Category Archives: Idaho

Last Ride in CdA

The long weekend wound down for most people yesterday. The RV park was half empty once again by late morning. Donna went out for a bike ride around 10am. She rode out the Centennial Trail to Liberty Lake in Washington State. I didn’t get on my bike until 11am and it was quite warm by then.

I did the usual route down the Prairie Trail to Coeur d’Alene City Park. Along the way, there was an American Legion baseball tournament in progress next to the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Center. I stopped and watched for a few minutes, then continued on my way.

When I reached the Spokane River, I was struck by the number of boats on the water. Boat traffic was lined up, heading downriver to the lake.

Boat traffic on the Spokane River

It seemed that everyone wanted to get one last boat cruise in for the weekend. The weather was great for boating with the temperature reaching the 90s.

When I reached City Park, all the hustle and bustle of the Fourth of July was gone. It was like the energy had been sapped out. Even the beach crowd seemed sparse in comparison to Friday’s throng of people. I stopped and reflected for a moment on how lucky I am. Sunday no longer leads into the beginning of another work week for me. At the RV park, the City Park and beach, I had the sense of everyone gathering themselves up for a return back to their workaday lives.

I didn’t ride back on the trail, choosing instead to ride up Government Way. I saw an interesting sign in front of a barber shop.

Great idea!

I don’t need a barber, but if I did, I know where I would go!

Donna came home from her ride shortly after I returned. Her route covered about 40 miles. I had changed her pedals – she wanted to go back the SPD pedal and cleat system that she used years ago. The SPD-style cleats and shoes are easier to walk in and Donna finds them easier and faster to clip into. The soles are also grippier and give her a more secure feeling when she has to stop and put her foot down. And her new shoes are more ventilated for summer riding. She’s happy with the change from Shimano cleats to the SPDs.

Later, I rode the scooter over to a self-serve car wash and cleaned it up. It was dirty from all the rain we’ve had since we arrived in Coeur d’Alene. Then Donna took the scooter over to the mall and shopped for clothing.

Kymco Downtown 300i all clean again

We finished the day off with the last two episodes from season two of Longmire.

Today, I have much to do. I need to replace the accessory solenoid again. The replacement solenoid I bought at NAPA is sticking. I checked voltages – it appears to be a mechanical problem in the solenoid. The trigger voltage is good and a light tap on the case activates the solenoid once it’s energized. These solenoids are manufactured in China these days. Apparently their quality control leaves something to be desired.

I bought a new Cole-Hersee solenoid, made in the USA. We’ll see how that works out. The Cole-Hersee product was actually a few bucks cheaper than the Chinese NAPA solenoid.

I’ll repack the trailer and load the scooter this afternoon. I need to clean the glass on the coach. It’s dirty from the rain. I’ll check all of the tire pressures, of course. All of this is in preparation for an earlier than usual departure tomorrow.

We have an appointment at Aubrey’s RV Center near Yakima, Washington at 2pm tomorrow. We haven’t addressed our living room slide-out issue yet. I wanted to take it to someone that’s familiar with Alpine Coach. Aubrey’s is located near the the plant where Western RV built Alpine Coaches. When Western RV went out of business, Aubrey’s bought most of their inventory of spare parts. So Aubrey’s is familiar with Alpine Coach and they have parts on hand.

I have no idea what the work will entail or how long it will take. We’ll have to roll with it as it comes. I won’t post tomorrow as I will be busy dumping and flushing tanks and breaking camp for a 9am departure. Hopefully, I can report good news and repair success in a couple of days.

Food and Brew

The temperature in Coeur d’Alene has been above average for several days. Yesterday was no exception. The high was in the mid-80s and I think the humidity was above 50%.

When Donna was at the salon on Thursday, her hair stylist told her about the Kootenai County Farmers’ Market in Hayden. It sounded good, so I looked it up. It wasn’t as far away as I thought – only a few miles up the road at the intersection of US95 and Prairie Avenue. Speaking of Donna’s hair stylist, here’s a photo of Donna’s new look.

Donna’s new hairdo

We rode the scooter and found the farmers’ market. It was set on the corner, shaded by mature trees. The vendor booths were wooden structures, all painted and well maintained. It was clean and inviting – a nice marketplace.

Entrance to the farmers’ market

Vendor booths

We wandered around and we sampled some of the food offered. I bought some aebelskiver, which are Danish pancake balls, with huckleberry topping and whipped cream. I’d never had them before. It was a delightful snack.

