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The Great Karnataka Roadtrip
10th July – 21st July, 2012
Year in and year out, road trips have been a constant factor in my timeline for the past 2 years. Having done a 7 day long road trip across the western Ghats of Karnataka the past year, and smaller, day or two long trips over the past year, the itch to do a longer, bigger road trip just had to be scratched. And that gave birth to the idea of touring Karnataka on 2 wheels. 2 riders. 2 rides. 13 days, all over the state, 2200km of roads. That was what it turned out to be, along with excitement, and fun added to the basket.
Day 1: Bangalore-Shimoga-Sagar: 372km
Starting sharply at 6am, and catching up with my fellow rider, we did the first 70km to Tumkur and gave a stop for a quick breakfast. Yummy dosas filled our stomach, and we were back on the road. We still hadn't got saddlebags or other convenient means to carry our load for the next 13 days, and instead were using backpacks. 80Ltr ones! We were a sight to everyone on the road, thanks to the huge, and I mean HUGE backpacks.
The state highway from Tumkur to Shimoga is really good, with some small bumps and potholes as you near a small town or village, but other than those, it's a breeze, and we made good time, covering 200km in under 5 hours, stopping for photography and hydration breaks on the way.
A quick lunch at Shimoga, and we went off to visit the Upper Tunga Project Dam which was about 10km away from Shimoga. There was nothing worthwhile there, and after clicking a few pictures, we were back in Shimoga, and it was about 4pm.
With another 2 hours of good daylight left, we rode to the little town of Sagar. The 2 lane state highway is fantastic for most part, with good curves, green tunnels and good greenery on either sides. A little rain, sunshine, and photography stops later, we were in Sagar by 5.30pm. We got a room for a rather good price and settled for the night.
Day 2: Sagar -Jog falls: 260km (although it's only a distance of 25km!)
Starting at 6am, we got extra petrol (6ltrs) in our jerry can, and a 1ltr can. The actual plan was to go to Sigandur, take the ferry across the river, head to Jog falls which was about 70km from there, and ride further to Dandeli, about 200km from Jog Falls. What happened was a whole different story.
Sigandur is about 30km from Sagar, and the route winds thru quiet countryside roads, and with a stop for breakfast, and photography (lots of places, we didn't know where to stop, and where not to stop!) we reached Sigandur by 8.30. The ferry crossing takes about 15-20 minutes, and costs about 6 bucks for a 2 wheeler. And there, it was the same story of explaining to everyone about our ride, as they were curious about the big bags we carried. Everyone advised us to head back to Sagar and go to Jog, but we persisted in our actual plan which as it turned out, was not a very good choice.
Back on the road by 9.30, after the first few km, the road became pothole and pebble laden, and we struggled riding thru those roads, thanks to the backpacks which used to sway sideways, and gave us some shoulder aches. 30Km in an hour. Uff!... And then, a villager told us that the bridge ahead had collapsed, and we had to turn back. Our option was to either go back to Sigandur, or go to Bhatkal which was on the coast, continue to Honavar, and go to Jog, all in 90km (as per the informant) We chose the latter option, and the 90km became a 180km ride! It was 90km to Bhatkal, another 30 to Honavar, and 60 to Jog falls from there. Weary and tired after riding in the rain for some 30km, and again threatened by imminent rain in the evening, we reached Jog by 6pm, got a room, hung out all our wet clothes to dry, and crashed (into the bed).
The plus point of this day was riding thru the fog via Kodachadri Ghats for about 20-30km en route to Bhatkal. But bad roads, crater like potholes, and a constant rain were really bad additions which we could've done without.
Signing off for now,
One Life. Many Rides.
https://www.facebook.com/thepetrolheadpage
10th July – 21st July, 2012
Year in and year out, road trips have been a constant factor in my timeline for the past 2 years. Having done a 7 day long road trip across the western Ghats of Karnataka the past year, and smaller, day or two long trips over the past year, the itch to do a longer, bigger road trip just had to be scratched. And that gave birth to the idea of touring Karnataka on 2 wheels. 2 riders. 2 rides. 13 days, all over the state, 2200km of roads. That was what it turned out to be, along with excitement, and fun added to the basket.
Day 1: Bangalore-Shimoga-Sagar: 372km
Starting sharply at 6am, and catching up with my fellow rider, we did the first 70km to Tumkur and gave a stop for a quick breakfast. Yummy dosas filled our stomach, and we were back on the road. We still hadn't got saddlebags or other convenient means to carry our load for the next 13 days, and instead were using backpacks. 80Ltr ones! We were a sight to everyone on the road, thanks to the huge, and I mean HUGE backpacks.
The state highway from Tumkur to Shimoga is really good, with some small bumps and potholes as you near a small town or village, but other than those, it's a breeze, and we made good time, covering 200km in under 5 hours, stopping for photography and hydration breaks on the way.
A quick lunch at Shimoga, and we went off to visit the Upper Tunga Project Dam which was about 10km away from Shimoga. There was nothing worthwhile there, and after clicking a few pictures, we were back in Shimoga, and it was about 4pm.
With another 2 hours of good daylight left, we rode to the little town of Sagar. The 2 lane state highway is fantastic for most part, with good curves, green tunnels and good greenery on either sides. A little rain, sunshine, and photography stops later, we were in Sagar by 5.30pm. We got a room for a rather good price and settled for the night.
Day 2: Sagar -Jog falls: 260km (although it's only a distance of 25km!)
Starting at 6am, we got extra petrol (6ltrs) in our jerry can, and a 1ltr can. The actual plan was to go to Sigandur, take the ferry across the river, head to Jog falls which was about 70km from there, and ride further to Dandeli, about 200km from Jog Falls. What happened was a whole different story.
Sigandur is about 30km from Sagar, and the route winds thru quiet countryside roads, and with a stop for breakfast, and photography (lots of places, we didn't know where to stop, and where not to stop!) we reached Sigandur by 8.30. The ferry crossing takes about 15-20 minutes, and costs about 6 bucks for a 2 wheeler. And there, it was the same story of explaining to everyone about our ride, as they were curious about the big bags we carried. Everyone advised us to head back to Sagar and go to Jog, but we persisted in our actual plan which as it turned out, was not a very good choice.
Back on the road by 9.30, after the first few km, the road became pothole and pebble laden, and we struggled riding thru those roads, thanks to the backpacks which used to sway sideways, and gave us some shoulder aches. 30Km in an hour. Uff!... And then, a villager told us that the bridge ahead had collapsed, and we had to turn back. Our option was to either go back to Sigandur, or go to Bhatkal which was on the coast, continue to Honavar, and go to Jog, all in 90km (as per the informant) We chose the latter option, and the 90km became a 180km ride! It was 90km to Bhatkal, another 30 to Honavar, and 60 to Jog falls from there. Weary and tired after riding in the rain for some 30km, and again threatened by imminent rain in the evening, we reached Jog by 6pm, got a room, hung out all our wet clothes to dry, and crashed (into the bed).
The plus point of this day was riding thru the fog via Kodachadri Ghats for about 20-30km en route to Bhatkal. But bad roads, crater like potholes, and a constant rain were really bad additions which we could've done without.
Signing off for now,
One Life. Many Rides.
https://www.facebook.com/thepetrolheadpage
very good pics!
my native place..
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