Route ->
Mangalore -> Charmadi Ghaats -> Kottigehara -> Kalasa -> Horanadu -> Kalasa -> Sumsay -> Kuduremukha -> Karkala -> Moodabidri -> Mangalore.
Total Distance Traveled - Approximately 300 kms
Number of Bikers Participated - 3 (2 Bikes, + 1 Pillion)
Pictures at the end of the Page.
16th March 2012, Friday, 18:00
“We will meet up at 6:00 Am sharp at Mangala Stadium"; I tell Deepak and Vengatesh, my ride buddies for the trip. They nod like always.
The Gods must have been having a good laugh when I said that.
17th March 2012, Saturday - Ride Day
06:00
"Is it 5'O Clock yet??" i thickly ask when Deepak calls to ask what im upto and how come im late. Somehow my alarm clock decided i needed more sleep. "Il be at your place, ASAP. Will call you when ready. Please call and tell Vengatesh about the delay". I tell Deepak. Vengatesh, later confirmed that he got up at 6 o clock too, since he knew that we would all be late anyhow. :) .
06:30
An express bath, fast prayers and super fast breakfast (prepared by my dear mother so early in the morning), and I am ready to roll from home. I start via Sri Venkataramana Temple, Car Street - Stopping briefly and praying for a safe and enjoyable trip. Next, I call Deepak; pick him at his place and land at Mangala Stadium. Vengatesh joins the party at 06:45 and we take the first of the many photos for the day. We head towards the Petrol Pump at ladyhill, fill up the decided amount of fuel and check tire pressures.
07:00 - 08:30
Officially started the Ride at 07:00. A delay of 1 hour is okay, I guess. :-) . Deepak settles down as the pillion aboard The Chill Pill. A quick ten minutes later we are cruising on the NH 48 towards BC Road. It was a slow start; we were just warming up our machines for a long day's ride. For the first few kilometers we were just cruising at 60kmph - 70 kmph. Once we reached the mirror smooth 4 lanes at Adyar, it was as if lions cooped up in the cages were let free. I can only imagine what Vengy's Karizma's Speedo must have looked like. He claims a top speed of 140. :-). The Chill Pill had us cruising at a sweet 100kmph with pillion, both upright. A mighty task considering a total weight of approximately 300 kilos hurling on the highway against the elements of nature. Awesome I tell you. :-) . After a couple of minutes, we caught up with Vengy. The expression was totally worth it. I was reminded of the phrase "grinning from ear to ear". Totally apt reference to Vengy's expression at that time. :) . We went on up till Bantwal Cross road (BC Road) where we took a diversion towards Charmadi Ghats via Bantwal. These roads were just the beginning of the treat awaiting us at Charmadi. Most of these roads at times are ruled by KSRTC buses defying rules of physics, negotiating corners as if they were F1 Cars. We let them all pass, setting our own pace, getting used to riding as a group and exchanging feedbacks to make the group ride more comfortable. 75 clicks into the ride found us at Ujire, which was to be our butt-break coinciding with Breakfast. We reached there at about 08:30. Idli, Puri-Bhaaji, Vada and coffee satisfied our stomachs and our butts got a reasonable amount of rest from continuous riding
09:05 - 10:40
We start towards the Charmadi Ghats. I have to say, I have been on the Charmadi Ghats before, but never on two wheels. The last time I went by them on a bus and needless to say, my companions and I were lost in bouts of nausea. In my opinion, the best way to enjoy the beauty of Charmadi is by Motorcycles. We rode absorbing the beauty of it all, as we went on. Riding on the corners here was truly pleasurable. The Landscape is amazing with all shades of green, multi-faceted rock formations, flowers in bloom, butter flies in swarms; we saw it all. We stopped for a few photographs here and also to mark the first 100 kilometers of the ride. Riding on, we reached Kottigehara at about 10:40 where we stopped for a few minutes at a Petrol Bunk there. The Attendant there was a friendly youth who fed us with information about recent rain, upcoming town, ATMs, fuel stations, etc. After a brief rest, we bid him Goodbye and head towards Kalasa.
11:00 - 12:45.
We are riding towards Kalasa. Deepak has decided to park himself on the rear seat of Vengy's Karizma now. The Roads here were a mix of Okay-ish roads and potholed roads. The Scenery however, is highly rewarding. Its a continuous battle with your mind, refraining from stopping at every spot and getting your fill of photographs. We give in to a few such stops. During one such brief photo-stop, when we are lost in the heat of being a shutter bug ;), we observe another biker group riding by. It was only 2 bikers, Black Pulsars, Black Jackets, Black LS2 helmets, Black saddle bags, imagine the Awesomeness. In the few seconds that they took to pass us, even a amateur biker like me could notice the riding discipline they had among themselves. I wave to them as they pass by, an they aptly return the gesture. Respecting fellow Bikers and getting the Respect back is a neat feeling, I tell You. We rode on for some more time and stopped for Tea at a shop which served fresh tea from its own estate. We got tea and Parle – G biscuits and relaxed there for about 20 minutes. We ride on, to notice that the elements of Nature did not like having a road there. Evidences of Previous roads are still visible in the form of the stones that are part of the Roads foundation. However, the beauty of the area is un-explainable; words fail to give it the due credit. At one point, Vengy and Deepak are going on, and i am the sweeper(person riding last in a group ride). I notice an entire side of a hill covered by plants with White flowers that smell divine even to my cold infected senses. Vengy and Deepak, in depths of conversation have somehow missed the sight. I horn furiously, a signal that we had decided to be a request for a Stop. But somehow it is lost on the leading duo. I stop myself to get a picture and take in all of the awesome sight that i am blessed with. These plants i later found out were Coffee plants. Vengy and Deepak have meanwhile noticed the missing sweeper and have turned back to find where im at. They catch up just as i am boarding The Chill Pill to head onwards. Vengy apparently was worried that something bad had befallen me. Thanking them for their concern, I point out in the direction of my delay. They too are lost in bouts of photography and we head off a good five minutes later. At another such scenic Photo stop, a guy on a brand new Discover 135 stops along with us. It only takes a smile and greeting for him to open up like a fountain of words. He introduced himself as Kiran(Thank you Deepak for reminding me. :) and was a marketing professional for a Mangalore based Chemical Company which specializes in pesticides; He needs to meet up with farmers in the area to convince them to use his company's products. The lively conversation goes on for a few minutes and we depart after wishing each other well. We reach Kalasa at 12:45 and go in search of the ATM. Surprisingly, we find a Canara Bank ATM. :) , Replenish our cash supplies, and then sit on the steps leading to the ATM, chilling and making fun of each other. To repeat Deepak’s words, “people were looking at us as if we were aliens.” :-) since we were wearing jackets and helmets. Apparently Helmets are not compulsory there.
The rest of the ride log will be updated shortly.
