Bike Trip to God’s Own Country – Experienced a Range of Roads and Weathers

It is said that the persons mind is a best place for memories. However, they often get stored away in small deep corners that are almost forgotten. Hence, it is also important to document these memories in terms of Photos and Experiences so that we can revisit them when we want and refresh them. We had one such memorable Bike trip to Wayanad which I would like to document. Reading about it and browsing its Photos is sure to bring a smile on my face every time.

Day 1:-

 The Trip was planned well in Advance by Chaitanya. We all were riding to Wayanad in Kerela – God’s Own Country. The meeting point was Mysore Road – Nice Junction at 4:45 am on Saturday. I was so excited for the trip that I reached well in advance to the meeting point shortly followed by others. When everyone was arriving, we got to know that one of our friends bike had got punctured on the Nice road. We felt very bad but there was little we could do. He was advised to go back once the puncture was repaired.

After a short Intro and riding instructions shared by Chaitanya, all of us started with vigor and enthusiasm. We were a gang of 10 riders - 7 Bikes and 3 Pillions. The Route to Wayanad was via Mysore City. It was decided to reach Mysore as soon as possible and have breakfast in the City. Everyone was comfortable with the riding pace and we were soon cruising on the Bangalore – Mysore highway at a comfortable speed. Soon after we crossed Ramnagar, we were riding amid dense Mist. This was the first change of season we encountered among many to come. We were driving continuously for around 15-20 kms in dense Fog where we could hardly see 15 meters ahead of us. Soon we stopped at a tea stall for small tea break. All of us were grinning with joy. It was an awesome experience to ride in the fog. The Fog was so dense that everyone’s bike was practically wet due to it. After the short break, we started again for Mysore. The Fog soon cleared as the morning progressed and we were able to pick up speed.

We reached Mysore around 8:30 am. Found a nice place to have breakfast of yummy Idlis and Vadas. After completing breakfast, we started for our Destination – Kerala. We had to go via a forest to reach the same. We had anticipated some roads in Bad Conditions before we reached the Forest Entry Point.

We soon hit a long area of road where road laying work was going on. The road was in very bad condition due to the construction work. All of us nearly had a good off roading experience due to this. After riding on such road for about half hour we reached area where normal roads continued. It was smooth riding from here till Wayanad. We did a small photo session before entering the forest area.

The ride through the forest was great. We had lush greenery on both the sides of the road and we were driving via snaky curves all along. It was fun to keep pace with each other on curves and maintain speed. We soon reached the Kerela border and took another refreshment break.

After a short break, we started again and the next stop was Wayanad for Lunch. There was a stark change in weather and all of us were feeling the afternoon heat on us. However the continuous curves kept our minds off the heat. The Road was really good and we were able to maintain good speed .We reached Wayanad and had a relaxing Lunch before reaching the Stay Hotel. On Reaching the Stay at around 3 pm, few of us just dropped on the beds to relax while few of us freshed up with a quick Bath.

We observed that the weather was now-where like a Hill Station. We even asked the Hotel staff about it and they confirmed it will be little bit cooler in the night.

After an hour of relaxation, we decided to go out and do some sight-seeing. We first visited a Lake but to our disappointment it was in a bad state and not maintained well. However it was a good opportunity to mingle with each other and share few jokes. After the lake, we decided to visit a view point which was also very nearby. The View was stunning and it made up for the bad lake experience. As there was nothing much to do this evening, we enjoyed the view at our leisure. It was about 6 pm now and we decided to go back. The plan was to finish the Dinner early, have small discussion and go to sleep early as we had to start early the next day.

We reached the hotel and found that we had few hours to kill before the dinner will be ready. So all of us reached the room and started playing UNO. Few of us were playing the game for the first time and it was really fun. All of us had a good time amid jokes and frolic in the game.

After the Dinner we had a small discussion about the next BIG Ride that we were planning. Chaitanya and Viru explained every possible nitty gritties.

Day 2:-

All of us got ready after waking up on the agreed time and were ready for the second day of our Ride. Today’s Plan was to cover one more sightseeing place and then start our ride back to Bangalore.

It was decided to go to a waterfall. We were soon on our way but took a wrong turn and almost reached the base of Chembra Peak. After course correction we reached the waterfall. Few of us went and dipped our feet while others just enjoyed the Waterfall from the distance.

After this we finished our breakfast of Break Omelets and Maggi. Tushar even went inside the Kitchen Area and prepared a tasty soup from the packets that he had carried. We had a great cook among us.

We started on our way back to Bangalore after the breakfast. It was decided to follow the same route back till Gundlupete but then take a diversion so that we don’t have to cross Mysore. This will help us to avoid the weekend Mysore – Bangalore Traffic. The drive back till Gundlupete was good except for the same area where road laying work was going on. We took lunch at Gundlupete and then proceeded to reach Bangalore via the Kanakpura road.

After a small break near Chamrajnagar, the group got accidently split into two. 3 of us took the road towards Shivasamudram while others proceeded via Talkadu. After quick sync up, we reunited again.

We got the information from our respective friends in Bangalore that it was raining heavily in the city. We geared up using our raincoats and kept all our phones and wallets in the bags safely. We reached Kanakpura and it was time for saying goodbyes. Pekun said that the Ride was very smooth and without incident but fate had other plans in mind.

We soon encountered heavy rainfall after starting from kanakpura and we still had about 100 kms to travel to Bangalore. The night was fast approaching and we were losing sunlight quickly. It was soon completely dark and we were riding in heavy rainfall. There was no Street Lights and we had to face the oncoming traffic with their wide High Beams. Riding was really a challenge but all of us kept up with the pace. However, one of the bikes back wheel got stuck due a Ditch jerk. The Chain of the Bike was not moving. Chaitanya soon corrected the issue and we started on the way back – slowly but surely.

It was quite an experience, the first one for me, to ride in complete darkness in heavy rains keeping just the rider in front of us as a reference. The Rain was being accompanied by lightning and thunder. At times the whole horizon would light up due to a huge streak of lighting striking against the sky. There was good feeling of getting drenched and riding and a small amount of adrenaline due to the darkness and the rain. 

We reached Bangalore without any more incidences. The rain was heavier in the city and we soon disbursed to reach our homes. It was about 10 pm by the time everyone had reached safely.

In the end, we had a great ride which was filled with all Seasons – Mist, Heat, Clear Weather and Heavy Rains. We drove on all sorts of roads – Snaky Curves, dead straight Highways and few patches of really bad roads. The entire 2 days were filled with Fun, Jokes, Yummy Roadside Snacks and Tea, and above all - Good and Safe Riding amid all conditions.

Awaiting to meet the group soon on the next Bike Trip.

Written By        : Sagar Mehta

Organized By    : Chaitanya Kumar Adusumilli

Date of event    : 30th & 31st May, 2015

Members Count : 10

Place                 :  Wayand

Pictures             : BTC FB Page