Mysore - Ooty - Coonoor solo ride

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe. ” – Anatole France

A restoration of harmony was on the cards. Desperately. So was a ride to the hills. When the call becomes irresistible , and restlessness rules the roost, one must wander to quell the anarchy and meditate on the calming effect that riding brings. So I packed up and set out.

Day 1: Mysore – Nanjangud – Gundlupet – Gudalur - Ooty
Distance            : 155 Km
Time                  : 06:00 Hrs - 12:30
Pit stops            : Many!!!
Road condition  : God Level

Set out from home at 06:00 Hrs, it was still dark, and quite cold too. The ring road is still under construction in some patches and I was not in a hurry. Wanted to break for food in Nanjangud which is 23Km away. Shadow was changing to light, and it was brilliant to observe the changing colours in the morning sky. Close to Nanjangud road – Ring road intersection, Betta presented a nice outline with an orange sky filled with promise:

Came across a huge bunch of birds hanging out on a tree, by a lake, just outside town:

Roosting

It was sunrise just before I made it to Nanjangud. After a quick breakfast, I was on my way. The road from Nanjangud – Gundlupet (37Km) were awesome, with minimal speed breakers where necessary. For some reason, they decided to pave the road again, which made riding here a joy:

My wonderful and trusted ride, at a break. Beautiful :)

The good roads continue into Bandipur forest reserve too. Inside the reserve, one is expected to ride understanding that this is an ecological hotspot. No honking, over speeding, littering please!

Inside Bandipur

One can spot a variety of wild birds and animals in Bandipur. This is a tiger and elephant hotspot.

A peacock struts:

The peacocks are brought to shame. Your strut is not in vain.

And a Vervet monkey gazes:

Vervet

It is a pleasant ride, and one can listen to un interrupted sounds of nature, provided there are no vehicles to spoil this! Good place , soothing.

Soon we enter Mudhumalai forest reserve, the name given to the forest on the Tamil Nadu side of the border. I wanted to get to ooty via Gudalur. The Gudalur route is longer than the normal route. But, it is less steeper. Did not want to put my bike through the rigours of a steep climb, hence this decision :) 

After Theppakadu, we get a diversion. The road to the left goes to Masinagudi and then Ooty. The one to the right takes us to Ooty Via Gudalur. Just past this junction is a river which runs along the road, and I saw some elephants being bathed :

Say hello to the 7000th click from the 500!

Milestone

It turned out that those elephants were getting out of the river, and into the road. My bike was parked right on that path, and it was a tense few seconds when I was faced off with the pachyderm :D

From Gudalur, the landscape changes to bamboo groves. Nice, cool, with lots of shade:

Further on, out of nowhere, there is this eucalyptus plantation. It is like entering some sort of dream land, as the scent of eucalyptus wafts through the air. These trees reach for the sky, very tall! A beautiful and serene place to be in:

Just loved this stretch

Eucalyptus trees everywhere

Scented breeze

Great roads and very pleasing environment

 

:)

Post this point there were some pretty unbelievable views of from the higher altitudes. I was too stunned to stop and click!

Reached ooty by noon, roamed around looking for a suitable place to stay. Finally stuck a deal to place my bike in a secure parking area in one hotel, and stay in another hotel!

 Checked in, freshened up. It was pretty sunny, and for some reason , did not want to roam around town in my bike. So went around town walking. Think I ended up walking some 10Km that day! Was good, though. Visited Rose garden and Botanical garden. Have blogged the pictures for these places over here.

Day 2: Ooy - Coonoor- Ooty - Gudalur- Mysore:

Distance            : 165 Km
Time                  : 06:00 Hrs - 12:30
Pit stops            : Many!!!
Road condition  : God Level

Decided to begin day 2 early, checked out at 07:00 Hrs and man, it was cold! I did not have those full palm gloves, and soon my fingers were aching in the cold! More reason to indulge in the coveted Alpinestars. Worse, nothing was open in town, so no piping hot tea to begin the day.

There are some pretty epic scenes on the way from Ooty to Coonoor. Coonoor is at a lower altitude than Ooty is, so it is a downhill ride. Along the way, one gets to see the whole expanse of the lower regions of the nilgiri range, and it is one of the most beautiful sights that I have seen in my life. Jaw dropping beautiful. Tip = If you are in ooty, get off your butt and visit this view point, just a couple of km towards Coonoor. You will not regret. The sun rises beyond the hills, and the lower plains are covered in a blanket of mist. Highly recommended ride!

Over the hills and far away

On the way to Coonoor

Very enjoyable ride to Coonoor. After reaching town, I scouted the town. Plan was to stay in Coonoor for the day and check out a few places. Coonoor is much smaller than Ooty, with very few options for stay. Think that people do Coonoor only from Ooty and stay back there for the night. Had piping hot tea in town. Life is restored to those veins! Had breakfast at a hotel near the centre of town. Made an alternate plan of getting back to Mysore today, as I found out that places of interest close by are mostly view points.

So I was on the way back to Ooty now! It was not that cold, and I was in Ooty by 08:30 Hrs. Took the Gudalur route to Mysore again. Did not stop many times, except for breaks to get the blood circulation back on track, and some tea breaks. Riding downhill needed another set of skills. Honk at all corners, judge the apex, expect the unexpected, be patient while overtaking the trucks and buses.

A few images from the return journey:

Reached Gudalur quite soon, as there were not many photo breaks on the way. Gundulpet came pretty soon too. Past this point, it was pretty effortless to reach triple digit speeds. Stopped for tea in Nanjangud past noon, and was home for lunch!

Do the Mysore - Ooty-Coonoor at least once, and do it on your bike. You get to stop where your heart pleases, and click to your content. In a car it becomes that much more difficult to park on those winding roads :) Highly recommended ride!