It Isn't An Adventure Unless Someone Almost Dies

Greeting from the Center Of The Universe,

I will get to the "almost died" part later.  But I guess I should give you an explanation about the Center of the Universe.

Steve's daughter Erin and her boyfriend Matt joined us for a few days at the Center of the Universe.   How do we know it is the center?  It is marked by a fancy manhole cover in the middle of an intersection in downtown Wallace, Idaho.  

Twenty-six years ago the mayor of Wallace declared that they were the center.  His reasoning was that there are four mountain passes that come right through the middle of Wallace.  As good a reasoning as any, since no one knows where or if the Universe has boundaries.  And now the small tourist and mining town has a new reason to hold a little festival/celebration each year.

I hope this letter finds you doing well.  My friend Margaret got COVID and is still weak and tired from it. She is working her way back into her biking and exercise routine, it probably feels like climbing a very tall mountain in very thin air.  To all of you struggling, I send a big hug.

Last I wrote, we were in the Tetons and loving it.  We went for a bike ride, there is a loop of mostly trail and some road. There were some hills.  I was glad I rode my e-bike.  I hope my legs aren't getting lazy.

When we went on the rafting trip the day before, a young woman from Oregon had used her binoculars paired with her phone to get a great picture of a grizzly bear.   I know there are attachments sold for using a phone with our monocular, but we tried it without an attachment.   Steve got it lined up better than I did.  

We stopped a museum of Wildlife Art.

After our ride, we packed away our bikes and prepared for our drive toward Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  As I was mapping our route on Googlemaps.com, I saw a park where we could have lunch.  Oh ya, we gotta stop there!

Beaver Dick is the name of a man who came to the area to be a trapper, but arrived just as the demand for beaver pelts fell, due to a fashion change.  The men in Europe where now wearing silk high-top hats, instead of beaver high-top hats.  So Beaver Dick set up a shop and became well liked in the area.

We had a two-night stop in North Fork.  Our campsite was backed up right to the Salmon River.  We didn't have any shade, but what a lovely view.   The smoke from distant forest fires put a haze over the hillsides.  The air-quality map said we were in the yellow, caution zone.

This was the first campground we have stayed at without even a pit toilet.  It was a short walk (a couple city blocks?) to a boat ramp where there was a clean pit toilet.  The first evening I was over there using the facility and then sticking my toes in the river by the boat ramp when I heard thunder and saw the dark clouds of a storm nearby.  I just started taking a few steps toward home when the wind picked up, whipping up the dust from the gravel drives and blowing small branches down.  I ran for the campground.  As I approached the  lodge I saw a dead tree was down and it pulled an electric wire down with it.   I raced to the trailer as a few rain drops fell.  The storm was over quickly.

The wire went to the lodge.  No one was at the lodge.  I texted the owner and let her know.  It wasn't long and we saw a worker assessing the situation and soon a truck was there replacing the equipment.

We watched a deer cross the river.  I was amazed how casually it walked across on those slippery rocks.  When it reached an area where the water touched its belly, the deer arched his back like a cat.

The next day we visited a Sacajawea Museum about 20 minutes away.  Then Steve found a car wash bay big enough for the truck with the kayaks on top.  I just stayed out of the way, he was very quick and efficient at it.

We saw antelope on our drive to Kellogg, ID.  We noticed how very dry the grasslands were.

This was Steve's first time to the area.  I had talked up the Coeur d'Alene trail.  I have been here with George a few times.  Once we met up with our friends Regis and Cindy here and once we rode it with our friends Karl and Kathi.  

The day we arrived we got on our tikes for a short late afternoon ride.  We rode to just to check out the town of Kellogg.  But then we kept riding west and ended up riding all the way to Snake Pit, a bar and grill that had been in business since 1880.  On our way we saw a baby moose!  It came up on the trail in front of us and just stood looking at us.  We stopped, thinking that Mom might be right behind.  She never appeared.

The Snake Pit in Kingston, ID.

The next day we headed East on the trail.  We stopped at the visitors center in Wallace.  On our ride, we didn't see any moose, but we passed lots of piles of rock (tailings) from mining activities.   There were lots of mining scenes and kiosks. We lunched at an old bar in Mullan and then went to look at an active mining facility we could see nearby.

I saw a billboard promoting the Hiawatha Trail.  I told Steve that we had to do that trail while we were here.  He said that maybe Erin and Matt would like to do it too.    

As we were riding back to camp, past dismal mining waste and run-down trailer parks, I told Steve that this was the ugly end of the trail.  Going west is much prettier.   Steve told me he was wondering what I had been talking about when I talked about how beautiful the trail was.  And he was worried that Erin would come and find nothing to do.  Lol.  We were soooo busy having a good time the whole time we were in the the area.

