Day 7: Coeur d'Alene, ID to Haugan, MT

Oh my stomach is too full to type... I just had the best slice of pie yet this trip. And the best part was that it was FREE! Our waiter at the restaurant took interest in our bike trip and treated me to a free slice of Caramel Apple Walnut Pie. It was delicious with big chunks of apples and gooey carmel topping.

We logged 80 miles of riding today and have stopped in the small town(not really a town, more of a truck stop) called Haugan. Haugan is known for its $50,000 silver dollar bar. We've been seeing signs for this bar since we started our ride in Coeur d'Alene. I thought it was a silver bullion type bar not an actual saloon bar. As the story goes, the bar started in 1951 with the original owners hammering a silver dollar on the bar top. Since then thousands of patrons have done the same and now the bar is covered in silver dollars (over 50,000 to be exact!).

Our ride today was a tough one for me - very hilly. We climbed about 1000 ft straight out of Coeur d'Alene on a winding residential road. There were great views of the lake and the famous golf course with the floating green. (Yes they have a golf green that you have to take a boat to get to!) The scenery was great, but we were really bummed when we crossed a bridge and saw the highway way down below us. We climbed all that way up just to drop back down to the Interstate.

This was our first time riding on the Interstate (I90). It wasn't bad. We had a 8 foot shoulder and rumble strip. The Interstate actually seems a bit safer than some of the side streets with all the intersections.

We followed I90 up over Fourth of July Pass at an elevation of 3000+ ft and then up over Lookout Pass with an elevation of 4800 ft. In between the two mountain passes, we hopped on the Coeur d'Alene trail. Its a nice paved bike path that meanders along the Coeur d'Alene river up to the town of Mullen (about 25 miles). I really enjoyed the path, especially since it takes you right through the heart of most of the towns. We passed right under the gondolas of the Silver Mountain Ski Area in Kellogg and then rode under the Interstate in Wallace (that would be handy in the rain!).

Of course we had some rain again today but we timed our lunch perfectly and missed most of the first storm. The second storm started on our way down Lookout Pass and we stopped at the hotel in Haugan just minutes before a major downpour. Luck was on our side today! As for flats ... my new tires seem to be doing the trick and I'm happy to report that we didn't have to dismantle the wheels at all - yea!