Today we left Washington State and entered Idaho and what a feast for the eyes as we cycled some 60 miles along the trail of the Coeur d’Alenes through Idaho to Kellogg! (No, nothing to do with breakfast cereals, more to do with silver mining and skiing in the winter).
If you like mountains, lakes, sunshine and spotting wildlife then this is the place for you! In fact, the first residents of Idaho I met were two prairie dogs who scuttled across the road within the first mile of crossing the State line.
We stopped at one of our rest stops after 30 miles at the head of the trail and from then on the ride was off-road on beautiful paths where we could cycle together and absorb the vistas that littered our next 60 miles. I started to feel rather guilty that I was surrounded but such beauty with rivers, lakes, woodlands, lust green fields and marshes full of lilies, whilst my family were on the other side of the Atlantic. We chased dragonflies, swifts and chipmunks along the paths, whilst moose and ospreys could be seen if you looked carefully and did not race to finish the ride. This has to be a place I come back to with some of the family, as pictures really do not do justice to the experience!
You would not need to be a hardened cyclist to make it along the trail as the vast majority of it is level with the occasional gentle slope but the views and the smiles on everyone’s faces make it one of the most wonderful experiences. I must have looked like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland with a broad grin across my face as I lapped up the cream of this country’s magnificence.
The team are sleeping in two buildings, a church and an old scout hut in Kellogg, and we start our first build day tomorrow by working on 6 properties which need a variety of works done including the provision of the disabled toilet, floor and roofing repairs, carpentry and painting.
The weather continues to be brilliant but, because we are high up in the mountains, the temperatures are not too demanding but sunscreen is still essential.
Have a nice day!
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