The weather guessers got it right. Yesterday was a beautiful day with mostly sunny skies, little wind and the temperature topping out at 75 degrees. The Ironman would have been a different race if we had that weather on Sunday.

I went for a bike ride and rode the Prairie Trail down to City Park.  The Ironman vendors were breaking down displays and tents there. The beach was full of people enjoying the lake and sunshine again.

Coeur d’Alene is a resort town and relies on tourism. It has the usual tourist attractions. I rode my bike out on the dock by the park and saw a couple of examples. On the end of the dock, Brooks Seaplane offers airplane tours of the area. A 40-mile, 20-minute flight around the lake, over the Bitterroot Mountains and the Washington Palouse area, costs $60 per adult, $30 per child under 12. They had a de Havilland Beaver at the dock, waiting for takers.

de Havilland Beaver seaplane

I’ve been a passenger in one of these iconic planes several times in Alaska. We would be transported in one of these from Sitka to a floating resort on the Chatham Strait to fish for salmon.

Another interesting item on the dock was the Pirates of Coeur d’Alene cruise ship. This boat goes out on two 90-minute tours daily, from June 14th to August 24th. Departure times are 11:30am and 2pm. It costs $32.75 for adults and $22.75 for children three to 12 years old. Children two years old and younger are free. This is a family entertainment cruise with a pirate theme. On Saturdays, a two-hour adult cruise departs a 7pm. For $25, you cruise the lake with a DJ on board and complimentary pirate punch (rum).

Pirates of the Coeur d’Alene

The city of Coeur d’Alene sits about 30 miles east of downtown Spokane, Washington. Coeur d’Alene has a population of about 46,000 people. This isn’t a large city by most standards, but it’s the largest in the north Idaho panhandle. There are more than 30 hotels and resorts in Coeur d’Alene.

Donna and I were curious about the name of the town. I looked it up. The name was coined by French fur trappers early in the 19th century. It was the name they gave to the Native American tribe that lived along the lake. Literally translated, it means “Heart of an Awl.” It’s thought that the expression came from the tribe’s sharp-hearted or shrewd trading acumen.

Later in the afternoon, I saw Angela in the RV park. We talked about Sunday’s race. She told me it was rough right from the start. Swimming into the chop on the lake was very difficult. She was behind her expected time by 15 minutes when she left the water. The bicycle race through the mountains was worse, due to the winds in excess of 20mph. Swimming and bicycling are her strong points. She knew she was in trouble from the start of the run. She told herself over and over, “You don’t have to run fast, you just have to run” to keep herself from walking or stopping altogether.

We invited Allen Hutchinson and family to join us for dinner. I grilled chicken kabobs and we sat outside and talked for a few hours. Allen’s take on the race was much like Angela’s. He was philosophical about it though and said he learned a lot out on the course. He will race in another Ironman in August in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s likely to be hot and humid there.

The Hutchinson family and Donna at our picnic table

Today, the predicted summer weather has arrived. They’re calling for a high of 90 degrees today and 93 tomorrow. The following week will be in the mid-80s. Donna wants to ride this morning. I’ll probably get out later.