I'm writing this as I sit on the porch of our hostel at Mundo Hot Springs. It’s around 2 o’clock on May 9, 2018.
We began our journey on Saturday, May 3 at 6:00am, driving from Eugene, Oregon to our hotel in Ontario, Oregon. This is our first Prius bicycle trip...gear and folding bikes all in the Prius! And we haven't even refilled the tank!
Our journey on the Weiser River Rail Trail began in Weiser, Idaho with a destination of New Meadows, Idaho, and then biking back to our starting point. This was our first trip with Colt and Christy who were on a tandem bike and whizzed ahead of us on the trail reporting obstacles and wildlife sightings.
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| Ready to roll! |
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| The smooth part of the trail. |
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| Trail Map |
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Weiser to Midvale City Park
This was a first — we camped in a city park with no campsites where we just pitched our tent in the grass in the middle of a tiny little town! It was fairly quiet even though it was next to Hwy 95. We had to contact the city in advance basically to ensure that they turned off the sprinklers at night! We cleaned up ok in the small public bathroom and cooked a quick meal. We were happy to have the little market across from us where we bought carrots, Pringles, and Fig Newtons. The area was well lit at night as there was an outdoor ice and vending machines. Always look for light posts before pitching your tent.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Midvale to Council RV Park
Wonderful RV park with a grassy field for tents of some fantastic pizza (the Triple S pizza at Shy’s) a couple blocks away! Ron was our host, although the camping was pretty much self-serve. Good news: they had a washer and dryer!!
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| 44°39'43.5"N 116°31'34.0"W |
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Council to Hartland Bed & Breakfast, New Meadows
Arrived tired and happy at the Hartland Bed and Breakfast, located in an historic old house. Our host Rory let us know that the railroad museum was open the very night we were visiting (it is open just one night/year), so we headed over there after a great dinner of brisket, slaw and cornbread at The Intersection.
The first three days of our ride were all uphill and all tough for different reasons: sun, sand, gravel and some of your basic hills (hills were part of the detour around the Tamarack Mill and the others were after we finished the trail and had to find our way on various side roads, to Hwy 95, and on to our bed and breakfast). My happy moment was when I asked Rory at check in if there was anyone in town who could give us a ride to the south side of the mill in the morning, and HE OFFERED!!
We had a nice evening — 100 year old dust and very soft antique sheets. Our host provided a great breakfast...homemade quiche with lots of veggies, potato latkes with onions and garlic, and fruit. Rory delivered us + bikes to the trail promptly at 8:25am and we were pedaling by 8:30am. We were very happy to avoid the repeat ride on the highway and the hills around the mill.
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| North of Council, ID |
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| Northernmost town on our route! |
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
New Meadows to Mundo Hot Springs, CambridgeAfter riding about 35 miles and a soak in the Mundo Hot Springs, I enjoyed the last bit of sunshine as the sun went down behind the thunder clouds. Colt and Christy stayed in a house at Mundo Hot Springs where we all relaxed that evening. We had planned to camp out, but with thunder clouds looming, we were happy to find that there was also a small hostel available for bikers, so we opted for that over the campsite...$120 more, but it provided a microwave for breakfast and a quick turn around for tomorrow's early start. Funny story though, there wasn’t enough power to run the microwave, so we ended up using our camp stove!! Tomorrow will be our longest day — hopefully all down hill.
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| Dry beds in the hostel. |
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| Bike parking |
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Cambridge to Weiser, Idaho
We woke up happy and dry as it had rained pretty hard overnight. Knowing that we had a long day ahead of us, we got up nice and early and started pedaling as soon as it was light enough to ride, leaving about 6:20am. Light was particularly important for spotting pot holes...if you didn’t see them, they would get you in the end!
Although the trail was downhill, I think we pedaled all but about 100 yards. Headwinds, wet silt, and gravel. Hard but fun. We stopped for a breakfast of pancakes and french toast in Midvale, ID around 8:00am and were back on the trail by 9:00am — there is nothing fast about Idaho! Two other rests, one around mile 21.7 and the other at mile 11 (Presley) where we had lunch. That last 10 miles was pretty slow — strong headwind and we were really tired.
Colt and Christy hit the pavement, which started about a block from our cars. They were so sweet to wait for us to all ride to the end of the trail together. That said, the “end” was really another mile into town and they graciously went with me while Therese stayed behind unpacking her bike and recording our final arrival at the Weiser River Trailhead.
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| End of the trail. |
Reflections
Trail ThoughtsIt was a grand adventure and gave us an opportunity to try some things out.
- Gear was awesome and worked well.
- Camping in a city park felt safe.
- Bike shorts...bring a second pair and don’t wear undies.
- Colt & Christy were fantastic and easy travel companions.
We saw a wide range of birds and mammals.
- Wolf. Ran across a remote section of the trail in front of me. About 100’ away. NOT a coyote, fox or dog.
- Grizzy. Christy saw it. Had the hump! We saw the fresh scat!
- Killdeer. Acting injured to keep us away from its four eggs which it had laid in the gravel on the side of the trail.
- Snake. Lynn yelled, Therese fell off her bike!
So the pizza place in Council, Idaho was amazing. The Triple S pizza at Shy’s. So good. Maybe we were just hungry?
- Having a fresh sandwich on the trail was a great change. Buy as you go on future trips.
- Pringles travel well on a bike.
- RC Cola tastes great!
- Skip the freeze dried eggs!
- Bagels with chocolate peanut butter are always good.
Future trips should include...
- Chain oil!
- Raincoat (good windblock for early morning rides)
- Dog spray
- Small USB battery; skip the solar charger