Adventure 13: Kalispell, Montana

Night One; Year One

After serving huckleberry pancakes to family and friends, we took off on our BIG adventure. The trip to Kalispell went well. Lookout Pass was clear and dry. The GPS led us straight to Spruce Park RV where we promptly parked Frac backwards so the windows faced east and overlooked the river. The view and the warmth of the October sun warmed us. After setting up, we drove back into Kalispell to find the trail head of the Great Northern Rail trail. It turned out to be easy, and afterwards we had a half pastrami sandwich in the Moose Saloon, a fifty-five year old establishment with sawdust on the floor, peanuts and shells on the bar, and a tender with a gift of gab. It made me wish I was drinking. After dinner of baked pasta we brought from our freezer, I edged Judy in a game of cribbage. We slept well, event through the excitement of our first night out. The morning, though cool, was bright and sunny. After breakfast, we headed for the rail trail and road twenty-two miles to Kila and back. The trail is nicely paved, mostly flat, and led us up toward the mountains. Thursday we rode the other half down to Somer at the head of magnificent Flathead Lake. We've decided to extend our stay here an extra night and bypass our original plan of stopping at Lewis and Clark Caverns. It's supposed to snow in that area Thursday and since we're weather driven, we'll wait for the weather to pass. Instead, we'll head to Dillon for an overnight stay. So far, things are going well. We met a couple from B.C. who commented that they'd like to see us in May, since we now look so fresh and clean shaven. I always encourage Judy to stay clean shaven, which helps me maintain my view that life is good, especially today

 The cart before the horse!

 Part of the rail is still active.

 Honey Bunny in full regalia: fifty-two sunny degrees!

 From the trailhead, the trail splits: eleven miles each way. We went both ways.

 Towards Kila the trail passes through Smith Valley beside Highway 2.

 Fowl production area: hunters welcome.

 Since we haven't ridden for a month, a bit of rest was welcome.

 A tight S turn so tight under the trestle, I lost my stoker.

 The inhabitants along the trail seem weary of intruders.

 Glacier Park in the distance; closed-don't tell the bears.

Our view from the from the front window of Frac, which is why we put the cart before the horse.

 Trail's end at Somers, Mt.  Behind me is the edge of Flathead Lake. The ride from Kalispell to Somers was much better than we anticipated. Less than five miles bordered the highway.

Very nice breakfast of homemade corn beef hash, which fueled us back to Kalispell uphill and against the wind. 

Adventure 12: Shadowy St. Joe Return

With our good friends the Ulmens, the Drouins, and the Standishes, we met at mile mark 63.5, which is a boondocking site nicely appointed  along the St. Joe. It has easy access, is reasonably level, can handle three (and more) trailers easily, and hosts a stand of graceful cedars, which provide a nice ring around the rock fire pit. We rode bikes (126 miles), floated the "Joe" in kayaks, and ate well in a stay that lasted from Monday to Friday. The July days were hot (90s), so the shade of the cedars was welcome. But most pleasing was the coolness of the evening that called for sweatshirts and a campfire with s'mores!   Books were read. Naps were taken. We rode in the morning and re-hydrated in the afternoon. One day we rode to Avery and back (34m); the next we did the Hiawatha trail (30m rail trail); the final ride was to the top of Gold Creek pass and back with a small jog toward Red Ives (60). The final ride was so Dave Ulmen could ride his age, which meant I had to add a little jog to Conrad Crossing and back at the turn to Red ives so I could add two miles to make my age of sixty-two. Every time I go to the St. Joe, it's the same, yet different. It's always the same harsh wilderness terrain, but each time there is a different peace attached to the camp spot we choose. All said and done, life is especially good along the St Joe.

Frac nestled between a few cedars.

The water front looking east, up river.

 The view from one of the trestles on the Hiawatha Trail.

  Above: Tim/Judy posing for the paparazzi; below: TW, King of the Joe.

Thumbs up to the good life.

Adventure 11: Conrad Crossing on the St. Joe River

Life in the Idaho Panhandle

The St. Joe river drainage, a world class fly fishing destination, beckons to us as it is just three hours south of Spokane. We try to visit the area often, and this year we decided to go when the weather was guaranteed to be unsettled (rainy). We wanted to experiment with damp conditions to see if the trailer would be comfortable. It was. As a bonus, we were able to ride our tandem each day in the morning before the heat of the day built the clouds and rain. Since it was late June, the weather, though rainy, was warm. In all, it was a good test of how we would feel when we encounter poor weather. Aside from the test, we were able to secure the "best" spot on the Joe. Conrad Crossing campground, a forest service sight with water and pit toilets, is nestled so close to the river that campers can easily dip their toes into the clear mountain water. The site is very popular. In fact, we've never seen the campground empty. We enjoyed the camp site immensely. We rode each day, which is especially nice since we enjoy mountain air, smooth pavement, light traffic, and the rushing sound of a mountain river nearby. Just last year the twelve mile grade on the Idaho side was newly paved. We gladly climbed just so we could cruise down the road on the tandem. Nothing is  quite as enjoyable as coasting down a freshly paved road on a tandem bicycle. In all, another fun adventure for Fric and Frac where life is good, especially today.

