Day 13, Route of the Hiawatha

We got up early to be able to buy tickets for the Route of the Hiawatha. It is a 15 mile mountain bike trail that goes through 10 tunnels and over 7 trestles. The rail trail is said to be among the most beautiful in the United States with the added advantage that it runs downhill at a 1.6% grade. I want to point out again that it is advertised as a mountain bike trail, and we had our road bikes.

The trail starts and ends with a 1.8 mile ride through a tunnel. Lights are absolutely required. It is cool which was nice on the way back since the temps began climbing into the 90s. It is also wet. It runs under a creek. And it is muddy.
The trail is gravel. In some spots, more gravely than others. Since Denis does rides with different kinds of trails, the skinny tires were not much of an issue. Not so with me

The vistas are beautiful and there are lots of signs with information on the railroad, geology, and history of the area, including a devastating fire in 1910 that moved so fast and spread so far that 86 people were killed as it burned 3 million acres.

Had the trail not been so beautiful, I would have been less happy. I am happy that I rode the trail, though I would not do it again on a road bike. We saw people with mountain bikes, e-bikes, hybrid bikes. I'm not positive, but I don't think I saw anyone else with a road bike. There is a reason for that.

The trail ends about 15 miles and most people take the 30 minute shuttle back. I did. Denis chose to ride. 

While waiting for the shuttle, I spotted another cyclist wearing a pair of earrings designed and made by my friend, Shaun, from Buffalo. She said the earrings had been around the world with her and that this was her second pair.

So, back to the trail. The shuttle leaves you off on the far side of the 1.8 mile tunnel. It was terrifying to me to think of having to go through on my own but... The tunnel is dark, wet, and slippery. And I managed to find myself sliding in the mud, and onto the ground. Just so happens, the lady with the earrings came by and made sure I made it out. Here is a huge shout-out to Shaun. Thank you for helping me make that connection.



Location: 108 Nine Mile Rd, Wallace, ID 83873, USA

Comments

  1. TonyAugust 4, 2021 at 4:59 PM

    Sounds like a great ride! You were awesome to persevere on your road bike.

    ReplyDelete

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