The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Northern Idaho Panhandle

August 4th to August 14th

Ride Director: Ron Scheiblauer
Ride Co-Director: Shari Scheiblauer
Report by: Jean Krahulec

3 states, spectacular riding along rivers, lakes and mountains

This amazing trip, led by Shari and Ron Scheiblauer, covered 3 states with almost 500 miles of riding alongside rivers and lakes in the beautiful Bitterroot Mountain Range, part of the Rocky Mountains.  Surprisingly for a rural area, we rode nearly 150 miles on bike paths. We explored the tunnels of the historic Hiawatha trail and enjoyed the upbeat sounds of the Sandpoint music festival. Thank you to Ron and Shari for sharing their passion and extensive knowledge of this area.

We had a small group of 17 including our leaders. (If you’re considering this trip, book early so that Ron can secure the festival tickets.) To start our bicycle adventure we stopped at the gargantuan Radio Flyer red wagon for a group picture. We briefly return to our childhood as we used the slide to descend. After a challenging day of up-downs, not quite rollers, we began the Coeur d’ Alene Trail, a converted Union Pacific rail trail that included a long bridge crossing Lake Coeur d’ Alene. In Harrison, we stayed at a wonderful lodge where we enjoyed morning coffee on the balcony overlooking the lake.

In route to the historic city of Wallace, we traveled the Coeur d’ Alene Trail through the Silver Valley and along the chain lakes. After a thick milkshake in Wallace, a dip in the pool and a good night’s rest, we set out down the Hiawatha trail. We rented mountain bikes for the 15-mile downhill adventure. The gentle railroad grade offers spectacular views from high trestles. As you descend through the longer dark tunnels you can barely see a small speck of light at the end. Those who wanted more of a workout rode back up while others took the bus.

The road to Thompson Falls, Montana took us over 2 mountain passes. Everyone was delighted to meet Ron’s enthusiasm at the top of the last mountain pass where he waited with water and camera. When some doubted the steepness of the 5-mile climb, we had only to look down at the small dots of cars making their way up the winding road we had just climbed.

If I lived in the area, the first 30 miles of the ride from Thompson Falls to Clark Fork, with rolling terrain surrounded by the mountains, would be one of my go-to routes. Then we hit a long stretch of hard-pack dirt. The benefit of avoiding a highway made it worthwhile, but not pleasant.

The next day, a short ride took us into Sandpoint. The highlight of the trip was the concert in Sandpoint where we saw The Head and the Heart…well known to our friends on Facebook. Ron’s passion for this music festival had him up at 5 am to secure the best seating for us later that night.  Sandpoint offered a wide variety of riding options from steep climbing to the Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort to rolling, lakeside joy rides.

More rolling hills along lakes and incredible mountains brought us to Coeur d’ Alene. After a stretch on a tenuous highway, we met up with another bike path. The next day was all on the Centennial Trail, a paved bike path that ran alongside the Spokane River.

The views were incredible day after day. The friendly riding conditions made it possible to take your time to appreciate the surroundings. I can only imagine that the beauty of this area would been spectacular had it not been for the haze from numerous fires in Canada, Montana and Washington. This was the worse fire season in 60 years.

The rolling terrain made for challenging rides that were balanced out by the vast miles available on bike trails. The negatives to the ride were limited and mostly what you need to expect in a rural area. Be prepared for hard-packed gravel for about 20-25 miles in ~2-10 mile stretches. There are some highway bi-passes if you prefer; however speeds are high and shoulders are narrow. Make sure your bike is in good order and bring supplies a bike shops are sparse in the rural areas. People were friendly and welcoming. Drivers were overwhelmingly polite and offered bicyclists the right-of-way.

Ron and Shari were excellent group leaders and well prepared to share a route that they have returned to many times. They were well organized and went out of their way to make each person’s trip something special. They genuinely connected with each member of the group. Shari always scouted out the best restaurants. Ron and Shari put the needs of the group before theirs. All-in-all…wonderful riding, spectacular views, a great group of people, and extraordinary leaders. Highly Recommended!