 

We refilled our coffee mugs at the 1910 kiosk.  They only sell coffee and tea to drink, no eats.

I showed him we were at the Center of the Universe after all.

This sign was at the bar where we had lunch in Mullan.

I kiosk in Mullan was sponsored by the big mine in town, the Lucky Friday owned by Hecla.  They mine Silver, Zinc and Lead. 

We laughed at the picture of the house.  We had seen nothing but small, lower-middle class homes and trailer parks.  The workers may make a living wage, but I am guessing only the executives get enough for a nicer home like that pictured.

When they blast or dig in an area of the mine, the rock has to go somewhere.  They pile it into a huge bucket.  This tower lifts the bucket full of rock up from deep in the mine.  One of the kiosks told us how much weight and how much power it takes to lift it.  It was amazing. 

I had asked at the visitors center where we might go kayaking.  A woman directed us to a place on the Coeur d'Alene river that is dammed so it is deeper and the current is slow.

It was a short kayak ride.  We decided to drive to the Snake Pit and ride further west on part of the trail that Steve hadn't done yet.  

First we stopped at an old mission that was built by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and what they called "The Black Robes".   It is the oldest building in Idaho.  We learned that the tribe was a peaceful tribe.  When they started using horses, that expanded their range and they ran into other tribes' territories.  This caused conflict with other tribes.  So the CdA tribe was seeking help.  The black robes came from the East with an Algonquin native who told the CdA tribes people that the Black Robes had a spirit that was most powerful and could help them.

They used berries to stain the wood on the ceiling blue.   The place is beautiful.

There is trail parking right across the street from the Snake Pit.  We got on our trikes heading West on the Coeur d'Alene Trail.  Withing a mile we crossed a bridge.  Below we saw a moose in the water!  Then we noticed another on the shore destroying a young tree with a little wire fence around it.  I was thrilled!  I had told Steve we would see moose while on this trail, but you never can be sure about these things.  

A couple more miles down the trail, and there was a huge bull right on the trail munching on the limbs that had been trimmed from the trees.  We got to watch him a while and then decided we were too close and move further back.  But then we couldn't see him.  Shortly a bike came by from the direction of the moose.  The coast was clear, we rode on.

We rode out about 12 miles to another parking place.  On our way back to the Snake pit we crossed a bridge and right next to it was another bull moose!  Wow!  Because there was a railing between us and the moose we felt it was safe just to sit and watch him.  Other bikers stopped and joined us in taking pictures.  I took a video of the moose.

It was an hour before closing time when we arrived back to the car.  We quickly loaded our trikes and walked over for dinner.  I was very hungry (as usual).  Fortunately they had stuff we could eat.  Steve got the fish and I got a salad wrap and fries.  It was very good.  

The place has lots of old tree burls for decoration.

We took it easy one day.  There was an Evergreen State of Consciousness North West gathering at the Crystal Gold Mine and RV park where we were camped.  We enjoyed some of the music and watching the people.  Steve paid for a tarot card reader to do his reading.  It was uneventful.  She said his life was on pause or in-between.  

After a day of rest, we were ready to ride again.  This time we rode our bicycles and aimed to ride the rest of the trail from Bull Run to Plummer.  We did 71 miles!  Yay, I got to claim it as my birthday ride for the year.   I turned 71 in July.

When riding by the lake after Harrison, we saw these birds that kind of looked like loons.  We pulled out the monocular and pulled up the Merlin App.  This is what we were seeing.  There were about five of them that I counted.

There is a big long bridge that crosses the lake.  

I looked at the date and was puzzled.  How can this bridge be build tin 1921 when I was here in '16?  I asked.   Steve started laughing.   "You are old, but not that old," he said.  I was puzzled for a moment.  He had to explain the 1900's vs the 2000's.  Boy oh boy, sometimes I surprise myself.

Plummer is at the west end of the trail.  It is on a reservation and terminates at a nice veterans memorial park.

They had names and the wars that people fought in.  World War I, World War II... I had never heard of the Steptoe conflict.  

On our ride we often saw cute little quail on the trail.  Sometimes flocks of them, which Steve says are called covey of quail.  I took a video.

Steve has a watch that recorded our ride out and then after lunch on our way back.

Proof that this old lady rode 71 miles... of course I did it on my e-assist  bike.

I found a gym in Kellogg that is open during the week.  I have never been in a gym with taxidermy and antlers as decoration.

Steve texted me while I was at the gym.  He went to the grocery store and planned to make us a nice dinner of fish and corn and sweet potatoes.  Yum!   I am one very lucky woman.  

The kayaks sometimes shift side to side no matter how tight we pull the straps.  So Steve installed some eye-screws to put the straps through.  We don't want to lose the kayaks while driving down the highway!

While I was watching him work on the roof of the truck I got stung on the neck by one of the numerous yellow jackets that buzz around us every afternoon in the area.