There was a stage with live music in the center of the market. Two guys with guitars played a wide variety of music, mostly classic rock. They were pretty good.

These guys were good

We bought a few items. Donna bought blue cheese and a jar of marinated labneh (pronounced LOB-in-ah) made from raw milk at a local farm. We sampled the labneh – it’s great on crackers. It’s made from Greek yogurt which is strained to remove the whey. It has a sharp, slightly sour flavor.

Locally made marinated labneh

I also bought spicy hot dilly beans. They will be great in a bloody Mary! From the same place, we bought a jar of honey maple dressing and marinade. We sampled it on a small cup of salad. It makes a great salad dressing, but I think it will be really good as a meat marinade for grilling. Donna also bought some baby bok choy and garlic scapes.

On the way home, Donna spotted a brewpub less than a mile from the park. We didn’t know about this place before. We always headed south into town and hadn’t ventured north.

Later, we went back and checked out Paragon Brewing. It’s a British inspired pub, serving traditional British pub plates and beers brewed in the northwest. It opened in May of this year, so it’s only been open for two months. Maybe that’s why no one mentioned this place to us. The brewery is under construction. They won’t have their own beer on tap until some time in the fall.

Donna had a pint of McCall’s lemon/ginger hefe brewed in McCall, Idaho. I tried an IPA from Worthy Brewing in Bend, Oregon. Both beers were a treat. Donna said the hefe was refreshing. The Worthy IPA was well-balanced with no over-the-top hoppiness. We ordered food while we sat at the bar and chatted with the bar maid.

I had fish and chips. The key to good fish and chips is the batter. The batter they make at Paragon does the job well. It’s light, but tough, not flaky. It came with aioli mayo for dipping.

Fish and chips with aioli mayo

Donna ordered a traditional British meal called bangers. Bangers are British sausages often served with mashed potatoes. Donna’s bangers were served with a beer glaze and potatoes gallette made with layer upon layer of thinly sliced potatoes, baked as a pie. Her plate also included a tasty side dish of polenta.

Bangers plate

The service was great – it’s a really friendly place. Very clean, good beer selection and excellent pub food. I’d give it five stars on a scale of five. When they get their own fresh brew on tap, it can only get better.

Today, the temperature is likely to reach 90 degrees. Donna is going out for a long bike ride. I plan to ride down to the park again. I’m starting to think about the road ahead. We’ll leave here early Tuesday morning.

Independence Day

The past few days have been busy here at Tamarack RV Park. By Wednesday, most of the campers who had come for the Ironman Triathlon departed and the RV park was about half empty. On Thursday, the long weekenders started arriving for the Fourth of July weekend. By Friday, the park was full again.

We had a busy day on Thursday. I scootered Donna downtown to the 5th Avenue Hair Salon (strangely named, as it’s actually on 5th Street) for her 10am appointment. Most of the streets along Sherman Avenue were closed for a kids’ parade. I was able to sneak past a barrier or two and drop her off.

I came home and posted to the blog, then read for awhile. I was expecting to receive a text from Donna around 11:30 or so, telling me she was ready to be picked up. It was almost noon when she sent me a message saying it would be another 60 to 90 minutes! Then she wrote, “Be prepared for a new look.” What?

I rode downtown at 12:30pm and kicked around. The streets were open again – the parade was finished. I parked the scooter in the alley next to the salon and walked across the street to look at the menu at a restaurant called Scratch. Donna finally emerged from the salon a little past 1pm sporting a new, short hairdo. I can’t believe I neglected to take a picture as she came out of the salon.

We had lunch at Scratch. I had the babyback ribs. Donna opted for the half sandwich – turkey pannini – with tomato basil soup and spinach salad. We agreed it wasn’t really up to scratch. I rate it no more than a three on a scale of five. I had some of the ribs left over and had it boxed to go. I forgot it on the table and didn’t bother to go back to retrieve them.

We stopped at a used book store on the way home and browsed. I bought a couple of books. It was well after 2pm by the time we returned home. I did a little fine-tuning on the Excel Workbook I put together to track my expenditures versus budget.

We rode the scooter down to the Riverstone Center to check out the farmers market that Donna’s hair stylist had mentioned. It turned out to be more of a carnival type midway than a farmers market. There were food vendors, crafts and other local products for sale. We only saw one produce stand. We bought some peaches that were brought up from Wapato, Washington. We’ll be heading in that direction next week.

