Typical, Soumya kind of narration and thread title coupled with some great pictures. Something tells me this is not all. I did see him clicking away to glory and at the same time could see his mind thinking on what pic would go with what narration. Great job as usual buddy, dont stop here and continue please.
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Originally Posted by mohan And for the uninitiated, a snap of the photographer+script writer turned serious offroader..
SOUMYA |
You missed resident foodie Mohan
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Originally Posted by 53BHP Interesting and witty writeup Genesis. Keep it coming. I had fun too.... Got stuck, then got winched. Got a lot of work to do on driving technique and maybe more appropriate skinnies too. |
Im glad you liked the Jeep buddy. It was great to see you in your MM540 which you did up with so much enthusiasm. I have been trying to get you to come and attend at least one of these excursions with us. You missed the AKC and Examm but im glad you finally attended this one. Now i know you must e itching to attend the next one....Great!!
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But I guess its more technique than tires... Some BAAP's with huge tyres and GC also got stuck |
Yup and no. See Rohit, its right when you say that technique rides over equipment. Just adding big tyres, winches and recovery equipping does not automatically guarantee one's safety from getting stuck at an obstacle. Here is where driver technique counts and even here, there is again the issue of the terrain.
You were behind me all the way and i egged you to go on when you were in doubts. If you tackle a doable obstacle rightly, its a cakewalk. I remember telling the Fortuner and the Endevour guys not to even try the first descent, even when they were really wanting to go for it. It was a definite get stuck place and then pulling them from that area would be a great task.
When the Gypsy got stuck in front of me, i had to go behind him in the same track to pull him out, that meant going into already deadly, quick swamp type of area but then if i didnt, it would be next to impossible to get him out. This Gypsy got stuck for bad tyres and a bit of driver error but thats ok, all of us make mistakes. He should have seen the size of the dig ins prior to him and avoided that path. after he was winched out, i tried to reverse to where you were parked and take the left path but was setting stuck while reversing so the only option was to go ahead from where i was, that was simply not going to happen and though i tried again and again, i got tuck. I could from there go a bit in reverse but the rut was so deep by then, i was slipping in the same place. Only whe i got out of the car i realized that it was more than knee deep, thats serious clay type muck. Im positive that if i had tried from the extreme left, i could have made it but then getting to the extreme left was next to impossible due to the knee deep tracks.
Great to see a preview of Tejas's CAVITY (what else would he call his Jeep?) Still a lot of work to go, right now in its spartan best with only the drive train and mechanicals sorted out. A wide track MM550 with lots else to it. In the slush pit it was making its own track, different from the ones there were already existing. Looks menacing with its high and wide stance from the rear view. It will IMHO run circles round all obstacles. Saw it effortlessly take on all the obstacles with ease and get through. It also got through this slush pit earlier and then Tejas got stuck. Reason its sporting a newly built engine which needs to be run in properly, thats why i was ahead of it on the way in and out of the track on the highway to make sure he only does 60kmph. This was because his Jeep had no speedo so he had to depend on mine, the Jeep ahead of him. Tejas tried once more onthe same pit and got stuck, this time because he was going easy on the engine and not wanting to rev it high so it was winched out. Then Amol grabbed the Jeep took a huge run up and stepped on the gas, clearing the pit easily. I loved the look on the good doctors face when he was mocked by us for not being able to make it....alls all in good fun. Never stopped mocking Tejas for it till we left.
It was great to see bhpians like Bhushan Musale(Evo6) wih his friends from Poona. They enjoyed too, though Bhushan's Jeep could not be ready on time. Great to meet up with Kishore, Kunal, Nishanth, Mohan and the others once again. Had been a long time. Must offroad again before the rains die down.
Was great also to see new entrants to the offroading scene. Enthusiastic and rearing to go.
Thanks to Imran too for the delicious Chicken Pattice breakfast which kept us going till lunch.
All in all it was a slush fest. There was no other terrian but slush and that was very very challenging. In the summer, it would just be a dirt track which would not be very challengin for an offroader but rains dramatically change the equation. I loved it though im a bit weary of getting into this deep slush but who had a choice.
We reached on time, finished on time and had a good meal of barbeque and other stuff. Very well organized by Pradeep. Thank you for having us over.
My highlight was to see old friends and some serious offroaders come together as one and to get to see the camaraderie once again was simply the icing on the cake......the mud cake (pun intended
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I would like to do this more often, with the same group, in the same spirit. All of us offroading, helping stuck people get out laughing, sitting, eating together. Hopefully this is just the beginnig of this age old camaraderie which has otherwise become so scarce.
Soumya, you may now carry on.