I was shocked.  Steve is allergic and almost died years ago from multiple stings.  If the bee had chosen him, our trip would have taken a drastic turn.

The day before Erin and Matt arrived, we rode our bikes on the Centennial Trail that goes through the city of Coeur d'Alene and into Spokane, Washington.

We rode it as far as the Washington border.  

We passed a supper club near the beginning of our ride.  After we got back to the car, Steve said, "I have a good idea!  Let's go to Tony's Supper Club."   

It was a place with white table clothes.  I usually avoid such places because the prices are high.  However, the food at Tony's Supper Club was wowza.  And even better, Steve was buying.  Smiles.  Thanks, Steve!

On that same day, Erin and Matt flew in from New York and were staying in Kellogg.  They were exhausted when they arrived.  We arranged to see them the next day.  

We met and went through activity options.  We decided to hike the Palaski Trail near Wallace, ID on their first day.  

If you read my first book, Alzheimer's Trippin' with George, you may remember a time on our trip when we hiked this trail.  As the four of us hiked I was happy to see them enjoying the story that is told along the trail of the huge 1910 fires and a harrowing survival.

My mind was full of memories of walking this trail, first with George and my friends, Cindy and Regis and their black lab, Tanus.  Regis and Tanus were both high energy seniors.  

And then in 2016 I walked it with George as we were experiencing his Alzheimer's symptoms.   The memory of him wetting his pants as I hugged him was quite vivid.  It is a four-mile round trip hike, and George did it, only slowing down a bit toward the end.

We made sure to show Erin and Matt that they really were at the center of the Universe in Wallace.

We have two trikes and two bikes with us.  So one day all four of us were able to ride the trail.  We weren't as lucky siting moose, but we did get a good look at one that was standing among the lily pads next to the trail.  Because we were above the moose, that didn't seem to be bothered by our presence.  We were able to hang out and watch her a while.

Steve had reserved a Polaris Razor, a four-seater, for one day.  We had the whole day to explore the back trails.   When we went to pick it up at eight a.m., we didn't get any safety video or instructions or map.  We were told the GPS on the dash was acting up.  Arg!

We tried to get the GPS working.  It wouldn't work.  Steve began driving through town, but we had no idea where the trails were.  I quickly downloaded an ATV app and mapped a route out and back to a lake the guy at the rental place had told us was a possible destination.

Only the app thought we were driving something more narrow than we already were.

We came to a six points and I started driving.  We first tried one trail, and discovered it was the wrong one and had to find a flat place big enough to turn around.   Then we took another trail.... and it got narrow.  With cut log ends on one side and huge rocks on the other, or a steep cliff.  Steve told me I had to keep going or we would get stuck, so I kept going.  Yikes.  

Erin was next to me and hanging on tight.  I am whining... literally whining with fear.  I didn't want that responsibility. Precious cargo driving on a cliff edge. Sometimes we would be going over a huge rock on the right and could easily roll off the cliff on the left.  

We came to a narrow open spot with no trees to catch our tumble.  "I don't wanna be here!" I whined.

But then there was an open flat spot.  "STOP!" yelled Erin.   I didn't hesitate, that was my plan.  We all piled out fast.  My knees were shaking.   

I was angry that the Polaris place had let us out without an operating GPS to guide us on their designated routes.  Without a paper map!  How negligent was that!

Matt's health watch was telling him to breath.  Lol.  His heart rate was too high for someone not running or walking.  We had to laugh.  

Steve walked ahead down the trail.  You may be able to find the dot that is him and see the trail in the picture below.

We relaxed a while.  Let our blood pressure come down.  My knees stopped shaking.   Steve returned and reported that the trail up ahead was even worse.  

There are no trees to catch our tumble, he told us.  

We decided to turn around and have Steve, who is more experienced, do the drive back to the six-points.  Then Erin said she was going to walk back part way, at least until the woods.   I sighed with relief.  What a great idea!   I walked back over a mile before they caught up with me.

We agreed this qualified as an adventure.

While we were at the six points again, we were very fortunate.  A couple drove in from a direction we were considering going.  Don't go that way, they told us.  We explained our predicament and where we came from.  Their eyes got big.  That trail isn't for your size vehicle!  It's more of a dirt-bike trail!

They gave us a paper map, showed us where to go for a beautiful and safe ride.  Wow, how lucky was that!   

Erin drove next, down 225, which was narrow in places, but not near as bad.  She started out jerky but got really good and comfortable with it after a while.  She had a blast.  She could be a NASCAR driver!

The couple had told us about some places by a creek where we could stop and eat our lunch.  We found one.

We saw a storm in the distance and some wet pavement.  Steve commented that we lucked out and missed the rain.

He spoke too soon. 