Later, we scootered over to Fred Meyer for some groceries. Fred Meyer is a chain of superstores in the northwest. It’s a lot like a Super WalMart, but better staffed and provides better service. The row of cash registers have cashiers waiting to serve you. That’s one thing that peeves me at Walmart – a row of 20 cash registers but only three are open at any given time! I like shopping at Fred Meyer.

On Thursday, Donna marinated shrimp with fresh herbs and olive oil and then skewered them with zucchini and tomatoes and I grilled them for dinner. They were excellent served over brown rice.

Shrimp skewers with zucchini and tomato

Yesterday was Independence Day. The RV park was full. Lots of families with small children moved in for the long weekend. Kids were biking throughout the park.

Donna went out for bike ride in the morning. She rode out the Prairie Trail to the end and then backtracked to take the Centennial Trail to Post Falls and back. Before she returned, I went out on my mountain bike around noon. Our paths crossed at the intersection of highway 95 and Kathleen Avenue, about a mile or so from the park. Donna continued home while I rode the bike trail downtown.

I’ve been riding my mountain bike instead of my road bike because of my neck injury. The mountain bike keeps me more upright and puts less stress on my neck and shoulder. The mountain bike is less aerodynamic and has more rolling resistance than a good road bike. This makes it slower. When Donna and I ride on the road together, I’m pushing hard to maintain 12 or 13 miles an hour on the mountain bike while she’s just cruising along at a pace that’s slower than she usually rides. That’s why we haven’t been riding together much since we left San Diego.

The ride downtown was into a headwind. The upright position on the mountain bike makes riding into the wind a real chore. Once I reached the Spokane River, I was somewhat shielded from the wind. Traffic on the trail quickly picked up and the beach areas were crowded. People were out in force to celebrate the fourth.

When I reached City Park, the place had been transformed. It was busy last weekend, but nothing like this. People had canopies and tents on the grass and along the beach. Grills were everywhere along with coolers and blankets.

City Park

I rode to the corner of Northwest Boulevard and Sherman Street. The Fourth of July parade was coming around the corner and the streets were lined with people.

4th of July parade

The day was warm – well into the 80s. People were enjoying the lake. Kids were jumping from the boardwalk linking the park with the boat dock.

Kids jumping into the lake

In the park, there was a food court set up along one of the paved paths. All of the food vendors I’d seen the night before at Riverstone were there.

Food court at City Park

There was much activity in the park and on the lake. I saw the Brooks seaplane heading out for a tour while speedboats, canoes and para-sailers filled the same frame.

Much activity at the lake

The ride home was much easier, as I had the wind at my back. I saw the barge we watched heading downriver on Wednesday. It was anchored in the lake with a paddlewheel river boat tied up to it. I don’t know what was up with that.

River boat tied up to the barge

Last night we had grilled chicken with cilantro-lime butter. I also grilled green beans and Donna baked a sweet potato to serve with it. The cilantro-lime butter recipe is a keeper for sure. Donna says it will be good on fish as well. And it’s simple to make.

Recipe for Grilled Chicken with Cilantro-Lime Butter

In a small bowl, mash 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened) with 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, 1/4 teaspoon of Green Tabasco sauce and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the butter onto a piece of plastic wrap and twist the plastic to shape the butter into a short log. Refrigerate until firm enough to slice – about 20 to 25 minutes. Marinate thin chicken breasts (or butterflied breasts) for 15 minutes at room temperature in 2 tablespoons lime juice, one tablespoon olive oil and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Grill chicken and serve with a few thin slices of the cilantro-lime butter on top.

Grilled chicken with cilantro-lime butter

We hung out in the park last night. Neither of us were inclined to go to the lake for the fireworks show. We had a full day of celebrating the independence of our nation.

Looking For Shade

As expected, the temperature reached the 90s yesterday. Around noon, Donna and I rode the scooter down to the lake. We enjoyed a ride along East Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive. We rode all the way to the turnaround at Higgins Point, near the east end of the lake.

View from Higgins Point

We explored and found a couple of boat ramps, but we didn’t linger in the area. We rode back into town and parked near the Visitor Center. We walked to City Park and found a bench. There weren’t any benches available in shady areas – the beach area was crowded. Sitting in the sun wasn’t comfortable and Donna wanted to find a place that wasn’t as crowded so she could go for a swim.

