In Part 1, we'd reached Spokane, Washington while pedaling westward from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on the Centennial Trail. The portion of the trail in Washington is called the Spokane Centennial Trail and spans 37.5 miles one way. Continuing on into the city, the trail passes right by the Gonzaga University Law School. I have never had any idea where Gonzaga is when watching the NCAA mens' basketball tourney -- now I know! We then crossed a great-looking pedestrian bridge over the Spokane River. The views from the bridge were equally attractive. On the other side of the bridge is beautiful Riverfront Park. There were plenty of interesting things to see, like some great public art... ...and this beautiful bridge festooned with flowers. Across the flowered bridge, the park was teeming with people and vehicles. Turns out they were setting up for the annual Hoopfest a couple of days later. Rides for the kids and refreshment stands were being built up, so in places it was hard to get around by bike. At this point, Barry and I split up. He wanted to ride to the trail's western terminus, and I was ready to turn around and head back towards Coeur d'Alene. As he was leaving the park, Barry took a few photos of the Upper Falls Power Plant. The power of so much rushing water is impressive indeed. He got a little lost getting through the city as the trail was not well marked. But he ultimately found his way and forged westward. He checked out the Fort George Wright cemetery right along the trail. The westernmost trail segment was very hilly compared to the rest of the trail. According to the trail's website: "The western most section of the Trail begins at Riverside State Park and ends at Sontag Park in Nine Mile. This is by far the most challenging section of the Trail. Users are rewarded for their exertion with breathtaking views of the river and the wild beauty of Riverside State Park." In addition to beautiful scenery, wildlife viewing was good. Barry called me at some point along here and said that he didn't think he was going to make it to the end of the trail. It was getting too late, and the going was slow. But he ended up persevering and getting there after all! No big surprise to me. :-) He even took a selfie! While Barry was heading westward and back, I was continuing to enjoy the beautiful views of the Spokane River on the way back to Coeur d'Alene. There were loads of berries growing wild along the riverside, most of which did not appear ripe. I finally took a closer look, and they sure look like blueberries to me! I ate one of the ripe ones, but it didn't have much flavor, much to my surprise. Eventually I got back to Idaho and even saw the state Welcome sign on the highway from the trail. I was happy to be on my bike instead of in a car! I had about 15 miles to go at this point. Barry and I both got lost more than once on the way back due to poor signage when the trail detoured onto roads. We both agreed that Idaho did a better job with signage than Washington, though we both got lost in Idaho as well.
Fortunately, we both made it back to the hotel in one piece with plenty of miles under our belt. I ended up with 76 miles, and Barry (the animal), 112 miles. He is amazing, no? Stay tuned -- we still have to ride over to Lake Coeur d'Alene before we leave this pretty area behind!
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Emily & BarryWe're a long-married, early-retired couple who are currently traveling as nomads with no fixed home base. After years of living in North Carolina (Emily's home state), we spent 18 months living oceanfront on Ambergris Caye, Belize, a year road-tripping the US in a Honda CR-V, a year in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and are now roaming North America in our 32' motorhome, Pearl, following warm weather whenever possible. Archives
July 2019
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