I was driving when we rode through the rain, and with no windshield we really road into the rain.  I took a video of the clouds rising from the forests after the rain.  It was beautiful.

That evening I was mapping our way to the bottom end of the Hiawatha Trail.  The Hiawatha is a gravel trail.  It is pretty bumpy in spots and we didn't want to ride our trikes.  So Erin and Matt rented two mountain bikes from a bike shop in Wallace.   

It rained and rained in the morning, so we waited it out.  By the time we picked up the bikes and loaded them in the truck and then put our bikes on the rack in back... and drove down a looong winding gravel road that actually took us back to one of the six points we had encountered the day before...  well, we started riding the Hiawatha at about noon or later.

As we were unloading the bikes, Matt said he was so glad we were doing this.  He said that ever since he saw info about it on the internet, he had wanted to do this trail.  Especially both directions, not just down.  

I said, "Thank you for saying that  because I was frustrated last night.  Steve didn't seem to want to do it.  Last night he was worried about the drive to get here."

There is a shuttle service that provides bikes and takes people.to the top and picks them up at the bottom so they don't have to drive the long winding gravel road.   Most people do that.  

The trail is only 32 miles round-trip, but there is a lot of great things to stop and look at along the way.  Going fast downhill, riders are less likely to stop and enjoy the sites.

Steve spread his arms wide and looked up in a submissive pose, "Okay, Okay, you were right."

He explained to them that he was resistant to the idea, especially when I mapped out the route to get to the trail head in Pearson.  The route would take us back up the road we had taken in the four-wheel.

We just were on the wider roads, not the adventure trail.  

And it was worth it.

In fact, driving to the trail, we saw a baby moose climb up onto the road in front of our truck.  We stopped and observed, wondering if the mom would appear.  

She did.

She looked at us a long while.  Then she crossed the road.  I thought she would start grazing on the bushes there.  But instead she surprised all of us by walking right up the steep incline.  

"That has got to be 45 degrees!" Steve exclaimed.

The baby followed.  Amazingly strong climbers. 

I think we all enjoyed the trail.  There are lots of trestles and tunnels on the trail.  Below is a picture looking down through the cracks on one of the tall trestles.

Standing on one trestle we could see another further up the incline and around the corner.

We saw several mule deer, we could ride right by them.  They weren't very skittish.

Steve got this great picture of a deer.

At the end there is a tunnel that is over a mile long.  It is usually wet and cold and muddy in there.   Everyone gets spattered a bit or a lot.

We didn't get back to town until after eight p.m.  All the restaurants were closed or closing soon.  I had been looking forward to pizza!   Dang!

Steve and I went home and snacked on crackers and cheese.

The next day was the Huckleberry Festival in Wallace.  I had laundry to do.  It was our last day before traveling into Canada.

We invited Erin and Matt over for dinner on our last night in Kellogg.

Steve's hip started hurting.  He had been having back trouble but we were so busy having fun, we weren't stopping long enough to do our PT exercises.  That is my theory.  It could have been the bouncing on the Hiawatha or the bouncing in the four-wheeler.  I don't know.

I made salad and veggies.  I rinsed off the bikes.

Steve hobbled around and managed to make great spaghetti sauce that we put on pasta.  He grilled some garlic bread.   

When Erin came she brought things she had gotten in the mail for Steve.  One of them was something that Steve had ordered as a gift for me.  A recorder to use as we travel. I can record stories and notes as they happen.  

I am intimidated by technology.  I quickly got frustrated as I started going through the directions.  I put it aside to write to you.

Erin and Steve reminisced over dinner.  They have lots of fun stories from when she was growing up.  Their memory amazes me.  They remember teachers' names and the names of Erin's and Kevin's childhood friends.  I wanted to pitch in with a little story of my own, but I couldn't think of a single thing.  

Erin has done a lot of traveling.  It helps to be a teacher and have a month off in the summer.  But a lot of the travel she did was between school and teaching.  South Africa she volunteered, Central America she and a friend traveled by bus to ancient ruins.

Steve told her we are going to the Netherlands next spring.  As part of that trip we also want to hit Prague.  And our friends Frankie and Dennis want to go with us to Costa Rica.  

I have to take time from travel now to research and plan those future journeys.  It is a conundrum.  

Today, with Steve's hip hurting (he is walking gingerly with a walking stick), I have time to write.  We traveled into Canada yesterday.   When we got to Regency RV in Cranbrook, BC, we discovered the campground had  been sold and the new owners didn't have any record of our reservation.  She said the place and the records were a mess when they took over.  Fortunately they had a full hookup available for the days we are here.  

There is a trail here and very tall mountains we can see in the distance.  Two more nights here and then we head to Banff.  I may be walking the trails alone with bear spray.  

There is a bike trail here, we may try it with the trikes and see if he can do that.

I am grateful.  At least the sore hip it isn't a bee sting!