We walked back to the scooter and rode through North Idaho College to River Avenue. We found a beach with shade and fewer people, near the mouth of the Spokane River. Donna went for a swim to cool off. I relaxed in the shade.

Before we left, a tug boat called Kelly Ann pushed a barge loaded with construction equipment down the river. I wonder where it was going?

Tug boat and barge

We had been out for a couple of hours and I was hungry, so we left and headed back. On the way we stopped at a Mexican place called Atilano’s on East Best Avenue. Our friends, Allen and Crystal Hutchinson recommended the place. The strange thing about this is place is their sign. It proclaims to serve San Diego’s best burrito! I meant to ask the guy at the counter about that, but I forgot to. I had the pollo asado burrito. It was tasty and huge! Donna had fish tacos.

Later, in the evening, we had a surprise visit from fellow full-timers and bloggers (Hit N The Road), Joel and Esta Gardberg. We had never met before, just corresponded via comments on this blog. I checked out Joel’s Corvette and we chatted for a while. They’ve been on the road in their Holiday Rambler motorhome for two years now. It’s always interesting to meet fellow RVers. When they’re bloggers that have also read our blog, it seems like we already know each other. We made tentative plans to get together for lunch at some point.

There wasn’t any mention of rain in the forecast, but last night I was awakened by the sound of rain coming down hard. Today is supposed to be another warm day with the temperature reaching the upper 80s. Again, no mention of rain, but we’ll see how it goes.

Traffic Cop

We ran the air conditioners yesterday for the first time in over a week. The temperature topped out near 90 degrees.

Donna went for a bike ride for a couple of hours and put in 30 miles. I sat in the shade and read a book. I made a run to Costco for bottled water. Nothing too exciting.

I’m going to try to track my spending this month. I set up a budget last year, but I’ve been pretty loose with it. I want track my expenditures and see if I need to make any adjustments.

A big rig pulled into the RV park in the late afternoon. It was a 45-foot Country Coach Affinity pulling a car hauler trailer. He had to make a tight 90-degree turn at the end of the park road. When I say tight, I mean tight. There’s an eight-foot privacy fence on the outside of the turn and a wooden rail fence on the inside.

I jogged down to the corner. I knew what he was up against. There were a few people sitting outside their trailers in lawn chairs just watching. I stood where the driver could see me at the fence post on the inside of the turn. He had to swing wide enough for his trailer to clear this post, but his swing was limited by the privacy fence on the outside of the turn.

He moved slowly with the right side of his coach an inch or two away from the privacy fence. I watched his trailer draw closer and closer to the post I was standing next to. I started waving him forward like a traffic cop. His trailer was within an inch of the post when the rear axle of the trailer passed it. Once the rear axle passed, he was in the clear. I gave him a thumbs up and he accelerated down the side road.

He made a complete circuit around the park and turned into a pull-through site on the other side of the laundry room/rest rooms building from us. He had the same issue of turning wide enough to clear his trailer while being limited by trees. There was a post with the site number and night lamp at the corner of his site. I pulled up on the post and it came out of the ground easily. His trailer wouldn’t have cleared the post and he would have scraped the side of the trailer.

He jockeyed back a forth a couple of times and positioned the coach where he wanted it. He opened his window and asked me if his trailer was hanging out too far. I told him it was fine. He thanked me for the assistance. He told me his overall length with the 45-foot coach and car hauler was about 73 feet!

Tight quarters

73 feet overall length!

Most of the RVs in the park are fifth-wheel or travel trailers. I don’t think these people realize the challenge of driving a big rig pulling a trailer. A fifth wheel has its pin pivoting over the rear axle of the truck pulling it, making it fairly easy to maneuver. My rig has the trailer pivoting on a ball 11 feet behind the rear axle. This makes maneuvering the trailer more difficult, especially in reverse.

Later, I walked down to site with the Country Coach. The driver thanked me again and introduced himself. His name was Larry. He’s from Moses Lake, Washington where he ran a successful construction business. It was licensed in three states – Washington, California and Montana. He told me he did a lot of contract work in the oil fields.

Larry recently sold the business and is semi-retired. He’s only 33 years old and isn’t ready to quit working yet. He and his family are taking an extended vacation in their RV. They plan to see the sights in the western states, eventually going down to Texas. Larry is looking at an investment opportunity there.

