Ooty was in the scheme of things. Something which had to be done. As we knew that it cannot be done in a day, we made the plan like this: reach Masinagudi on day 1, and keep day two to attempt ooty. Plan was to set out from Mysore at 05:00 Hrs. As luck had it, things did not turn out the way they were planned :D
550 reached Mysore only at 1:00 Hrs in the morning! We met at ring road - Bhogadi road junction at 06:15 Hrs, and set out towards the noble journey.
Day 1 : Mysore – Nanjangud – Gundlupet – Bandipur
Distance : 78.6 Km
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| Looking good on ring road |
The weather was clement, the spirits high. It was good fun to cycle on ring road at the golden hour. Post Kuvempunagar area, while enjoying a downward slope, the cycle pump fell on the road and was damaged slightly :| I secured it properly and moved on. This was not the main blip. Ring road is under construction at many places. There are sections with no paved roads. Before we could reach Nanjangud road, shadowfax was punctured! Shaken but not stirred, we dismantled the rear wheel, removed the tyre, and patched it up!
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| Great mind at work |
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| My first patch - neat! |
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| Shadowfax minus rear wheel on a lappy bag :P |
This endeavour took a good 45 min! We made our way to our breakfast stop, Nanjangud. Riding on this road is scary, as the road is narrow. Vehicles zip past you regularly, and you are left mumbling prayers all the while. If you are planning to cycle this stretch, it is a great idea to reach Nanjangud before 07:00 Hrs.
We stopped to check the tyre air pressures at a bunk just beyond Mysore airport, and were asked questions like - we will not take responsibility if the tube explodes, etc :P
On reaching Nanjangud, We quickly gobbled up a lot of food, juice, filled up the water bottles and set out. It was 09:00 Hrs and we were already 2 Hrs behind schedule!
Some primal feelings and reactions are evoked in people, seeing cyclists. I learnt this. Everyone is extremely happy, and memories of childhood are brought to the surface, I guess :) Wear a helmet, and the emotions are amplified! The kind of support that we got from people in this journey was mindblowing!! People waved, cheered us on, showed us the 'thumbs up' sign everywhere! Everyone on two and four wheelers would turn back, smile and cheer for the trip :) Or was it the pure shock of seeing two cyclists go on in this crazy hot weather?! This mode and concept of travel was a true revelation!
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| Had very refreshing mosambi juice here |
Post Nanjangud, the sun was beating down upon us really bad. The heat reflecting off the tarmac made it all the more hotter. I think we stopped at all tender coconut and juice vendors from Nanjangud - Gundulpet :) It was all mental now, to go on, and devour kilometre after kilometre, to reach the next stop.
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| 550 / Shadowfax |
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| Dreamcatcher / Me |
We reached Gundulpet at 12:45 Hrs, had a lunch consisting of more buttermilk than solid food :D . The buttermilk was very refreshing after all the cycling! We knew that we were in soup, as masinagudi was another 40 Km away, and we did not want to get stuck in bandipur amidst the elephants!! With the idea 'what happens, happens' , we filed on, eager to get to bandipur first.
The sun was completely overhead now, and we realised the true toughness of doing this route, in this weather. I could feel my arms and feet burning in the sun. With no option in sight, we cycled on. Came across this village in a steep location along the way. Had a field day answering the curious kids questions
:)
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| Rowdy gang |
We cycled to bandipur entrance finally! It was an exciting and nervous feeling. The guard at the entrance was not interested in our apprehension, with us asking questions like 'is it ok to cycle in bandipur? :P' so we moved on. It was 15:15 Hrs now. Truly spent, we were cycling on willpower rather than anything else now. 20 Km more to go. A steep , winding road. My FR deraiuler decides to give me some trouble. The bottle cage is preventing me shifting gears. Strange, that this should happen now. Fixing it would time ,even though it is a simple thing. With patience running out, with exhaustion looming large and patience running out, a unanimous decision is taken to head back and stay in some place.
We cycle back to the entrance, and move into a deserted looking resort. And convince the owner to slash staying tariff by >50 %. Cyclists discount :D
I realise the extent of my sunburn. Patches burnt into my arm and feet :| I soak myself for a while, and then interchange the bottle cages on dreamcatcher. Problem fixed :
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| Roaring to go!! |
The place is serene, with a clean room. The evening brings with it beautiful hues in the sky. And a good small ride on the cobbled area in the resort (showing off dreamcatcher to the others :D) . Being on the edge of Bandipur reserve, it is peaceful. Perfect time to reflect, with The Beatles / Floyd in the background, in high spirits :) A sumptuous dinner brings to end this long, enriching day.
Day 2 : Bandipur - Mudhumalai
Distance : 21.6 Km
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| The cycles, ready for day 2 |
Day 2 begins at 06:15 with bread - omlette - tea in the resort. We re trace the same route as yesterday, enter Bandipur with renewed vigour. There is a pleasant nip in the air. It is cool and soothing. The sun rises. Riding in Bandipur is like meditation. The hum of the cycle tyres does not intrude the chirping birds. We are not intruders, merely messengers of peace.
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| The long, winding road |
It is very beautiful to see the deers stare back, with their doe - eyes :)
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| Could somehow stop (and not scare away) and click these deer |
The monkeys too chill and do their thing:
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| Monkeys |
Finally we come across a wild elephant! The huge fellow is feeding himself, just by the road. As he is in a small ditch, I contemplate taking out my camera and clicking a picture of him. Then I think otherwise, stop for a moment, admire the pachyderm, and move on :) A good decision. Soon we cross the border and move into Mudhumalai. A first!!
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| Break on through to the other side |
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| The elephants get a bath |
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| Newton's 3/4th law |
It is 09:00 Hrs, and stomachs growl again. We polish off idlis with some sambar/ chutney and plan the return journey!
We positioned ourselves at a place where lorries might stop if we tried :P Luckily, the very first chap we hauled, stops. We haul the cycles and begin the return journey as planned :
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| Return journey leg 1 :P |
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| Vitruvian man |
The chap zoomed past the forest. It was a little unsettling on the lorry back, as it was unloaded, and lorry suspensions are stiff!!
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| This is how an empty lorry (with a laptop bag :P) looks like |
He dropped us in Gundulpete, as he would take another route from here. It was time for breakfast part 3! I had some juice. We cycled for a while, scouting to stop another vehicle to drop us till Mysore! Luckily, we get this goods auto chap heading to Mysore. In no time, the cycles are hauled :
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| Alien |
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| Surfing |
The auto chap dropped us in DD Urs road by by noon
All in all, it was a really amazing experience! An oath to reach Ooty (with slight modifications to the trip plan) is taken :) By cycle, of course!
