Three Gap

As you may or may not know, I'm an avid biker. Not the Harley-Davidson, leather chap variety. But the spandex, leg-powered kind. So when I recently took a road trip, I couldn't help but take my bike with me. My journeys took me to Dahlonega, GA, a small town located at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is a popular ride that starts from there called Six Gap/Three Gap. It's actually one of the routes the pros ride during the annual Tour of Georgia. The Six Gap ride is a 100 mile route up and down mountains with around 10,000 ft. of climbing. The Three Gap is the half version of that, which is what I decided to do.

Since I was traveling alone, I stopped by the local bike shop there, called Dahlonega Wheelworks, told them my plans and gave them emergency phone numbers to call if I didn't make it back to their shop by closing time. These guys were great. They gave me their phone number, pointed out some things to be aware of during the ride, and even offered to come pick me up if I got stranded. Luckily, I did not. What I did experience was one that words cannot describe. The first climb was Neel's Gap, a winding 9 mile ascent that took me a good 45 minutes to do. But once I reached the top, stopped at the little store/hostel that sat along the Appalachian trail, and looked out at the spectacular view down the mountain, everything was good. And all the humdrum worries and baggage that work and life sometimes tries to weigh you down with seemed so insignificant. "Where ever you are, Be all there" read a sign by the store. Amen to that. After a long and refreshing ascent, came two more Gaps with similar challenges and views. By the time the ride was over, I had no legs left at all. Ah...but it felt sooo good. Truly one of the best things I've ever done.