While we were talking, he told me his generator wouldn’t run for more than a few minutes. As he described the symptoms, I told him it sounded like a fuel delivery problem. He told me the fuel filter had just been changed that morning. I thought the fittings on the filter might have a leak, allowing air to be drawn into the fuel line.

Right about then, a truck pulled in front of his coach. A man and a boy got out. Larry introduced me to Aaron. Aaron runs a repair business in Moses Lake, repairing autos, trucks and farm equipment. He made the 130-mile drive from Moses Lake to check out Larry’s generator. Aaron and his 11-year-old son went to work.

Aaron suspected a fuel pump problem and brought a new pump with him. After checking fault codes, he was sure the pump was bad. Getting to the fuel pump wasn’t easy. Getting the sheet metal cover off an Onan generator while it’s mounted to the coach is difficult. I was impressed by the way he and his son worked together. For an 11-year-old boy, he had some mechanical skills. He crawled underneath the coach and told his dad he needed a thin, 11mm open-end wrench and a pair of channel locks to get the fuel line off. Aaron didn’t have channel locks with him or a thin enough wrench. I went to my trailer and brought back a thin wrench and channel locks. About an hour later, they had the new pump on and the generator was running fine. I told the kid that it was great to have mechanical skills, but that he should be sure to get an education, too!

I grilled bacon-wrapped filet mignons while Donna made twice-baked potatoes and asparagus. She sauteed mushrooms and onions to put on the grilled filets. Yummy!

Bacon wrapped filet mignon with mushrooms and onions, twice-baked potato and asparagus

Today will be another air conditioner day. The forecast calls for a high of 93 and it’s already warm this morning. Donna and I plan to ride the scooter down to the lake.

Heart of an Awl

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.

Brutal Ironman in Coeur d’Alene

Yesterday, the day started early for the athletes in the Ironman competition. The morning air was chilly – about 52 degrees when they started the 2.4-mile swim in Lake Coeur d’Alene. The bigger challenge was the wind and choppy water as they headed out.

Donna and I followed the morning action online from the comfort of our coach. I was following the split times for two of the athletes – my friend, Allen Hutchinson from Michigan and a woman I met in the RV park. Her name is Angela Smith. She’s a 42-year-old fitness consultant from Oregon. After talking to Angela and her husband on Saturday afternoon, I learned that her goals for the race were much like Allen’s – they both hoped to finish in 11 and a half hours if everything went well.

While I posted to the blog and had another tab open to follow the race, Donna went out on her bike. She rode over to the Prairie Trail. I gave her bad directions and she ended up on a short trail going to Bluegrass Park. She turned around and rode south. At the Centennial Junction, she rode west past Post Falls toward the Idaho/Washington border. Parts of the trail run along the Spokane River. She took a couple of photos of the river along the route.

View upriver as Donna rode west

A downriver view from the Centennial Trail

Meanwhile, out on the race course, Allen completed the swim in just under an hour and 16 minutes. Angela came out of the lake four minutes behind him. Their transition times to the bicycle were similar, so Allen had a four-minute lead. I wanted to go down to the course for the bicycle race and was waiting for Donna to return.

At the second split, Angela cut into Allen’s lead and was trailing by two minutes. Allen opened the gap again after that and led by five minutes. They weren’t really racing each other – it was just me comparing their times. Allen is in the men’s 40-44 age category while Angela races in the women’s 40-44 group.

As Donna rode back on the Centennial Trail, she met up with a couple from Washington riding on the trail. She rode with them and talked for awhile about RV life – they just purchased an Airstream and plan to retire in a few years. Donna missed the Prairie Trail turn and ended up downtown at the Ironman course. She called me on her cell phone and told me she was at the course on 4th Street.

I jumped on my mountain bike and rode down 4th Street to the course. I was bucking a headwind all the way down. I could only imagine how tough the race must be, climbing into the wind on the west side of the lake.

I found Donna and we watched the competitors. Apparently, we had just missed seeing Allen on the the bike course and it would be a couple of hours before we would see him head out on the run course. We rode up the street and stopped for lunch at a bar/cafe I had noticed on my way down. We dined at a table outside on the sidewalk.

I received a text message from Allen’s wife, Crystal, telling us she was in front of the Visitor Center with her daughters. We rode over to the Visitor Center and found them. Riding along the race course was difficult. We had to thread our way through the crowd. At some points, we had no choice but to get off our bikes and walk.

