Coeur d'Alene
April 4-6, 2025

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Our hiking group, newly named "The Pacemakers" decided to take our hiking on the road.  We spent a great weekend in Coeur d'Alene Idaho enjoying the Mineral Ridge hike and Winefest in downtown CDA.  A great time was had by all.  
 

 We've had a hiking group for about a year now.  Recently we decided our group needed a name.

 There were several good suggestions, but Eric swept the contest by using Canva to make this great logo.    
    
After the 4 hour drive, we all gladly soak up the sun.  Hard to believe it was snowing 24 hours earlier!  Our rental house was a 1 mile walk from downtown CDA.  Here we enjoy our first sight of 
Lake Coeur d'Alene.  A musician was playing at an outdoor cafe behind us, a total earworm 
of a song that went something like, "At the Pink Pony Club, the Pink Pony Club."
   
Jeb & Amy Tracie & Dan
   
 Lisa & Larry Me & E
   

Say cheesy! 
  This boat, "The Busted Flush" cracked us up.  It looked like the guy was living on it.  
   
 The crew looking out from the bridge on the 'World's Longest Floating Boardwalk'.   Of course, Dan & Jeb immediately started trying to figure out how the poured the pilings. 
   
 Poser See, I told you it was the 'World's Longest Floating Boardwalk'!  It is 3,300 feet long.
   
Next stop - an amazing dinner at The Olympia, CDA's finest Greek food.  Finishing the evening at a dueling piano bar.  
   
 The next morning we were joined by Colin & Lhea and the hiking portion of the weekend began.  Here we are at the start of the Mineral Ridge Nature Trail, ready for action!  
   
Since Larry & Eric both have degrees in Geophysics, I thought they would
appreciate the fact that the trail runs through some very old attempts at mining.  		 Hi ho, hi ho...
   
Dan, Tracie, Lisa, & Larry - checking out an old mining area.   The first overlook shows Lake CDA and the road we came in on.  
   

Jeb got the bright idea to take off on his own and "meet us at the other end." 

Here Larry gets a big laugh out of the fact that the trail he's on is called, "Lost Man Trail."  
  The man & his dog.  It was all great views and warm fuzzies until Eric had to
point out the pair of underwear some poor hiker had left in the bushes down below.  
   
The gang, waiting for "Lost Man" Jeb to meet us.   Here we approach the big payoff for this trail, the scenic overlook. 
   
 Group selfie!  Unfortunately, I was trying to figure out if it took and stood up to totally block Tracie!  :-(  The scenery without all the yahoos in front of it.  
   
Next we toured a small portion of Cisco's Gallery, a giant antique store in town.  

This picture is of a bunch of very old wooden fishing lures, I took this for nephew Brodie!   

 I'm no cook, but I decided to put out a Charcuterie board for the group for lunch 
on Saturday.  It took longer than I planned to set it up, but we got everyone fed.  

This shows the very nice walking path that took us all the way into downtown
from our rental house.  
Charcuterie for 10. 

 

 Here we are heading for Winefest, in which you go around to different stores in
downtown CDA.  Each participating store gives you 1 oz of wine and an appetizer
or dessert.  It's a bit like a treasure hunt with prizes all along your path.   
After our 4th stop (less than 1 glass of wine in total) Eric cracks everyone up
by saying, "Man, I'm wasted!"  The funniest part was that he meant it!  		 Here we are, following our leader Larry who graciously took charge of the map. 
 
   
   
Larry & Lisa, laughing at a joke where Amy told Eric that some guy was asking about her boots
and he misheard the word "boots", much confusion then ensued.  		 Group shot on the run.  
   
 Colin & Lhea fit right in with the Casazza crowd.  Our group enjoying the sunshine and the Raspberry Beignets at this stop.   
   

Jeb & Amy
  Dan & Tracie, someone made them laugh. (Probably Jeb.) 
   
Me & E Heading to a basement restaurant for the worst snack of the day - foie gras.  It was nasty!  

And yes, Colin is flexing.  Afterward was hamburgers and watching March Madness and an early 
bedtime for us old folks.  
   
Gathering for a walk before we check out of our house and start the journey home.  Great trip!   
   
   
   
 

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