TRAVEL TO SPOKANE -We departed Walla Walla to the east on Highway 12 so that we could take a more scenic route rather than traveling to Kennewick (the Tri-Cities) and Freeway 395 all the way to Spokane. We ended up on Highway 196 and it was a beautiful drive. Very little traffic (Friday, July 5th) and a beautiful day. The drive was pretty easy all the way to the Rambo Gate at Fairchild AFB. July 5th was treated as a base holiday and the gate was not manned. They asked if I could turn around and go to the main gate; it would have been challenging which I relay to the security police by cell phone. They came out and opened the gate for us and we were allowed to drive onto the base. We found the Family Camping Area quite easily and stayed in the overflow for one night. On Saturday morning, we move to an excellent slot right next to Gary, the park host.

FIRST DAY BIKE RIDE ON THE COEUR D'ALENES - After moving our trailer to a fixed location, we loaded the tandem on the truck and headed for town of Plummer, Idaho. Plummer was about one hour and twenty minutes from Fairchild. This is the Trail head for the beginning of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes bike path. This bike path is 73 miles long and beautifully paved. It is a "Rails to Trails" route so the gradients are never more than 3%. There are 20 trail heads where you can get onto the trail and 17 waysides with restrooms and picnic tables. It is on the list of the top 25 bike trails in the country. Along with Lake Coeur D'Alene, there are 15 additional small lakes that you pass. You also cross Lake Coeur D'Alene on a 3100 foot long train trestle and the Chetcolet Bridge. This is a gem of a trail.

The good news is that when you leave Plummer, you have five miles of 3% downhill riding (virtually no pedaling). The bad news is that our route for the day was an "out-and-back" so we ended with five miles of 3% uphill. It came at the end of a 35 mile ride and was not to difficult (Lisa is an animal!). We crossed the Chatolet Bridge and Trestle and then followed the shoreline of Lake Coeur d'Alene to the town of Harrison. The ride was 17 miles each way. Harrison is a cute town and there was a super nice community park there. We ate the lunch we brought and relaxed in the park. They had a country band playing and it was fun. We managed some huge ice cream cones for dessert before the trip back to the truck. After this ride we took the scenic Palouse Byway route back to Fairchild; it skipped Spokane.

SECOND DAY OF RIDING THE TRAIL OF THE COEUR D'ALENES - We decided that on Sunday (since Lisa was not working) we would drive way up the same trail and come back towards Harrison. We entered the trail at the small town of Cataldo, Idaho. We then rode 20 miles back towards Harrison. We turned around about five miles short of Harrison; a 50 mile ride was not in the plans for today. Lots of birds to see and the Coeur d"Alene river is beautiful on one side of the path with numerous lakes on the other side. We joined and rode with a couple who had seen a moose in one of the lakes;unfortunately, we missed it. We had a deer cross the path right in front of us. After leaving the trail head for Courd d'Alene, we ran into a traffic jam that cost us an hour. We arrive at the city center of Coeur d'Alene right next to The Resort of Coeur d'Alene. Pretty fancy! We walked around town and explored the Resort. A pretty pricey place to stay, so we decided to save the money for something else. We shared a meal at a nice restaurant and then headed for home at Fairchild AFB. We had a really great day on the bike ride and as tourists in Coeur d'Alene.

Wayne rode the Centennial Trail that goes from Sontag Park west of Spokane to the border with Idaho. The trail is all paved and well maintained. I rode about 17 miles one way to the River Walk in the Center of the City of Spokane. The ride was super scenic and the day was awesome. Lisa was working, so I rode while she stayed on base to work. There were some short climbs of about 10% grade so she probably would not have liked it that much. There are several beautiful waterfalls in the city area. I was impressed and really enjoyed the sights. In fact, I took Lisa downtown to see the river walk the next day; I did not want her to miss the sights. This turned into a ride of about 36 miles.

On this day, Lisa and I drove the 80 mile distance through Idaho to Montana to ride bicycles on the Trail of the Hiawatha. At "Exit 0," you art at Lookout Pass where you stop to buy your trail pass for $12. then you drive five miles into Montana and then take a two mild (excellent) gravel road to the trail head. This is a well-maintained dirt trail that is a "rails to trails" route that follows the route of the Hiawatha train from the early 1900s. The route is 15 miles long and a constant downhill descent of about 2% all the way. There is no level area on the route. You are basically coasting all the way to the bottom. You know what that means? Yes! You take the $10 shuttle back up to the top and don't have to work at all. Lisa would have no part of that: she demanded that we turn around and endure the continuous climb to the top. Maybe she just did not want to spend the $10? We did this and she made it; even on a bike that weighed in at well over 30 pounds. We had rented moutain bikes at the Fairchild AFB Outdoor Adventure Center. They cost us $15 for three days and they worked quite well. At the beginning of the ride, you enter the East Portal of the St. Paul Tunnel. This tunnel is 1.7 miles long and curves through the mountain so that you have a pitch-black ride. You need a good light. There are ten tunnels and seven trestles on the ride. There is also water and restroom facilities along the way. We would recommend this ride for anyone, regardless of your riding condition. It is downhill with a shuttle back; if you desire.

We decided that we needed a day of rest, so we decided to work on chores and then go to Sand Point, Idaho for kayaking tomorrow. Today we are cleaning, Lisa is working, and I have washed the truck/nosecap for the RV. We are also cleaning the RV and prepping for our departure on Sunday for Lewiston, Idaho. Tomorrow is Sand Point, Idaho; an extremely beautiful part of the country.