We stopped in Vantage, WA on our way there for a while and looked at the stuff in the petrified forest museum. They had some fossils of a saber-tooth tiger, and a tusk from a mastodon among other things and that was really neat. Selena had kept asking me what fossils looked like and then I was able to show her.
My aunt had found a house to rent and we stayed there. My other aunt and uncle came with there two girls and Selena and Allie loved playing with them and think they are the coolest ever. I really appreciated the attention my cousins gave my girls. My mom has broken her leg so she was unable to play with the girls, but they enjoyed playing "broken leg" and zooming around on her scooter and trying to use her crutches.
The town is nestled in some foothill/mountains and has the Coeur d'Alene bike trail and a river running through town. The town is only about a half mile wide and easily walkable. There was a little store that had a lot of stuffed animals, as in animals that had been killed and stuffed. So that was kind of interesting. There was also a mercantile that had a replica of the T-Rex skull "Sue". Selena and Allie really liked visiting the sharp tooth. There was also an outdoor heated pool. We went swimming once, the only bummer with that was they didn't allow flotation devices, so Selena couldn't swim with her noodle.
The main adventure for the trip was biking the Hiawatha Trail. I assumed I wouldn't be going, but then realized I could rent a bike and a trailer. The trail is an old railway line that has been converted to a trail. The start of the trip involves riding in a 2 mile train tunnel. It is pitch black and all you have is a small light on your bike. The terrain isn't smooth and there are leaks in the tunnel where water from a river pours on you. It is also extremely cold. I haven't biked with a trailer before and for my first experience to be in the pitch black was pretty exciting. When we got out of the trail Allie was yelling, "Most fun ever!" and Selena was saying it was a lot of fun as well. The rest of the ride is down a gravel road, over some trestles, and through a few more tunnels. Overall the ride is 13 miles long and is a slight downhill grade, but due to the bumpiness of the road and the loose terrain it takes quite a while. Half-way through Allie was done. It was her naptime, but she couldn't sleep because she couldn't get comfortable because her helmet was in the way. So unfortunately I was pedaling as fast as I could and was unable to enjoy the vistas as much as I wanted to. When we finally got to the bottom and she could get out she was happier.
I also got to do a lot of running, which was fabulous. It smelled so clean and fresh. There was a 2 mile hiking trail 1.5 miles out of town called Pulaski Trail. I did a couple runs on it and it was very nice. It followed along an offshoot of the river. I also took the girls up there one day, but Selena got distracted at the trail head and just wanted to climb the rocks there. I also ran and biked a bit on the Coeur d'Alene trail.
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