The split times showed Allen reaching the run transition area about six minutes ahead of Angela. He was on the bike for six hours and four minutes, averaging 18.4 miles per hour over 112 tough miles.

We saw Allen approach as he started the 26.2-mile marathon run. We cheered and he high-fived Donna and Crystal as he ran past us.

Allen begins the third leg of the Ironman, a marathon run

I looked for Angela to run past. Later, I found out she was in and out of the run transition quicker than Allen and wasn’t six minutes behind him. She was only about three minutes behind and I missed seeing the start of her run.

Donna and I rode home on the Prairie Trail. We showered and took care of a few things. I continued to monitor the split times. At the second split of the run, Allen had opened up a 10-minute gap on Angela.

It started raining. We sat inside the coach and debated whether we should take a taxi downtown for the race finish or wait to see if the rain would pass. I checked the race progress and saw we had plenty of time. The rain moved on after 20 minutes or so. We ate leftover lentil and sausage stew before riding back downtown on the scooter.

Before we left, I checked the split times again. At the 19.8-mile mark, Allen’s lead over Angela had evaporated. It was an interesting way to follow the race. When I saw Allen’s speed drop on the bike through a sector, Angela’s speed did likewise. I could imagine the hill they were climbing. Angela had overtaken Allen during the run and now was three minutes in front of him.

Parking the scooter downtown was easy. We walked down near the finish area on Sherman. I sent a text to Crystal to find out where they were. The were standing 50 feet away from us!

We cheered the competitors as they passed. Some were obviously happy, savoring the moment as the end was in sight. Others were clearly struggling, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other to reach the finish line. A few kicked it into high gear and sprinted to the finish!

After awhile, I saw Angela run past. Her total time at the finish was 12:17. A short while later, Allen came by and finished in 12:31.

We walked past the finish line to the area where the athletes are given refreshments and space blankets to ward off the chill. While we waited for Allen, I saw Angela and congratulated her.

While we were looking for Allen, I overheard one of the professional triathletes comment on how tough the day was. He said it was the toughest conditions he’d ever faced in Coeur d’Alene. The choppy water, cold temperatures and high winds all took a toll. It made the run brutal, as so much energy had already been spent.

We finally found Allen. It was remarkable how normal he looked. You wouldn’t think he just completed a twelve and a half hour event that pushed him to the limit. We congratulated him and talked briefly. I didn’t want to hold him up for too long. I’m sure he has a post-race routine he follows.

We came home and I watched the Moto GP race in Assen that I had recorded. Later, we watched another episode of The Americans.

This morning I heard that 20% of the entrants (about 500 people) failed to finish in the 17-hour time limit.

Today, we have blue skies and a warm weather forecast. Summery weather is forecast for the coming week. Hooray!

Ironman Campout

The rain eased up yesterday. We still had mostly cloudy skies and the threat of rain in the morning. I took a walk around the campground. The place is completely full – many of the inhabitants are here for the Ironman competition.

Some are competitors. Others are spectators and supporters. Some of the competitors staying here at the RV park aren’t typical RVers. They’re camping out in tents or pop-up trailers. This isn’t what we’re used to seeing in RV parks.

Tent camping in the RV park

Triathletes from Canada camping here

Pop-up trailers

Coeur d’Alene is a resort destination. Many accommodations are priced higher than comparable hotels in other cities. During events like Ironman, they jack up the prices. I think that’s why a number of competitors choose to camp out.

As our site began to dry, I got my mountain bike out and went for a ride.

Our site drying

I rode out Kathleen Avenue and entered the Prairie Trail. I headed south, toward Lake Coeur d’Alene and City Park. I wanted see how things were shaping up for today’s competition.

Intersection of Prairie Trail and Centennial Trail

Mouth of the Spokane River at Lake Couer d'Alene

Mouth of the Spokane River at Lake Coeur d’Alene

There were more bikes on the trail than before, some were competitors loosening up before staging their bikes in the transition area. Their bikes are locked up overnight in the transition area. As the competitors complete the 2.4-mile swim, they jog to the transition area, retrieve their gear and get on their bikes to begin the 112-mile bike race.

Staging gear at City Park

The 2.4-mile swim takes place in Lake Coeur d’Alene. The water temperature is 62 degrees. This is warmer than usual, but still plenty cold.

City Park was bustling with activity Saturday afternoon. Competitors were staging gear. Spectators were roaming around and visiting the vendors.

