Awesome write up. This is what we call a proper adventurous ride. Almost everyone's dream ride. It would be helpful if you could write the maps co ordinates of places to pitched the tent.

Day 3: Planned - Kudremukha Ended Up at - Koppa

What scene comes to your mind when you think of a perfect morning? Sun shining shyly from within the clouds? Check. Birds chirping a melody? Check. Sweet smell of greenery? Check. Yes, that is what we were woken up to on the morning at Kalhatti falls basecamp. Fresh and bright, with lot of ground to cover that day to reach Kudremukh, we rose to complete our morning duties at the restrooms of the school whose ground we had put up our tents on the previous night.

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Joe with his ground crew.
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TVS' sturdiness surprised us.
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While tending to our fallen brother, we came to a realization that it would not be feasible for us to proceed towards Kudremukh or rather camp anywhere for that case. Thus we decided to opt for a homestay in the surrounding towns and we started hunting for one on our smartphones. Finally we found one such place in Koppa, who not only offered to accommodate us and provide us food, but also gave us an option to pitch our tents on their lawns with a subsidized rate just for the food offered.

While waiting for the others, we parked our bikes at the gate of a farm near the bus stop to inspect the curve. It was one of the most dangerous curves we had experience with a blind turn towards the right, and lots of gravel on outer edge of the road to the left. All that, with the road being too narrow. Lazing around in the bus stop well away from the road, but still visible in plain sight, we happened to witness a horrific incident. A Hero Passion ridden by a guy with a girl on the pillion (both without helmets or shoes) were speeding away in the curve before us. Just before taking the right, both happened to notice us and our bikes standing, distracting him from the road causing him to slide onto the loose gravel making him lose control over his bike. Unable to control his momentum, they crashed right into a tree while the bike rode into a pit nearby. Rushing to help them to their feet and pulling the bike out of the pit, we noticed that the boy had a broken wrist with scratches all over his face and the girl had a huge swell over her forehead. Taking the help of the local people there, we assisted them into a passing car to take them to the hospital. Realizing the risk we pose by parking our bikes in plain sight, they were then safely parked inside the gates of the farm taking the permission of the watchman there, who then mentioned that this was an accident prone zone.

Meanwhile the others who took the bike to the SVC had a fun time riding the debris that was left (oh yes, I mean the bike :P) with no proper brakes. They returned with huge grins on their faces and we started gearing up for the ride to homestay at Koppa. There was a drastic drop in our cruising speed (courtesy of Joe :P) and we finally reached Koppa to rendezvous with the people in-charge of the homestay. Offering to take us to a viewpoint nearby, they warned us that the road would be a teensy bit bad. We expected a slight bumpy road, but we then realized that they were being VERY modest about it. With fully loaded bikes between our legs, and slick slush beneath them, we were at war with the road (Road? What road?) due to loss in traction in our tyres. As we fought our way uphill, a very beautiful sunset greeted us with warm hands (actually it was pretty cold over there :P) at the end of the road.

The mesmerizing view.
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Supreme Commander.
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The algae beneath made it a challenge for the pilot and the ground crew to turn this beast around.
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With the bike returning good as new, we raised a few toasts around the campfire, under the influence of good music and surrounded by the best people, to Chetan (it was his last bachelor ride), the fallen hero (because of whom we came to the homestay :P) and last but not the least, the beautiful machines on two wheels.

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Special Note: For the special note of the day, we would rather let the video do the talking.



For us riders, the ride never ends. So, stay tuned for Day 4 from our very own Supreme Commander (Dr. Joseph Fidelis )

Hariathoo!