Topic Approved.

Nice teaser pictures and text apacheboy. Waiting eagerly for the rest of the story to unfold.

Nice pics apache boy.... err or avenger boy ...
Waiting for more pics and log

Superb!

What an amazing pic this is! Can we have a high res image pls..
Which place is this?

Oh Adithya!!! Seems you had a gala trip, riding alone in those ghats in rains. Good teasers there. Roll the rest. Eagerly waiting for the log.

You did not even let me know about the plan Was not able to answer you SMS query on that day, as I was sleeping.

Ravi anna. i myself didnt know where i was heading..first it was Mysore..till 12 in the nite the day before. then it was Shimoga & then it was Karwar..but i landed up in Palolem beach, Goa

So how was goa?

Did u do what i asked you to do in goa?

loved those lines.
waiting for the rest of the log and pics.

Beautiful pics. Waiting for the rest of the pics and the log!

Day 0:Planning & Preparation

Hi tibby!!
I really dont know the name of the waterfall,but its after you cross Dandeli en route to Karwar..locals call it lutaka falls or something like that..

heres the link for the hi-res one!!



Day 0:Wednesday 1/7/2009
12:30 AM
My leaves are approved for Wednesday through Friday.Started to plan the so called Prep trip for the Big ride to Kaza later this month.
Initial plans
Hyd>Humpi>Gokarna

Got off work at 7:30am in the morning, and as planned called up KP to pick up the Sprinta cans at 9:30 near probiking showroom.Had to meet Satish & pick up the another can of Oil from him.He said he will meet me at Paradise around 10.

Handed over Avy to my trusted mech Srikant at Probiking,took Arif Bhai's (the service center manager) HRC edition Unicorn & headed off to Paradise to meet with Satish.While at Paradise we decided to head off to the Camera store to pick up a nice case for my Camera & went off there.The owner of the camera store turned out to be bike buff & was kind enough to let me photograph his BMWs.

Half an hour later at the camera store i realise i dont have my phone on & both of headed back to Paradise to my utter disbelief I found the phone lying on the table I left.(1st sign of good things)..

Went back to the camera store,picked up the case & went back home & later came at 5:30 pm to collect my bike from service.

I had deciced to sleep off early but my room mates had other plans, I so much wanted to join in the party but the itch to find the answer was really bugging me..

8:30 PM
Went to office for a urgent client call for 1hr.Spoke to Deepak(my boss) regarding my trip to Humpi>Shimoga>Hyderabad

He initially suggested to do the Hyd>B'lore>Mysore>Coorg but during a smoke he said
"Ever been to goa in monsoons, its beautiful. Especially if you enter goa from the south."
I came back home took a good look at Eicher Road maps & decided to head SouthWest,still not sure where to go.

11:30 PM.
All my Friends partying in the next room i was busy packing my stuff & getting ready for the ride..some of them came over & said "Adi tu pagal hai,akele kyon jaa raha hai. agar kuch hua toh"
I so much wanted to tell them that it was the itch for the answer that is making me ride but i knew they wont understand so i joined them for a beer..Finally at 12 in the night i am off to sleep, everything packed, but Destination still Unknown








My Super mech:Srikant

Nice, finally I get to see the log behind all the pics in FB

Superb ride man, unplanned rides are always the best.

Waiting for pics of Palolem, I've heard so much about it!

Nice teasers there.. Bring on the rest..

Day 1: The Mad Thrash

Day 1, Thursday 2/7/09

Got up at 5:00 AM, loaded the cramsters on to Avy & started the engine while i was getting ready.
5:30 AM
All set to ride, had a final look at the road map & decided to head to Hubli, as it will serve as a gateway to the west coast.Weather was good, Avy was warmed up & we were of to hubli.

Route
Hyd>Jadcherla>Mehboob Nagar>Raichur>Gangawati>Bodugumpa>Kopal>Gadag>Hubl i.

Distance
550 km.

From Hydeabad to my breakfast stop at jadcherla was a breeze, reached jadcherla at 6:45 am,averaged about 80km/h.After a quick stop for tea & breakfast i headed upto mehboob nagar prepared to take the mad traffic of this chaotic town head on.Fortunately for me the traffic was not that bad & managed to get out of that town in about 15 odd minutes & then hit the Fantastic Raichur road.awesome black top, very scarce traffic & Psy trance pumping in my ears i had little to think about anything but ride as fast as i can.

