Tunnels and Trestles

Over Labor Day we went on the coolest little trip. Gary heard about a bike ride in the Bitteroot Mountains that was supposed to be a good family ride, so we gave it a try, and it turned out to be awesome! It is called the Hiawatha Rail Trail. It's an old railway line converted to bike trail. Enjoy the pics and read more about it below if you want to...

The trail goes through several tunnels. Some tunnels were short, but the Taft tunnel that starts off the ride is almost 2 miles long. You have to have lights to do it since it's pitch black inside. It's also cold and damp. You can hear water dripping all around you, and Audrey and Tanner are pretty sure they spied bats on the ceiling. The trail is half in Idaho, half in Montana. There was a state line marker in the tunnel. The kids thought it was cool to be underground and in two states at once. Riding two miles through a tunnel really is an amazing thing to do. We are a pretty nerdy family, and as such, are big Lord of the Rings fans. We all agreed it felt like we were going through the Mines of Moria. Gary kept making Balrog noises which Lauren did not appreciate at first, but as we progressed through the tunnel and she got a little more comfortable, she contributed scary noises of her own.

The trail also goes over several trestles ranging from 170 to 230 feet tall. It was enough to make a mommy's heart skip a beat, but it was truly spectacular. We were really proud of the kids for riding 15 miles with minimal complaining. Ethan even did it on his little one-speed kid bike. Annie got a little help from dad:) It was a great way to end the summer. Thanks Gar!