Saturday, September 25, 2010

Clancy's north Idaho bike vacation

I consider Clancy to be a faithful friend, correspondent, and all-around bike nut. (In the very best sense!)

He and his brother recently rode the Coeur d'Alene Trail - a 70-plus mile former rail line that's been replaced with glass-smooth asphalt. It winds through forests, along lakes and rivers, almost from the Washington border to the Montana border.

Clancy's nicely detailed write-up, with lots of compelling photos, can be seen HERE.

I've commented before, HERE. For several years, I've dreamed of experiencing this trail over a 2 or 3-day period, with side trips to see little snips of Idaho history. Next summer, I'm going... even if I have to do it alone. (I work with some Venturer youths, and I try to interest them. And they are interested in the experience. But when I tell 'em they can't just hop on a bike one day and ride 40 or 50 miles without some training, suddenly other options become more attractive than training.)

More information about the Coeur d'Alene Trail, Route of the Hiawatha, etc., can be found HERE.

Forget Moab! (Or better yet, leave Moab to the unwashed masses. And North Idaho can be the "secret fishin' hole" for people who ride bikes instead of catchin' fish.)

3 comments:

Clancy said...

Thanks for the nod. Amazing trip. I urge all to do the whole loop (170 miles ) or day trips on the different parts. If you have any questions, please contact me. clancyanderson at gmail.com

Bob T said...

Nice report, Clancy. Some friends of ours rode part of the route last summmer. I lent them one of my spare lights for the long tunnel but they ended up not taking it, stating that it was too bulky (it has a water bottle cage sized battery). It's just as well, as it mind have ended up blinding riders coming from the opposite direction.

Clancy said...

Bob- The first time I rode through the Hiawatha, oncoming riders thought I was the end of the tunnel because of my bright light.