Making Lemonade: Riding the Centennial Trail

Yes, Miriam decided to come for the ride.

Raindrops on Blue’s roof, just a few sprinkles, awakened us early and got us going. We had a lot to do this day. David had stopped at an auto parts store and borrowed their diagnostic device to determine the nature of Blue’s ‘engine light on’ warning... catalytic converter issue, it seemed. We had no idea if the repair would be minor (we doubted it) or major, but either way we anticipated being without Blue for at least a day... maybe longer. So what to do?

We’ve always been pretty good at making lemonade out of lemons and we’d discussed our little dilemma at length. Though it would be nice to complete the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene now, getting to and from the trail posed a major problem. We’d read about the Centennial Trail, a paved trail that runs from Coeur d’Alene to Spokane and is about 40 miles long. We reckoned we could do it in two days. I know, I know... 40 miles is an easy day’s ride for seasoned bikers, just not us... yet. One thought had concerned us initially. How do we get back to Coeur d’Alene? There was no public transportation and when we checked, a rental car or Uber was particularly expensive. Only one solution... ride there and ride back. We had a plan.

A side note here... we kept seeing signs for CDA, CdA and Cd’A. What the heck? Duh... we finally  figured it out... all abbreviations for Coeur d’Alene.

Riding the centennial trail

Blue was due at the Ford dealer early the next morning. If we planned to do this ride, we had stuff to get done. In Blue, the composting toilet needed emptying and cleaning. The fridge needed to be emptied and cleaned out. We’d not brought much in the way of cycling clothes since we’d not anticipated doing any overnight excursions. Thrift shops to the rescue. For $25, David got a pair of Nike biking pants and two shirts. I got a pair of Fila pants and a shirt. All quick-dry stuff that could be rinsed in our hotel room and dry the next morning. 

I’d researched Spokane and found it to be an interesting and appealing city. There are several sights to see, things to do and walks to walk... all outdoors. In looking at hotels, there was a reasonable one at the half way point in Liberty Lake. In Spokane, the Historic Davenport, a grande dame hotel, seemed like a gem and the perfect place to belatedly celebrate our 35th anniversary in luxurious style.

We booked a hotel for the night a couple of miles from the Ford dealership and inquired if there was a place to store our bikes. The pleasant ‘hotel associate’ offered a locked Conference Room for the bikes. We also inquired if it would be possible to leave Blue for a few days in their parking lot while we rode the trail (just in case). No problem. I made the hotel reservations. We picked up granola bars and the ingredients for trail mix for snacks along the route and filled up the water bottles. We packed everything we would need for four days away from Blue in our bike panniers.

We drove Blue to his ‘doctor’s appointment’ in the morning, then, advised it would be a few hours for his oil change, exam and diagnosis, we walked the 2-1/2 miles back to the hotel... and waited... and waited...and waited. Finally, around 4pm the call we’d anticipated came. Blue’s problem was a faulty glow plug for the catalytic converter (under warranty...phew!) and it would take 4-5 days to receive the part and install it. Perfect!

We could barely wait to get going in the morning. We reclaimed our bikes, attached our panniers, geared up and we were out the door. There were a few hiccups when we started. Finding access to the trail was a bit confusing, but after a couple of miles, we were tooling along on the North Idaho Centennial Trail heading west to Spokane.

A pleasant rest area in post falls, idaho provided a good place to rest and snack

The path is paved all the way with lots of hills and curves and ups and downs following closely along side I-90 for awhile and then it veers away to follow the course of the Spokane River. David had loaded both the Idaho and Washington Centennial Trail maps on our iPhone so we could always stay on track. 

A rest stop at Minnehaha

There are conveniently placed stops along the route with restrooms, benches and tables and we stopped a couple of times just to take it all in.

We stopped at the idaho-washington state line state line for a photo opp. The

A huge boulder at the Washington-Idaho state line marks the original survey done in 1873. Miriam is a such a photo hound.

We traveled much faster than anticipated and arrived at the hotel in Liberty Lake much earlier than planned. The hotel staff housed the bikes in their Board Room and though our room wasn’t quite ready, they checked us in and expedited ‘room readiness’. Just a block away, True Legends, an upscale bar/bistro was serving lunch on their patio. Their signature Salmon Chowder was scrumptious, especially with a cold draft beer to wash it down. The room was ready when we returned to the hotel. After a few hours in the saddle, the cool room and comfy bed were welcome. After our big lunch, we didn’t need dinner. 

We left a little later the next morning to avoid arriving in Spokane too early for hotel check-in. This really reminded us of walking the Via Francigena last year. Leave early to avoid the heat, but try not to arrive too early so we’d have to wait around for hours to check into the hotel.

This part of the trail was prettier and easier than yesterday’s ride... less I-90 and more riverside trail. It was, however, a bit confusing as parts of the trail continued on secondary highways and one part meandered through a neighborhood. Most of the time there were Centennial Trail directional  signs to help, but sometimes not. The TrailLink app kept us on course. 

Entering Riverfront Park in Spokane… an absolutely outstanding city park

We were soon heading into Spokane. It’s a beautiful city. The trail took us through Riverfront Park, the site of the 1974 World Expo. A re-purposed railyard, we were astounded at the expanse and the beauty of this park. More on the park later.

The Historic Davenport Hotel in downtown spokane… an excellent way to celebrate our 35th anniversary

We made our way up city streets to the Historic Davenport Hotel. I called a couple of minutes before our arrival to inquire where we might store our bikes. “Just bring them in through the front lobby and we’ll store them in locked luggage for you.” This is going to be a great hotel stay!

Join us next time as we luxuriate at the Davenport and explore some of Spokane. You’ll need to bring your own plush robes because we’ll be wearing the ones provided by the hotel.

Continue as we explore Spokane, then return on our bikes to Coeur d’Alenes