Determined to prove that I could successfully ride across a state border someplace other than the I-5 bridge, I participated in the 2008 Tour des Lacs (that means Lakes for you non-Frenchies), a there-and-back two-day journey between Spokane, Wash., and Couer d’Alene, Idaho.
Getting myself, and more to the point, my bike, from Portland to Spokane, took some doing. I obtained a bike box from Sunset Cycles and spent, well, far too long, taking my bike apart some, wrapping it with bubble wrap and fitting it into the box. Along the way I learned that if one must remove the handlebars and stem from the front post, afterwards one should promptly put back the screw that holds the stem in the post. Otherwise the front fork can slide out the bottom of the post. Sigh. Well, it actually made it easier to get the bike into the box.
An uneventful Greyhound ride got me to Spokane Friday afternoon, Sept. 19. I checked into the Red Lion Hotel that served as event HQ, and picked up my packet.
The next morning started early, with a blueberry pancake breakfast for the group (200 or so), and a 6:30 bicycle departure from the Red Lion with a police escort (what, we needed protection from an angry mob or something?).
One can get from Spokane to Coeur d’Alene in a flat, 40-mile shot on the Centennial Trail that parallels the Spokane River, but the organizers offered longer routes as well. I took the 64-mile route; others rode 100-plus miles.
Just getting out of town required a fair amount of climbing, a harbinger of things to come.
The event was well-organized (by a small event-management company, not a local cycling club), with good signage, well-stocked food and rest stops, and luggage delivery service from Spokane to lodging in Couer d”Alene.
The majority of the route was along a lightly traveled highway, and it involved quite a bit more climbing than I and many others had counted on. The first two-thirds seemed like it was moderate but fairly steady climbing, with some flat areas. We eventually hit a pretty challenging hill that was quite long. Everyone was pretty short on breath and long on sweat by the time they reached the crest. It was there we saw a sign warning truck drivers of the 8 percent grade on the stretch we had just finished. Yeeesh!
As these things generally go, the tough ride up was rewarded with an invigorating descent.
After resting and refueling, the riders started down the year-old Trail of the Couer d’Alenes, a biking and pedestrian pathway that wound mostly downhill and then over a bridge spanning a narrow part of Couer d’Alene Lake.
We ended the day’s ride at a park in the little lakefront town of Harrison, Idaho. Chile and other eats were provided, music was pumped out on the P.A., and the Couer d’Alene Brewing Co. sent their van, which conveniently had two taps on the side.
We later walked our bikes onto a touring boat for a two-hour voyage on the lake to Couer d’Alene proper. By that time the overcast skies had changed to mist and a cold wind on the lake, so I didn’t see too much of the scenery, which is supposed to be spectacular. There were more riders than seats, so plenty of us flopped down on the floor sans riding shoes, and others waited in line for their 10-minute sessions on the massage tables.
After disembarking we rode three blocks to the home of Couer d’Alene Brewing Co. for pizza and pasta, and more beer. Since the brewery was to accommodate us all for dinner, I had envisioned something along the lines of the Deschutes Brewpub in Portland or Bend. But this was a small place, and it accommodated us all by feeding us outside.
A 20-block ride brought me to my motel, and a good night’s rest.
In the morning it was raining. I skipped a group breakfast in the brewery parking lot, choosing not to eat soggy pancakes. I stuck with the motel’s complementary breakfast bar instead. The rain was cold and it lasted all day. I chose the 40-mile Centennial Trail ride on the way back, but even with that simpler route and a rain jacket, I was soaked and shivering by the time I got back to Spokane.
After returning the group was hosted to a ‘potato feed’. (One of the ride sponsors was the Washington State Potato Commission.) Baked potato with all the toppings was actually a pretty good late lunch.
I overnighted in Spokane, boxed up my bike and remembered to place the handlebar stem screw back in place right away. Another Greyhound ride on Monday and I was home.
On the whole trip I never encountered another Oregonian, but I chatted with many riders from Washington, Idaho and Montana, several of whom do the tour annually. I’m glad I went, but I’m not sure I’ll go back next year. That bike-packing thing isn’t much fun.