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Riding back through Hell's Hollow on the Shoshone ATV Trails.

Courtesy Lynn R. Blamires

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Rich Kitterman in his X-3, keeping up with the pack.

Courtesy Lynn R. Blamires

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A view of Bear Lake as we ride toward Garden City.

Courtesy Lynn R. Blamires

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Garden City is a fun destination on the Shoshone ATV Trail System, famous for its raspberry shakes. We thought a Bear Lake raspberry shake was reason enough to plan a RZR ride. Our friends, Terry and Michelle Maxfield, suggested a planning meeting.

A planning meeting is where we go out to dinner and plan a ride. It has become a tradition and even if the ride doesn’t happen, the planning meeting is all-important. We have determined that you can’t have a ride without a planning meeting.

During the planning meeting, we decided to invite another couple who had just purchased a Can-Am X-3. They found a 2022 model with fewer than 200 miles on the odometer. This would be the maiden voyage with this machine for Rich and Natalie Kitterman.

We decided to stage at Hardware Ranch. Terry and I had Polaris models equipped with the Polaris Ride Command system, so we put the X-3 between us to keep track of the Kittermans. As we left the ranch and made our way north, we could see the two Polaris machines on our Ride Command screens. Trails were well-marked at the intersections.

We passed through one remarkable canyon with massive rock formations. As near as I could tell from the map, it is called “Hell’s Hollow.” We enjoyed traveling through this canyon in both directions as we retraced our steps on the way back.

The trail was dusty until we joined a logging road that was smoother and less dusty. We enjoyed the dense forest on either side of the road and even found a place to take a break in the shade. A break makes the ride more fun because it is a part of the social aspects of a ride

That road took us under Highway 89 and through a viaduct. We found ourselves on a windy trail that took us down into town. There are some beautiful views of Bear Lake along that trail. On the way into town, we lost the X-3. There are several turns on streets through subdivisions, and Rich took one.

However, Garden City is a small town, and we managed to come back together at Le Beau’s, where we ordered lunch. We found a shady picnic table and enjoyed burgers, fries, and Bear Lake raspberry shakes.

Now, about ordering Bear Lake shakes. My wife and I were on a road trip north a while back. Knowing we would be traveling through Garden City, decided to stop for a shake. My wife ordered a raspberry shake – she chose wisely. I, on the other hand, ordered a peach shake. It was made with canned peaches. I chose poorly. I never made that mistake again.

While in town on this ride, we discovered that some of the shake shops close or operate on limited hours during the off-season. We had so much fun on this ride that we wanted to repeat it with more of our friends. If you are interested in taking this ride, check the Internet for eateries that will be open when you want to go.

We finished our lunch and loaded up to start our trip back to the Hardware Ranch. This time, we took the highway. All three of us drove street-legal machines, which made the trip back to our turn-off much quicker.

The best time to ride the Shoshone Trail system is in the spring or fall. The ride back through the forest was over 8,500 feet in elevation, making the air cool and enjoyable. Gayle and I were riding with our windshield down, enjoying the cool air until we came down in elevation and it got hot. By the time we entered Hell’s Hollow, the temperature had risen to 97 degrees. At that temperature, no matter how fast you ride, the breeze isn’t cool, except for Terry. He turned on the air conditioner in his Polaris Xpedition, and he and Michelle rode cool as a cucumber.

We made it back to the ranch, having completed a 73-mile ride. As we were loading, we were reviewing the ride. While our windshield was down, a bee flew into the cab and stung Gayle on her hand. She was checking out the swelling when she learned that the other two ladies had also been stung by bees. Fortunately, no one had a severe reaction.

When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down, and order a raspberry shake. You will be glad you did.

Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com.