Our campsite in full glow.

Trails abound in the Joe. A casual stroll beckons, or for the more adventurous real trail hiking can be found.

Front porch, side view and the sound of rushing water.

 El Papa got to stretch his legs three times. Especially nice right now is the grade east of the Joe into Montana. Freshly paved, the coast down is sweet. Not bad for a little up effort.

 Arguably the most prized organized campsite along the Joe.

 Daily floats organized out of St. Regis. Lunch provided.

 What is an adventure without "thin gruel" and cribbage?

 Trillium plants underfoot. 

We left the St. Joe via Gold Pass, which goes up and over to St Regis, MT. At the top the path becomes gravel on the Montana side for the entire fifteen mile descent.

Adventure 10: Hell's Gate State Park via the Latah Trail

The Exquisite Latah Trail

On a bright Friday morning, June 6, 2013, we eased Fric and Frac southbound onto the Palouse highway. Listening to the not yet annoying voice of our new Garmin, we followed directions to a place we already knew how to get to: Moscow, Idaho. Ain't technology amazing. (We figure the Garmin will come in handy when we are, in fact, in unknown territory.) We parked Fric & Frac behind the Ford dealership in Moscow, which provided convenient access to the Latah trail, a smooth, paved eleven mile trail between Moscow and Troy, Idaho. Running parallel to Route 8, the trail climbs gently from the Palouse wheat country into a surprisingly lush pine forest, meanders awhile, then drops quickly into Troy, a small but active North Idaho community. From Troy, the trail continues four miles into Bear Canyon; however, this portion isn't paved. We tried to ride it because it had recently been compacted, but the compacting still didn't make it ridable for our road tandem. I would suspect mountain bikers would enjoy the canyon quite a bit because even though it is a short trail, the scenery is beautiful. After realizing we couldn't ride the gravel portion of the trail, we enjoyed a very good lunch at a place called the Filling Station, which is indeed an old filling station that has been converted to a espresso/lunch stand where the food is made fresh by locals. After lunch, we rode up hill against the wind back to Moscow. Our round trip was twenty-seven miles, and though it was windy, the warm air made it enjoyable. We then pointed Fric and Frac toward Lewiston, Idaho and Hell's Gate State Park. Located in the first of three loops, we settled in at site #3. Quite lovely. Tucked along the edge of the Snake River four miles south of Lewiston, the park is nicely appointed and appears to be popular. Our site was level, the showers were clean and hot, and our neighbors were gentle. Saturday morning we rode the Lewiston levee trail, which follows the Snake and Clearwater rivers on eleven paved miles. The morning was clear and cool, and though it warmed to near ninety, our shaded campsite kept the trailer cool. We scouted other routes from the park and plan to return, most likely in the spring, but really, this area is a place where life is good just about any day.


I steer; my stoker pedals.

Gravity is pedaling here.

The Space Aliens have landed.

The Levee trail.

The Snake River, quite tame because of the dams, but pleasant nonetheless.

Adventure 9: Beachside State Park

Oregon's Fine Coast

     Arrived Monday, April Fool's Day to pleasant weather and a beachside camp sight. We began the adventure in Spokane, stopped at Maryhill, where we rode up Fulton Canyon for a few miles in warm, sunny, windless conditions. We traveled to Madras to visit the folks. They're doing as well as can be expected for a couple of entrenched octogenerians. We experienced the usual: homemade stew Saturday and Chinese over medium on Sunday. Our trip to the coast on Monday was long and winding over Santiam Pass, but uneventful. We averaged eleven miles to the gallon. The Ulmen's arrived shortly after we had finished setting up. We spent two days in warm sunny weather exploring the beach: Yahachts, Waldport, Newport, et al. We rode eighteen miles to Newport one day, which reminded me how unpleasant our coast ride was last summer. We enjoyed our usual thin gruel, including a couple times out. One evening Dave plopped some fresh oysters over a fire. Liz added a spinach roulade. Truly fabulous thin gruel. All in all, the Oregon coast where life is good, especially today.