Crowd at City Park

I rode back home on Government Way. The ride took a little over an hour. Later, Donna and I walked to Safeway. She bought an Italian chicken sausage to add to the lentil stew she had in the slow cooker all day. It was last night’s dinner and it was delicious.

Lentil and sausage stew

This morning, I woke up early. I tracked Allen Hutchinson’s progress in the race. There was a glitch in his swim time. They had him at the swim turnaround in less than 18 minutes. I don’t think this is possible. The next 1.2 miles of the swim took almost 56 minutes – the timing splits didn’t make sense. Altogether, his swim time was 1:15:49. I heard the cold water was choppy this morning. Allen’s time for the swim was 10 or 11 minutes longer than his target. He’s off to a good start on the bike. The bicycle course is tough and the wind this morning will make it even tougher. Donna and I will head down to City Park to cheer him on as he passes by.

Dodging Showers

It’s Saturday morning. I’m behind on my posts, so I’ll catch up on the last two days. Not that there’s much to say except that rain really hampers our activities.

It rained on and off on Thursday so Donna and I spent most of the day indoors. We walked in the park during breaks in the showers. Donna decided to make blueberry muffins from scratch. She doesn’t bake very often, but when she does, the results are outstanding. She gave a few of the muffins to the couple that manage the RV park. The guy made a point of stopping by our site to tell us that they were the best blueberry muffins he’s ever had. He said, “The blueberries exploded in my mouth!”

During one dry break in the weather, we walked down the road to the Safeway store. Donna needed some fresh produce and I picked up locally brewed Outlaw IPA. On our walk to the store, we passed an old VW bus that’s set up as a shaved ice kiosk. The windy, rainy weather had pulled the banner off the front. The VW looks to be driveable, but it’s been parked in the lot since we arrived. They were busy on Wednesday when the sun was shining.

Hawaiian Lion Shave Ice

We had street tacos for dinner on Thursday. Donna reheated some leftover pork tenderloin, sliced and drizzled with mojo garlic sauce and served it with shredded cabbage and avocado on corn tortillas. It really paired well with the Outlaw IPA. After dinner, Donna made her famous black bean brownies.

Taco plate

New neighbors pulled in Thursday evening. Three rigs lined up next to us. It appears to be a family reunion. There are two 5th wheel trailers with Alberta, Canada plates and a smaller travel trailer with Idaho plates sandwiched between them. It seems as though Grandpa and Grandma have the smaller travel trailer. The big 5th wheel trailer next to us is a Raptor triple axle toy hauler pulled by a big Ram 3500 dually truck. The woman who drove it in was supremely confident in her driving skills and jockeyed it through really tight quarters. I was impressed.

The rain returned with a vengeance on Thursday night. I was awakened several times in the night by rain drumming on the roof. We were out of bed by 8am. The rain had let up. I suggested a quick walk to the Broken Egg restaurant down the street for breakfast. I wanted to get out of the coach while we could. Donna was game and we headed out. The Broken Egg serves breakfast and lunch until 2pm daily. The breakfast portions are huge and very tasty.

It started raining on our walk back. Again, we had a day of variable and unpredictable weather. Actually, it was somewhat predictable. We knew it would rain – we just weren’t sure when or how hard it would rain. It rained off and on throughout the day without really drying out in-between.

Our plan was to grill chicken kabobs and have the Hutchinson family join us for dinner. I kicked back inside and read a book, keeping an eye on the weather. Donna spent a few hours writing her monthly organizing newsletter which included suggestions for rainy day organizing projects.

Around 3pm, I sent a message to Allen Hutchinson, telling him that we needed a Plan B. The weather wasn’t conducive to grilling and dining outdoors. We decided to meet at the Fish Market on Kathleen Avenue at 5:15pm.

Our timing was impeccable. It wasn’t raining as Donna and I walked to the restaurant. We arrived at the same time as the Hutchinsons. The restaurant wasn’t crowded and we put our orders in. They serve great seafood in sort of a fast-food fashion. You order at one counter and pay. When the meal is ready, you pick it up at another counter. As we placed our orders, a long line of patrons formed behind us. We just beat the dinner crowd. I had the daily special – sushi maki (spider roll) and a poki plate (ahi tuna). Donna had a steamer platter – two pounds of steamed mussels and clams in a garlic beer broth. The food was great. Allen, his wife Crystal, and daughters Gwen and Elsa had a variety of sushi and poki along with steaming bowls of miso soup. For dessert, Donna brought along some black bean brownies for the Hutchinsons to take back to their hotel.

