We were up early so that we could drive to the start of the Hiawatha trail, we were one of the first there to buy our pass and get the ride done before it got too hot. A lot of people cycle down and get the shuttle back up but we wanted to ride both ways. The trail is listed as one of the top 10 rail trails in the US and it is 15 miles long, with 9 tunnels and 7 sky high trestles.
The first tunnel we rode through was 1.6 miles long and once you are through the first 20 yards it was pitch black, your only light was that on your bike or a headlamp if you chose to wear one. The first tunnel is also the muddy and wet one so a great way to start the day. All was well and we made great progress on our way down to the end of the trail. The scenery was magnificent and the trees gave us plenty of shade. Quick turnaround at the bottom and then we reversed the route and started the cycle back up the mountain, the gradient was gentle, just under 2% but consistent for the 15 miles. We had a little shock in one of the tunnels, right in the middle there was a Deer trying to cool off but luckily he did not run into either of us. Our bigger challenge was the amount of people cycling down that did not keep to their side of the trail but we managed the return trip without incident, apart from going back through the 1.6 mile long tunnel, it was much muddier our side of the trail.
Back to the RV and off to Spokane Valley which added another state to our growing list of states this trip. One of the main reasons we added this destination is because we had met some great people in New Zealand while we were on the Milford Track and we promised to visit JD and Cherokee as soon as we were close enough. Day one with them was a great tour of downtown Spokane, lunch at a local brewery and later we had dinner at a different brewery (there seems to be a theme here). The next day we went down to the river and JD and Cherokee very kindly brought their tandem Kayak and we took it in turns. They are really good but as you can see from the pictures Rob stopped paddling when he thought I would not notice.
We had lunch at a winery up in the hills, there were great views and actually the reds were pretty good. The day was rounded out with pizza salad and a delightful red wine at their house. We will definitely be back to see them and more of this area in the future.
Next day we left Spokane Valley and drove to Riggins Idaho.