He’s Glad Trail Is Popular, But Upkeep A Worry

Lake Coeur d’Alene sparkling in the afternoon sun tugged at Rick Cummins’ attention, but he kept his eyes on the 70-year-old woman learning to in-line skate.

“It was wonderful to see,” Rick says, shaking his head with amusement. “Near her, there was an artist set up painting and in the parking area a family was coming out of a motor home.”

Usual stuff for the eastern stretch of the Centennial Trail and the reason Rick became a park ranger 27 years ago. The popularity of the final few miles of the trail also is the reason he frets about its future.

“People are looking for a place to go,” he says. “It’s a lot more than a trail. People have a real feeling of ownership toward it.”

They should. The six-mile ribbon of asphalt along the lake’s shore doubles the percentage of Lake Coeur d’Alene shoreline accessible to the public.

“Here we are in one of the most beautiful places in Idaho and there are few places we can enjoy it,” Rick says. This eastern stretch is the only section of the 25 miles of trail in Idaho under the state Parks Department’s jurisdiction.

When Rick landed in Coeur d’Alene in 1986 to supervise park management in the 10 northern counties, a beautiful but treacherous section of Interstate 90 stretched where the trail is now.

This portion of the trail evolved during the freeway’s move away from the lake. The end product features exercise stations, picnic tables and benches, bathrooms, historic markers, parking lots, a boat launch, its own ranger - whom Rick supervises and envies - and breathtaking scenery.

The rest of the 63-mile, two-state trail pales in comparison. Since it opened nearly a year ago, the easternmost stretch has attracted 130,000 runners, walkers, skaters, cyclists, wheelchairs, strollers, boaters and anglers of all ages.

Now, someone has to take care of it. Rick figures upkeep will cost about $90,000 a year. The vault toilets need to be pumped, the trees and weeds trimmed, the asphalt swept, the trash picked up, the work of vandals repaired.

Rick asked the state for money, but doesn’t have high hopes. So he’s thinking about user fees, concessions, park memberships - anything to keep this part of the trail in shape.

“It’s a lot more than a trail,” he says. “People need a place like this.”

Movie madness

The all-you-can-eat ice cream on the “Dante’s Peak” set must be a movie tradition, says Coeur d’Alene’s Irma Anderl. She and her youngest son played German immigrants in Wallace’s last movie, “Heaven’s Gate,” back in 1979.

“Heaven’s Gate” fed its extras bounteous quantities of food that it kept in two trailers, Irma says. “We were fed like kings. When they had chicken, there was a half-chicken for everyone.”

Irma spent two weeks in makeup and costumes and earned some nice spending money, but never saw the movie. “I lost my courage when I heard it was so bad,” she says.

Irreplaceable you

Coeur d’Alene’s Maxine Chamberlain stayed at Kootenai Medical Center longer than most folks. It was dedication, not illness, that kept her 20 years, says her co-worker, Gerry Wilson. Maxine retires July 8.

She began registering patients into the emergency room and for outpatient services back in the dark ages of typewriters. Now she can focus her tender loving care skills on her garden.

Stranded

Years ago, the Taggarts headed north to see Robinson Lake in spring. We turned off on a slushy road where our Subaru tires stuck in the March mud like molars in a caramel. Luckily, our neighbors were willing to drive 90 miles from Rathdrum to pick us up. It took a backhoe (and some big bucks) to free our car.

Where were you stranded and how were you saved? Search your memory for Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814; send a fax to 765-7149; or call 765-7128.

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