAlenes that started in the small town of Cataldo. As we biked along the river, we enjoyed views of mountains, moose, and a mission church. Sacred Heart Church, located in Old Mission State Park, is the oldest building in Idaho (built in 1850).

Can you see him??

Chore Day Before a Visit to Spirit Creek Farm

After four days in Coeur d'Alene, we said our goodbyes to our gracious hosts at CCHC Ranch. What a lovely stay! Not sure who is going to miss the other more ... Doug or their dogs, Rowdie and Tooie. I know I was going to miss fresh berries and herbs, but not as much as the nice conversations with our new friends.

Before leaving town, we went down to Lake Coeur d'Alene for another bike ride on the Centennial Trail. It was nice that the park was less crowded than on the weekend, as I could take time to admire the flowers and sculptures that adorn this beautiful lakeside city. 

 I love this one ... ''The Valentine''
I look forward to growing old with mine!

After doing our ''chores'' in Coeur d'Alene ... ie: dumping, filling, laundry, showers, and grocery shopping, we traveled 30 miles north into the country to another Boondockers Welcome location. The goats, llamas, horses, turkeys, ducks ... and owners of Spirit Creek Farm warmly welcomed us and gave Baby Beest a comfortable resting spot for a few nights in one of their pastures of their hobby farm.

A Day Trip and Overnight Stay at Farragut State Park in Athol, Idaho

Twenty miles to the east of Spirit Creek Farm lies Farragut State Park on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille. During WWII, this area housed the world's second largest Navel training base. This site was chosen because the deep inland lake was considered a perfect location for submarine training. Today hikers, campers, and boating enthusiasts enjoy the beauty of this large park. We did a few hikes, checked out the four different campgrounds, and found a shady parking spot near the lake to relax and have dinner ... another benefit of always having your ''house'' with you!

We returned the next day and spent a night in one of their many campsites. With miles of trails, we enjoyed various views of the tall pine forests and lake.

Up North in Sandpoint, Idaho

From there we continued north to the resort town of Sandpoint, Idaho which is located 50 miles up the road on the northern tip Lake Pend Oreille. We parked alongside the city beach and watched families enjoy some summer fun. After lunch, we got out our bikes and found yet another fabulous bike trail that took us alongside the lakeshore. That evening, through our Harvest Host membership, we were able to stay in the parking lot adjacent to Wildwood Brewing after enjoying a delicious meal and craft beer on their patio.

The next day we drove up Schweitzer Mountain to the local ski resort for another hike with amazing views. We were told by some friends that if we hiked up the mountain, we could ride the ski lift down for free, so that is what we did. After hiking two and a half miles up the mountain, we were definitely ready to enjoy the beautiful ride back down.

That evening we discovered the ultimate berry heaven as we stayed at another Harvest Host location. Riley Creek Blueberry Farm is a family run farm that allows RVers to park on their property for the night. 

What a joy to have arrived at the PEAK of their blueberry harvest! Doug and I quickly filled our red bucket without a second thought about where we were going to store (or how we were going to eat) six pounds of blueberries. Fortunately, it has not been a huge problem ... blueberry crepes, blueberry parfaits, blueberry pancakes ... 

... and blueberries all by themselves, because they are just that good!

We would love to hang around and wait for the blackberries to ripen, but we have another new-to-us state to explore ... Washington.

Idaho, we have enjoyed you ''berry'' much!

 

Biking ''The Crown Jewel'' Route of the Hiawatha

 

A friend and fellow wanderer blogged a few weeks ago about riding ''The Crown Jewel'' of bike trails when they were in northern Idaho. This quickly grabbed Doug's attention. After some research, he happily announced that we would pass very close to this trail as we continue our way west. And even if it had been out of our way, who can pass up biking through scenery like this?

Not us! Come along as we take you on the

Route of the Hiawatha Bike Trail!

Located on the Montana-Idaho border, this 15 mile out and back trail is fairly close to Interstate 90. In fact, we got our tickets and boondocked for two nights in the parking lot of Lookout Pass Ski and Recreational area which was located on the I-90 Exit 0 just as we entered Idaho.

The Route of the Hiawatha is a 15 mile mostly downhill (about a 2% grade) ride on a former train bed that is another ''rails to trails'' beauty. This particular section starts near Taft, Montana and takes you through 10 tunnels and over 7 sky-high trestles. Most people do the downhill ride and take a shuttle bus from the end point in Pearson, Idaho back to the starting point. Trail passes are $13 and the shuttle bus return ride is an additional $12. During this time we don't get very excited about riding in a bus with lots of other people, so we didn't buy a shuttle bus ticket, as we hoped to accept the challenge of biking back up the trail. I hoped that I wouldn't regret that decision.

After picking up our trail passes at the ski office in the morning, we drove about seven miles on back roads to the trailhead. Equipped with our bike lights, we entered the first and longest tunnel that marks the start of the trail. There was definitely no ''light at the end of this tunnel'' for quite a while as it is 1.6 miles long. The squeals of delight from the young bikers that echoed off the tunnel walls added to the fun of this long, cool, damp tunnel.

