Woke up in Smelterville, Idaho in a Walmart parking lot. It’s really nice that Walmart, in general, supports over-night parking.
Points of Interest
Idaho’s Silver Valley: Standing in the silver capital of the world, looking at historic machinery used in the mining process.
Strange Things
Drove through the small town of Kellogg, Idaho. They have a very nice high school ball field downtown – right next to Dirty Ernies. “Hey kids . . . let’s go watch some high school baseball and then we can walk next door to Dirty Ernies for some beverages and ice cream.”
Standing in the center of the universe:
ON THE CORNER OF BANK Street and Sixth Street in the quaint mining town of Wallace, Idaho, you will find a manhole. Initially, it may seem like an unremarkable sewer cover, but step a bit closer and you’ll realize it is much, much more: It is the Center of the Universe.
The town of Wallace is four by nine blocks and has a current population of 784 citizens. But in 2004, the mayor made a proclamation: “I, Ron Garitone, Mayor of Wallace, Idaho, and all of its subjects, and being of sound body and mind, do hereby solemnly declare and proclaim Wallace to be the Center of the Universe.”
Other oddities in Wallace include an old bus used as a food truck and a couple of amusement park rides from years gone by.
Rails to Trails
Rode the route of an old abandoned railway from Lookout Mountain in Montana to the site of the town of Taft and then up the hill to the St. Paul Tunnel at the East Portal. The ride was an out-and-back, a total of 20 miles. The ride started with 8-miles of downhill, followed by 2-miles uphill. On the return trip, the 8-miles uphill was kind of a grind.
Moving On: Drove from the Idaho/Montana border to Kalispell, Montana. Camped for the might at the local Walmart. The drive was beautiful. There was a thunderstorm and and some double rainbows.
Van-Tastic Adventures 