Archive for Idaho

Eoins Blog – Day 7: Wallace to Superior

August 7, 2010 eoin No comments

Day 7: Wallace to Superior – 7th August
We had been warned about the start of todays ride by the locals in Wallace. Just out of town, there is a ten mile climb with a fairy steep gradient up to the Lookout Pass – a famous skiing spot in the Silver Valley. We set out on the ride and similar to the Tour de France, we attacked the climb with vigour! It was about an hour of hard pushing before we got to the top of the 4800 foot climb which lies on the border of Idaho and Montana. We were into our third State – Woohoo!

After some pictures at the summit, we rolled down the other side of the Pass and on through the rest of the day without too much difficulty. The only hold-up was three punctures Will suffered within half an hour – after which he felt like throwing his back wheel into the gorge below. The route we took passed by tiny Saltese, De Borgia and St. Regis – but these were fairly spread out and not that big.

We rolled into Superior at 2pm having covered 110kms which was a great day. We had secured accommodation in the Big Sky Motel in Superior but again there was a mix up in the jerseys and we were left with no reservation. Fortunately the Motel owner Sharon had plenty of room about the place to fit us in. Eoin and Will slept in the basement, Mark had a roll-out bed in the office, while Rob and Donal put the heads down on an air mattress in another empty room in the Motel. [Insert round of applause here for Eoin who suggested buying the air mattress for just these circumstances. Bravo Sir!]

Superior was buzzing when we arrived, partially because of the COA Team cruising through town, but partially because the County Fair and Rodeo were taking place that night. While we were having lunch in Durangos, the local restaurant, driver Rob Shiels was recruited to perform some Irish songs at the County Fair that evening. Unfortunately none of the COA Team had realised we had crossed into the Mountain time zone that day and had lost an hour on our clocks. Turning up just as the talent show finished and the crowd dispersed, Shiels was seen to be similar to a kettle boiling with rage. But never a man to let such obstacles stand in his way, Rob set up stall at a booth at the Fair and bellowed out Irish classics including Wild Rover and Black Velvet Band (joined by Mark as a cameo).

Shortly after, the rodeo began with the arena packed with a couple of thousand people – Superior has a population of only 800 people! We saw bull riding, bucking horses, cattle slinging, and a fairly insane event that involved kids between 8-15 years old chase after a calf trying to grab a flag tied to it’s neck. After the rodeo, a local band started up and we chatted to anyone that would listen! We got a great reception and we’re glad we hit Superior at just the right time!

Idaho, Montana

On the Road – Spokane to Wallace.

August 6, 2010 donal No comments

The 6th of August, Spokane, Washington, to Wallace, Idaho.

Idaho, On the Road, Washington

Eoins Blog – Day 6: Spokane to Wallace

August 6, 2010 eoin No comments

Day 6: Spokane, Washington to Wallace, Idaho – 6th August

So the COA Team were up early today as a long day of 130kms cycling lay ahead. We began by taking the busy I-90 out of Spokane which was treacherous in parts. It was then that Will suggested we jump on a parallel road to the I-90 which “looks like it runs all the way to Wallace”. Needless to say after a few minutes of following this parallel road, we were off course by a few miles and sought out the I-90 again. By the time we rejoined the Interstate, the rush-hour traffic had thinned a lot and we had no problems getting up a great pace to arrive at the Washington/Idaho State Line after about 90 minutes. Some passing bikers were kind enough to shoot a picture for us. We kept up this blistering pace to arrive into the town of Couer D’Alene for our mid-morning snack. We had covered over 50 kilometres in a couple of hours so our sambos and Powerade were well deserved.

Just after Couer D’Alene, there was a long uphill drag for about ten kilometres before we reached the shady cover of the Couer D’Alene National Forest. On the other side of the climb, Will punctured on the downhill. Mark was scene walking away with a chisel in hand but the two incidents remain unconnected.

After a brief re-stock from the support team, we pushed on through small towns like Cataldo, Kingston, Pinhurst, Smelterville, Osburn and Kellogg – where Rob and Donal enjoyed a cable car ride to the top of the ski hill. There is no snow up there at this time of year though. Actually we keep seeing road signs like “Bridge liable to ice” and “Beware slippery when cold” – you can only laugh when we roll by in 90F heat!

We eventually made it to the small town of Wallace by 330pm – a distance of 138kms covered. We had secured accommodation in the Stardust Motel thanks to the generosity of the owner Rick Shaffer, but there was a mix up in the jerseys when we arrived which meant we had no such reservation. Luckily Rick is the owner of the best two hotels in Wallace so he kindly offered us accommodation in the Wallace Inn instead. We immediately enjoyed a dip in the swimming pool and headed for dinner O’Rourkes – the hotel’s restaurant.

Wallace is a quaint little town nestled just off the Interstate with less than a thousand people living there. The town is known as the Silver Capital of the World due to its mining exploits, and everything about the town shouts 19th Century. There’s no Starbucks, no 7-11s, and it has a real hometown feel to the place. Unfortunately for 5 twentysomethings on a Friday night, this meant there was not a lot to do about town at night. But we were glad to hit the beds early and get prepped for another long ride tomorrow.

Idaho, Washington