Allen, Crystal, Elsa, Gwen and Donna enjoying dinner at the Fish Market

Allen and I worked together in Michigan. He and his family are here in Coeur d’Alene for the Ironman Trialthlon this weekend. Allen is an Ironman. This will be his third full-distance triathlon – 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles bicycling and a 26.2-mile marathon run – all in one day! We saw his first triathlon in Lake Placid, New York where he finished in an astonishing 11 hours and 40 minutes. He finished before I could reach the finish line to congratulate him! I’ll be sure to be at the finish line this time.

One of the beauties of living a nomadic lifestyle is the ability to plan routes and layovers to meet up with friends and family around the country. We’re excited to witness another Ironman event and grateful for the opportunity to cheer for Allen and visit with his family.

Today, the weather looks to be variable again, but much drier than the past two days. Tomorrow should be clear for the race and warmer weather is predicted for the coming week. I want to get out on my bike and ride down to City Park to see how the Ironman course is shaping up.

Coeur d’Alene City Park

We went out and explored yesterday. Donna rode her bicycle down to Lake Coeur d’Alene in the morning. She rode east along the lake on the Centennial Trail to the end. On her way to the lake, she rode down Government Way and found a few stores she was looking for – a FedEx store and a Natural Grocers store – both within easy walking distance.

After she returned, I unloaded my mountain bike. We had lunch together, then I headed out. I followed her route down Government Way to the Coeur d’Alene City Park. Preparations for this weekend’s Ironman competition were already underway. They had the transition area with bike racks set up and fencing all around it. Vendors were setting up canopies and tents.

Vendors setting up for the Ironman

There were signs along the road advising of closure on Sunday for the event. City Park is well maintained and beautiful. It also has a beach area on the lake with a lifeguard on duty. People were enjoying the nice weather, sunning on the beach and swimming in the lake.

View to the west at the City Park beach

The Centennial Bike Trail runs along the beach, then follows the Spokane River which empties into Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Beach view from the bike trail

I rode up the bike trail past another park and more beach areas on the Spokane River. I had left my water bottle on the kitchen counter in the coach and was riding without water. Luckily, there were a number of parks along the way with drinking water fountains.

At Riverstone Park, the trail turns north and leaves the river. The Centennial Trail is mostly paved, but there were parallel sections of gravel and dirt tracks for mountain bikes. At I-90, the Centennial Trail turns west toward Spokane. The route north becomes the Prairie Trail. I followed the Prairie Trail north to Kathleen Avenue.

There was another bike path along Kathleen Avenue that brought me back to Government Way. The ride was a little over an hour and I really enjoyed it.

Later, I scootered Donna over to the FedEx store. She had documents that needed to be scanned and she also shipped our EMS – PT50C off to Progressive Industries. I like to have protection against power surges and bad pedestal wiring, the EMS – PT50C gives me peace of mind. I’ll have to go without it for a couple of weeks before I have an address for them to ship it back to us.

While Donna was at FedEx, I went to the bank and then stopped at The Fish Market on Kathleen Avenue. The Fish Market is a seafood restaurant and fish monger. They had a good price on Copper River sockeye salmon, but I spied fresh king salmon in the cooler. I couldn’t resist – I paid the premium price for the king salmon.

I soaked a cedar plank and grilled the salmon for dinner. Donna served it with a side dish of pierogies sauteed with onions, red pepper and broccoli from the natural food store. We sat outside and dined at the picnic table.

Dining al fresco

Fresh cedar planked king salmon

My friend and former colleague, Allen Hutchinson, arrived in Coeur d’Alene with his family last evening. He will compete in the Ironman Triathlon on Sunday. We’re looking forward to visiting with him and his family, and cheering for him on Sunday.

This is the second time we’ll see him at an Ironman event. He competed in Lake Placid when we were there last summer.

We had a rain shower this morning. The forecast calls for passing showers through tomorrow afternoon. Saturday looks good, but we may have showers again on Sunday.

Flying The Koop

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Category Archives: Idaho

Last Ride in CdA

Food and Brew

Independence Day

Looking For Shade

Traffic Cop

Heart of an Awl

Brutal Ironman in Coeur d’Alene

Ironman Campout

Dodging Showers

Coeur d’Alene City Park

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