Coeur d' Alene, ID (Day 2)
Monday, September 23
For our first full day in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho we decided to take the Centennial Trail bike trail through town to get a feel for the area. Andi found an RV-friendly parking lot near the town center so after breakfast and school at the campground, we unhooked the RV and drove over there.
The Centennial Trail bike trail stretches 24 miles from Coeur d’ Alene to the Idaho / Washington state line. It was the nicest, well-kept bike trail that Andi and I had ever ridden. There were so many off-shoots to other connecting bike trails within the city, we were confused at times which way to go!
First, we followed the Centennial Trail around the Lake Coeur d’ Alene around the marina downtown and admired the view. It was a windy, cool day but the sun was shining. I wish we were visiting when we could be out on the water!
I suggested we bike across the street & pop into the CD’A Visitor Center for tips on what to do in the area. I’d been watching the weather and it was forecasted to turn cold in a few days, so I wanted to have plenty of outdoor and indoor options. Unfortunately, the employee at the visitor center wasn’t very knowledgeable, but I did pick up a few brochures and booklets about things to do in Northern Idaho and in nearby Spokane.
Andi, Aden, Tory and I continued riding bikes on the Centennial Trail which weaved us through City Park and the North Idaho College campus.
Again, the trail was just gorgeous as it wrapped along the Spokane River. Andi and I couldn’t get over how well-maintained the parks, bike paths and even private homes were in both Sandpoint and Coeur d’ Alene.
Without realizing it, we’d followed an off-shoot of the Centennial Trail and were now on the Prairie Trail by mistake. This bike trail took us past a beautiful Salvation Army KROC Center and we decided to stop in to see if they offered any programs or facilities we might like.
Wow! This would have been a good suggestion by the Coeur d’ Alene Visitor Center! The KROC Center was huge with two swimming pools, a rock climbing wall, theatre production, indoor playground, free-weights, fitness classes and a hang out/game room. They even offered a childcare center for parents to utilize while they were on property. Andi inquired about a family day pass and we tucked the idea of returning here later this week into the back our minds.
Before we left the KROC Center, Tory and Aden played for a few minutes on the indoor playground. As they played, Andi and I spoke to an older woman staffing the area. She was so kind and offered a few more suggestions about Coeur d’ Alene. We were surprised to learn the KROC Center was 10 years old. It was a really nice facility.
Back on our electric bikes, we rode back the way we came toward downtown CD’A. That’s one nice thing about biking vs. driving a car — it’s easy to find a parking spot in busy areas. Andi chained our bikes to a bike rack and we entered into The Shops, an indoor shopping mall, to look around. We stopped in a store called CDA Idaho Clothing and bought a Idaho sticker for our RV travel book. The kids wanted to stop in to Mrs. Honeypeeps Sweet Shop, but we pushed them on to continue browsing.
Just then, a rain notification came through on my Apple watch. It looked like a big swath of rain was heading for CD’A, so we decided we’d better bike back to the RV and get our bikes loaded up onto the rack before the rain started. I’d hoped to walk around downtown Coeur d’ Alene some more because it looked to have a lot of cute shops, but we’d have to save that for another time.
Enterprise Rent-a-Car called Andi on our way back to the RV to let him know the car we’d reserved for the week was ready for pick-up. In two days, Andi planned to fly back to Minneapolis for work and the kids and I would stay in Coeur d’ Alene until he returned. I thought it would be a lot easier for us to get around town if we had a rental car. Next, we drove to Enterprise to pick up the car.
Say hello to my new sweet ride!
While we were in town, we ran to the hardware store so Andi could return something. Andi drove the RV there with the kids inside while I followed behind in the mini-van. I was enjoying the first five minutes of alone time I’d had in an while as I sat in the van alone parked next to the RV. The kids were still inside. A few minutes later, Andi walked over to me carrying a kicking-and-screaming Aden. Apparently, Tory and Aden were fighting with each other in the RV and Aden scratched Tory’s face. Both kids were crying. After that, Aden lost his treats for the day and had to ride back to the campground in the van with me.
At Camp Coeur d’ Alene, we settled into a new campsite for the week. This one was farther up the hill and away from the nice RV neighbor, Marsha, we’d met the day before. Andi decided to go get a haircut in town since we had a second vehicle now. Aden with along, too. Tory and I stayed back at the campground. I made dinner while she worked on collecting sticks to build a teepee. She worked hard at it for over an hour!
It was dark when the boys returned from their haircuts, so we ate inside the RV and then called it a night. Tomorrow would be our last family day in Coeur d’ Alene before Andi left for Minnesota.
