Idaho-Montana

We left Spokane Monday Late Morning July 26th driving east towards Wallace,  Idaho.  It was a really pretty drive through Lake Coeur D'Alene and the mountains.

We arrived in Wallace not sure about the one and only campground in the area but we decided to stay there since it was only twelve miles from the Route of the Hiawatha Bike Trail we would be riding on the next day.  The dogs loved the grass here and it was quiet and right next to the town. 

 We set up camp and took a short walk through down after dark.  The highway ran right through it but was so high up you could barely hear the cars.  Underneath was a portion of the many miles of bike trails throughout this area.  It was a quiet night in town being that it is mostly popular for the winter skiing in the area.  We went back to the RV to get ready for our bike adventure the next morning.  We got up and drove the twelve miles to the ski resort to rent a bike for Bill, but it on the car and headed another five miles to the border of Idaho and Montana to the starting point of the 15 plus mile ride.  The first tunnel was 1.66 miles long and lights and helmets were required.  It was wet, cold and really dark except for the other bikers inside the tunnel with lights. It seemed to take a really long time to get through but at the end of it was a really nice waterfall.

We continued on through the ten tunnels and nine trestles with many other riders including families.  We stopped along the way to read about the history of this railroad so it took us a little longer than some. 

 You had the option of riding back up the trail for a total of thirty miles and we probably could have done it but since we took our time it was already too late to attempt it and it was getting cloudy and windy when we finished.  

We took the shuttle bus they provided for a fee back to approximately two miles from the car where you had to go back through the first longest tunnel.  It was a fun fulfilling day and we got back to the RV after returning the bike around 3:30 pm.  

We left the next day to start heading back first to Georgia so I could see my kids and grandkids then to Florida to see my brother and family.  Bill drove from Wednesday morning from Idaho, through Montana,

 Wyoming, South Dakota,

 Nebraska (we drove over the bridge then back again), Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee and we arrived in Georgia around 9:00 pm Friday night; over 2,330 miles in two and one-half days.  It was great spending the weekend with the kids and seeing how much the grandchildren have grown over the last four months.  We left Monday August 2nd for Cocoa, Florida to see my brother who was battling cancer for ten months.  I spoke to my sister Jackie and she said he was talking and doing well that day.  On Tuesday we went to spend the day with him and even though he knew we were there, he was not doing so well.  The next morning he passed away and I was truly happy that we got back in time to be with him in his final hours.  I truly believe he waited for us to return to say our last goodbyes.  We will miss him dearly and are glad he is no longer in pain. 

We are back at KARS park in Cape Canaveral, Florida were we started our trip back on April 1st.  We traveled 9,337 miles across our great country and can't wait to see more!