TOT 2015

Krispy Steve's logo design

TOT (Trikes Optional Tour, aka Tater TOT), is a yearly event that has been going for many years. There were probably 100 trikers taking over the Guest House Inn in Kellogg, Idaho this year. People came from all over with lots of trikers from Alberta, Canada, Oregon, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Florida and Colorado.  Many arrived by motor home parking in the hotel lot and more stayed in sites at various local RV parks. Watching everyone arrive hauling trikes in every way you can imagine was fascinating. Trikes in pick up truck beds, trailers, big vans, mini vans, on racks, double racks, trikes stuffed in cars, on top of cars, RVs and folded into trunks. The sight of so many trikes was very impressive. I really enjoyed seeing all these crazy trikers again. There were also a number of velomobiles. Beautiful, super fast machines. And, of course, lots of 2 wheelers joined in the fun as well.  

Trying out a Velomobile, woohoo!!

Velomobiles

TOT takes place on the Trails of the Coeur d'Alene which offer 70 miles of continuous smooth paved biking trails with gorgeous scenery. The event is for a long weekend but most people come earlier and stay longer.  I arrived at the Guest House Inn, getting a lift with my friends Dave and Edna, on Thursday staying until the following Thursday. Many of the surrounding towns are old-timey quaint and a lot of fun to explore.There is so much to see and riding to do I could have stayed longer. 

All the towns in the area are rich in mining history. A good group of us took an afternoon to do a tour of a gold mine in Kellogg. Outside the temperature was 108 and inside the mine was a refreshing 48 degrees. The history was very interesting and everyone was happy to get relief from the heat. Even with the heat, some people also tried panning for gold and stones from some tubs set up outside the mine. 

Gold mine tour

TOT isn't an organized event. There are certain rides that happen every year but, mostly, I wake up, see if anyone has a ride planned and join in. Often there was a breakfast ride to Wallace or the Snake Pit. Sometimes I ate breakfast at the hotel fueling up before a longer ride.  Some people got up extra early to ride the 144 miles of trail out and back. Edna did a century training ride in the heat to prepare for STP (Seattle To Portland).  I chose more manageable, shorter rides like to the end of the trail in Mullan and back.



This year, the weather was searingly hot and this shaped much of our riding decisions. Every day the temperatures were in the high 90's and even over 100 degrees. Brutal! The weather channel said there was a heat dome over the entire Pacific Northwest. An early start was important in order to be back at the hotel before we all melted. In years past, people would congregate at the entrance of the hotel, setting up chairs and yakking late into the night. Not this year. Everyone made sure to get up earlier to ride before the heat was overwhelming. There were a couple of night rides I joined to Wallace for huckleberry shakes which were great fun. We returned after 11 pm and the hotel was eerily quiet. 

Center of the universe is in Wallace.

View from the trail.

Night ride to the spaceship at the Red Garage in Wallace

One of the most popular rides is the Trail of the Hiawatha which starts in Montana high up on an old mountain rail trail. The ride crosses into Idaho in the middle of a very long tunnel. The trail is 15 miles downhill with spectacular scenery riding over trestle bridges high above the trees. Buses at the bottom give cyclists a lift back to the top, even trikers. Even though the ride is all downhill there is so much to look at most people take hours to complete the trail. The path is hard packed gravel with larger stones and a much rougher surface for the last few miles. Without suspension, the ride can be teeth rattling. Many people rent mountain bikes with suspension instead of putting their trikes and bodies through the tougher terrain. 

Cataldo Mission and Parish House

There are lots of group rides and 2 that go over passes, Dobson and Thompson.  Some people get a lift to the top and ride down. I did Dobson last year, and loved it, but this year was simply too hot. A few of us did a ride to the beautiful Cataldo Mission which is one of the oldest buildings in Idaho and very well preserved. People would come back from rides and show off pictures of moose and baby moose, herons, egrets, eagles and elk they saw on the trail. I never saw any moose but enjoyed other's pictures and excitement. One of the big rides is from Harrison to Plummer on gorgeous Lake Coeur d'Alene. Everyone loads up the trikes driving 45 miles to the trailhead. There's a fantastic bike path bridge that crosses the lake and has a fabulous view. The turn around point for the ride was a veteran's park with a tribute to the Coeur d'Alene tribe.

Bridge across Lake Coeur d'Alene

Boat Houses and Lily Pads

Turn Around at Plummer

Lake Coeur d'Alene

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Snake Pit buffet line

The Snake Pit restaurant put together a nice buffet dinner of bbq chicken with all the fixins for the whole group. We all rode the 6 miles there and the parking lot and grassy area outside the restaurant was full of trikes with colorful flags. This was also the second year a fundraiser pig roast dinner took place on the trail just outside the hotel. Lots of fabulous salads and pulled pork. There are also many really good restaurants in the area. This year I tried the Fainting Goat in Wallace which has a big time chef trained in New York and Italy. Great food. The Silver Mountain lodge is across the street from the hotel. They have a ski lift where mountain bikers can put their bikes in a gondola to the top of the mountain and come down on single track trails. The lodge also has a restaurant with good food offering lots of healthy choices. This is my 3rd TOT and there are still more restaurants I want to try.

Snake Pit parking

Buffet at the Snake Pit

Just like last year, I made reservations for next year before I left. Next year's TOT will be a week earlier in June and, hopefully, cooler. Many thanks to Edna and Dave for giving me and Myrtle a lift - there and back. It was fun hanging with you too.