We had an amazing couple days riding this trail in late September. Ride every one of the 73 miles. From east to west, the route first hits a series of mining towns in the Silver Valley, then follows the chain of lakes through astonishing natural beauty (that's where we saw a moose) and then along Lake Couer D'Alene across the old railroad bridge and up through a state park to Plummer. Just gorgeous, and flat, asphalt made the miles slip by despite our rented cruisers (got them from the friendly folks at Excelsior Bikes in Kellogg). Rick Shaffer, at the Wallace Inn, provided us shuttles so we could go from one end to the other. Very helpful and great to chat with him about the history of the area and it's wildlife.
One note: there owe this beautiful trail to the superfund: the rail bed was made from mine waste and weep holes in the rail cars further leached heavy metals into the gravel. So the RR removed much of the gravel and capped it with asphalt to protect against the contamination's spread. Everywhere there are signs telling you not to ingest the soil. There are also interpretive sign and picnic area and benches along the route. We loved it and will be back.
My husband scored a suit jacket with a sequined Phoenix on the back and Kingdom of Mondo on the front pocket -- for stage wear when playing music. Irresistible at $28.
Great beer, good food. And a TV screen in the corner to watch the presidential debate with a cold beer. (The largest screen was showing BBC soccer coverage.)
I'd add a half star for the bunny face on my husband's pancakes. Someone was having fun. My mushroom and Swiss cheese omelette was fine and flavorful if a bit more browned than I prefer.
Clean, historic. Furnished with antiques, new carpet and apparently a ghost in full naval uniform who has appeared to some guests. Rooms have private bathrooms (tiny) with vintage sinks in room. Great to stay right in the heart of this historic mining town (especially after so many bland generic corporate motels during our road trip). $85/night
Sweet family run inn. Two levels, and all rooms have private balconies with incredible views of the lake. Arrived for a night in late September to a note saying the keys were in the room. Checked out the next morning by note, too -- the first time they took
My credit card number (they didn't ask when I reserved the room). Rates were hardly $$$$. We paid $125 plus tax for a king room.
We just stopped in Dubuque to stretch our legs and we're delighted to find amazing and beautiful historic business districts and residential neighborhoods. Spent an hour or two walking around and enjoying the city. Lovely.
We stumbled on the elevator while exploring beautiful historic Dubuque. We had no idea how lovely the city was and the elevator was fun and got us to a lovely view. We walked down through old neighborhoods.
High ceilings in rooms. New, rather soulless "western" resort. The campground had cabins that looked more appealing than our ground floor trim with view of parking lot shielded partially by a juniper. Saw wild turkeys on our way out to highway.
Great and chilling reminder of the Cold War. We were too late to go look down the silo (closes at three), but really enjoyed the small museum.