I haven’t had the time to ride every weekend lately, and this chilly spring hasn’t helped get me out the door either. But this weekend was fabulous and I was ready to go on an adventurous ride that would make up for lost time. Click the map on the left to see where I went! (courtesy, mapmyride.com).
I had driven through the Garden Gap coming from Robin, Idaho before, but I had never really ventured far beyond the gap. After studying the map of the area, I found the route that will take you through the gap from the opposite direction. This turned out to be a very interesting ride, and a ride in which I was glad that I had purchased a fat-tired touring bike beforehand.
After climbing the never-ending Mink Creek Road (~1500 ft. climb from Pocatello), you fly down the windy south side of the mountains while admiring the vast Arbon Valley and the snow capped mountain range on the other side of the valley (sorry, no pictures this time… I’ll take some shots next time, I promise!) According to the map, it appears that the biggest mountain you can see on the other side of the valley is Deep Creek Peak. After descending about 8 miles, you hang a left onto Upper Rattlesnake Road which is mostly an oiled dirt road (quite decent to ride on) which starts out pretty flat, then becomes a hilly roller coaster ride, and eventually ascends up to the gap.
Finally, you see the rocky gap in the distance and you do a 40 mph, winding decent through the 1000 foot rock walled gap, which is one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I’ve had in quite some time. It is a truly euphoric experience. The creek the runs alongside the road really perfects the whole scene, too. It is a magical story-book area of Idaho.
After that, is the long, tiring ride home. I was pretty pooped by the time I got to Inkom. Then I got home, and guzzled my favorite recovery drink, Hamm’s beer. Next, I looked with horror at my sunburnt arms in the mirror. Hmm, yeah, I might use some sunscreen next time. :-)
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