9:15
Reached the AP-K'taka border, stopped over for a couple of pics & water,
and then headed for raichur which is about 10 minutes from the border.
While going through Raichur, it seemed Avy's chain tenssion needed to be adjusted as it was very tight.pulled in to the Bajaj service center in raichur & 5 minutes later i was on the road again.

From Raichur to Bodugumpa was a familliar road for me, had done this part thrice earlier en route to hampi, beautiful roads & rocks. This place always reminded me of "Nappa Valley" from the computer game "Road Rash". Tharsed through the scenic roads & around 10:45 stopped at the middle of the road to take a couple of pics..

Crossed Bodugumpa at around 11:30 en route to Kopal and suddenly the good roads vanished.And i was off the SH-23 and on the NH - 63 I felt what bad roads theese are,still then could have been worse, after riding about 15 km on the bad roads i see the road works are going on in full swing & the roads are great again,(the ride back home will be easy).

From here on there was just the black top , no traffic no one else just me & clouds playing hide & seek with the sun, no signs of rain.

I did about 400 kms & Avy went into reserve, and i pulled over for a fuel stop at Gadag,about 150 from Hubli.Fuelled up left Gadag & roads start worsenning again.Roadworks have caused the roada to virtually shrink to a single lane road, could have been worse,,Moved off the road & rode on the borders of the road for another 10-15 kms & i felt the need to refill my stomach & get some rest for both me & Avy.

2:30 PM Lunch Break at annigeri, & 1 hour rest, started for Hubli at 3:30
This time the roads were good but were lined with thin layer of slush..all the way..I knew i had to take on the monsoon now head on..& it started raining..being over confident i had just brought the Upper half of my Army Rain coat so , wore that & soldiered on..Finally at 5:00 i reached outskirts of Hubli..took a minute to look at my self, my cargos were no longer the Light Brown color they used to be..they were black & felt like 20 kgs.

Any ways checked a couple of hotels, every body said they dont have a room. Finally checked in to the "Ashoka Towers", the room i got was a 5 Room Pent house for 700 bucks..

Dried up my gear, changed into sorts & went to the nearest bar...

Old monk, Egg bhurji and drizzle..

Day 1 comes to an end..

PS:
I forgot to add the drastic change in landscape.from hyderabd till Nh-63 Junction in Bodugumpa all i could see was lush green fields & rocks..after that the lush green fields gave way to black soil.(Cotton Corp was ready to be sown )and rocks gave away to plains..the plains were immenese & stretched all the way to horizon..


Enuff talks.. here are the pics..


Breakfast at Jadcharla

Jadcharla > Mehboob Nagar

Karnatka..

The fine folks at Bajaj Service Center Raichur

Raichur>Bodugumpa (Nappa Valley Road)



The bedroom at my Pent house in Hubli..

Sir it was the Lone Wolf who inspired the Bull to ride solo to Western Ghats

Day 2: The Clash with the elements

04:00 AM, I am awake & hungry, walked up to the railway station had Tea & Idli for breakfast.bought some bananas for my snack during the ride & signs tell me that it is going to be very cold & wet day.

06:00,Look out of my window


I knew It will be long cold day, packed up & rolled from Hubli.

Route taken

Hubli>Mansur>Haliyal>Dandeli>Joida>kumbharwada>Aus hi>kadra>Karwar>Palolem
Distance 260 kms
Time taken 9 hrs

While going out of the city it started to drizzle & that was my last chance to click a couple of pics while i was dry..I will not bore you with words this time hence in short..A wild & wet ride, countless switchbacks on the mountain roads beyond Dandeli.At the top of the mountain about 20 km of the roads were horrible,(it changed my defination of bad roads)The only way out was to ride on the shoulders of the road & ride straight through potholes(the size of truck tyres, filled with water)

1st stop at Dandeli for a Tea & Smoke
2nd Stop at the view point for pics, the initial point of the waterfall
3rd Stop at the base of the waterfall
4th Stop Sadashivgarh, out skirts of Karwar next to the Arabian Sea(sorry no pics, due to the rains)

Enuff talking here are the pics




Just Outside hubli



The Ninja part of me tries to surface sometimes

Just after Haliyal




Somewhere enroute


This road actually is a connecting road to a small village,took a diversion for the pic


At the view point , end of bad roads


From the view point






Bad roads end & the Descent Begins through the clouds

The bottom of the mountains finally



My room in Palolem Beach Goa

Lovely Pics there...