After coming out of the first tunnel, I realized that this wasn't going to be an easy downhill coast. We were not biking over finely crushed gravel, but ''bump-you-around'' piles of mountain rock. I had to remember to keep pedaling even as I lost myself in the stunning scenery that surrounded us.

The spectacular scenery as we crossed the seven trestles and the cool-down rewards when entering the ten tunnels kept our legs a-moving.

The last three miles of the trail runs along a flat open creek bed. The day was already warming up, and I knew that if I biked all the way to the end, I might be tempted to buy a shuttle ticket and take the easy way back. So we fueled up on a peanut butter sandwich and granola bar, turned around, and headed back uphill at the 12 mile mark. 

Still not entirely convinced that I want
to bike back up ... especially now
that I could see where I had to climb to!

But actually, the ride back up was not bad at all ... my southeastern Minnesota biking buddies conquer gravel roads with a lot steeper grade than this. And we got double fun for our money, since we got to cross all the trestles and go through all the tunnels twice.

At the end we agreed 100% with our friend ... Yes, this is a ''crown jewel'' of a ride! So if you find yourself traveling on I-90 in northern Idaho, follow the Route of the Hiawatha, and treat yourself to a ''crown jewel'' biking and sight-seeing experience. 

Other bike trails that we recommend if you find yourself in this area:

Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes - a long and scenic bike trail that follows along the Coeur d'Alene River for 73 miles

Northern Idaho Centennial Trail - a beautiful bike trail along a portion of the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene in the city of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

RVantastic Week: Biking A Virtual MS TRAM in Montana

Do you ever wake up and try to figure out where you are?? Not a good problem to have ... unless your house is a small van that changes locations quite often.

Yes, I wake up most mornings and have to remind myself where I am. We are traveling faster and having a lot of fun in the Baby Beest. And while it is a challenge to keep up with our blog, we do want to keep you up-to-date with our travels, (and also help us remember all the amazing places that we have been). Here are some of the highlights of our travels this past week.

RVantastic travels this week include:

Sunday: Whitefish, Montana

One of our favorite ski hills became a favorite summer hiking area. We rode the ski lift up to the summit of Big Mountain, enjoyed the fantastic views, and were grateful that we could hike the four miles back down the mountain instead of up like we saw a lot of crazy people doing.

Monday: Kalispell, Montana

For years we participated in the MS TRAM (The Ride Around Minnesota) to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society. This year we joined our friends in spirit as we did The Ride Around Montana. Monday's ride was along the Great Northern Historical Trail from Flathead Lake to Kalispell and back.

Our ''campground'' was the lovely 4 acre yard of Marty, a delightful Boondockers Welcome host. He helped refuel us with freshly picked Flathead Cherries, and provided a good viewing area for a hot air balloon show.

Tuesday: Missoula and Stevensville, Montana

We enjoyed a lovely drive south along the eastern shore of Flathead Lake (the largest lake in Montana) and headed to Missoula for a shower at the local Planet Fitness. Missoula seemed very ''busy'' so we headed down to Stevensville where we found a more tranquil town and a Harvest Host brewery that allowed us to park in their lot overnight (Win-Win!!)

Wednesday: Hiking in the Bitterroot National Forest

Not far from Stevensville is the Selway Trail that led us along the lovely Bass Creek and provided us with magnificent views of the surrounding mountain peaks.

Thursday: Biking the Hiawatha Trail Near Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area on the Montana/Idaho border

A bike ride worthy of its own blog entry. Train tunnels and sky-high trestles and views that didn't disappoint!

Friday: Biking and Hiking in Wallace, Idaho

First time in Idaho! We stopped in the cute little town of Wallace that is just off of I-90. There the paved Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes runs almost parallel to the highway for 73 miles. We did a seven mile section uphill and into the wind ... and had a sweet coast back down!

Afterwards we hiked the two mile Pulaski Tunnel Historical Trail. Markers on this beautiful but challenging uphill trail recount the heroic story of forest ranger Ed Pulaski whose quick actions saved the lives of 65 men during the horrific forest fire of 1910.

By leading them into this abandoned mine tunnel, the men managed to avoid certain death from the fire, smoke and falling timber.

I rewarded my hero for accomplishing all these amazing athletic activities this week with a beer and pizza at Historic Wallace Brewery.

Saturday: Centennial Bike Trail along the Shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

We are settled in at the CCHC Ranch in Coeur d'Alene (another lovely Boondockers Welcome host) for four days of exploring this town overlooking a beautiful lake. There are lots of bike trails in the area for us to check out. Our first ride on Saturday was the Centennial Trail that runs along Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Spokane River. Lots of people and boats out enjoying a warm day on the water.

Back at our new temporary ''home'' (where am I again??), we gear up for another week of exploring the Coeur d'Alene area while Baby Beest checks out a baby deer that wonders by.

While we couldn't join our former TRAM team members in riding the MS TRAM and ''Breaking for Cake'' this year, we are grateful that we could join them in spirit for some amazing bike rides and hikes. We also hope to support those we know and love who are affected by MS. Therese, Sergio, and Stacy, you are our real heros!