These Knees Were Made For Walking

We’re packing up and leaving Wallace today. I have really enjoyed my time here. I walked 15 miles on the Trail of the Coeur d’ Alene, a trail on the Great American Rail Trail. Just FYI, first walk was easy but I thought the second walk would kill me. They did damage my left big toe. I will probably lose my toenail. I will spare you the pictures.

The campground I stayed at I found on HipCamp. It is Lisa J’s Creekside Campground in Burke Canyon. I had a lovely spot up on a hillside that looked out on the mountain on the other side of the road. Pine trees (and others) all around. Weather was about perfect. It’s Huckleberry season andI picked a few. They were really good. Jack and I also explored the town a little. It’s a sweet tourist town but mining for silver is also part of the economy.

We ate at a couple of local place and, I must say, the food was really good. My favorite was a place called “Muchachos Tacos”. Apparently it is a chic chic thing to make tacos to order with a variety of designing fillings. I had a shrimp taco and a shredded beef taco. It was well worth the wait. But there isn’t a basic diner. Most of the places are on the high end side for food and prices. I would have liked a basic breakfast this morning but I don’t think I will find it.

I also learned that Wallace used to be the place for young men from Spokane to come for beer and for their….education. Drinking age in Idaho is 18 and there is a museum here, dedicated to the bordellos that used to line the streets of this mining town.

Silver is the primary ore that is mined today. There are other metals, gold, copper and lead, I think. It is also a Superfund site. There is work being done to clean up the mess left by a mine in Burke Canyon. The area there is a ghost town but there are a couple of residents living just off the beaten path.

It is clear that the economy is depressed here. The main industries seem to be tourism and mining. And I don’t think the revenue from the mines stays in town. Tourism brings in hikers, people that ride ATVs in the mountains and, in winter, all the winter sports. Huckleberry season also brings in a few folks.

Northern Idaho is a beautiful place. One of the prettiest I have seen so far. I entertain thoughts of leaving Bynum periodically, on this trip. Highly unlikely but this is definitely a place I would consider even though the politics are distinctly red.