When this ride was more of a concept than reality, the notion that we could average 60 miles per day coast to coast seemed rational. Today we had 1027 feet elevation gain over 61 miles. This coast to coast thing just isn’t so rough. It is a series of short journeys.
Nothing in my travels surpass the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes for bicycle touring — a 73 mile trail spanning Northern Idaho. Birds, deer, chipmunks outnumbered the humans by a fair margin.
Fine humans we did meet were the purveyors at Cycle Haus coffee shop in Harrison. It is good to see this business still thriving. Colin was so enchanted that he left his phone there, so that he could sprint back 2,5 miles to retrieve it during our journey.
The trail is smooth and flat. The eventual transition to the climb that approaches the continental divide is so gentle one can hardly notice.
We saw no moose on the course today, though two of us have encountered them here previously. In the Idaho forest where I last came upon a moose that refused to clear this trail, today we found perhaps 100 grade school kids, who also refused to clear the trail. Safe passage was eventually realized.
As we settle in, our campsite is co-located with a brewpub. I finish my beer just as I finish this update. Could it get any better?
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