[RSUDARSANAN]

Originally Posted by Diesel_convert

Though Rsudarsanan cheated having an automatic . In the rapid I had to go through 4 gears to hit 100 quickly (1 through 4).
Pics to follow after formatting, anyone have a nice automated script in windows that will do the job ?

Bouquets and brickbats welcome

Me too wading thru' formatting with a lot of help from Dr AD. Thanks Anand for your patient assistance.

[RSUDARSANAN]

Hellow:

After flooring it, now tapping out:

Long before www and tbhp came into existence, I have been traversing what is now called the golden quadrilateral (then 2 lane hi’ways) in my Dad’s Premier President (my first set of wheels) when it cost Rs. 25k and petrol was Rs.1.67 per litre, ‘speeding’ @ 80 kmph with glasses rolled down and the wind in my hair.

Thank you all for your appreciation. I have enjoyed planning this trip as much as those who have enjoyed the drive, real time. The drive takeaway, per se, has been the fellowship which is indescribable, age no bar.
`
It was game set and match !

Yes, we U-bended it like true blue blooded tbhpians from start to finish. We were back to our starting point on NH209-Nice Rd junction 38 hours later, giving SH17 a miss to avoid the Sunday rush.

It was a treat to watch colt Akshay come into his own. Boy, did he give our rides a run, ask me, ask DC, ask KiloAlpha, ask Nihkil. Akshay gave us a heart-stopping moment just as we exited Kanakapura town, stopping a big bully KSRTC bus dead in it’s tracks and almost, literally, nudging Nikhil with a 'if you can, so can I' !

That was the icing on the cake, a fitting end to a divine drive through a less driven ascent to Ooty on the eastern slopes of the Nilgiris.

While the end was no photo finish, it sure was a photo start with KarthikK behind the lens as well as the wheel. Multitasking to perfection, Karthik’s meet , greet and start photologue with attention to detail is sure to make the rest of this report pale in comparison.

KarthikK, thank you for such a warm and illustrated flag off. A picture speaks a thousand words and as mentioned in an earlier post of mine the absence of a specialist clicker was sorely felt. Nevertheless, I have put up my feeble equivalent for what it is worth:









Our breakfast stop was at Nijaguna Residency arriving there around 10 am. En route we crossed a river, Cauvery I think, in full flow. After a fortyfive minute halt we bade farewell to Krish and Aarthi who were their way to Ooty via the Bandipur . It was sporting of them to amend their route to join us in part. Thank you both for the effort. It was a treat finding your feisty Getz locked in my rear view mirror for most part of the drive you were with us.











Next was Mettupalayam our lunch halt. En route we traversed the Dimbum ghat, the first of the twisties. Surprisingly, the Dimbum descent was uncluttered, with trucks and the local lcvs conspicuous by their absence. Nikhil, Jayanth and Karthik were off in flash. The rest of us descended sedately and caught up with them at the Bhavani Sagar dam turn off. The trio had the look of cats who had just tasted cream. Need I say more? Shall leave it to Jayanth to fill in the scorching details. With not many in favour of going on to the dam, a couple of downstream clicks and off we continued to Mettupalayam. Another piece of dam(n) smooth tarmac greeted us soon after we left the dam.





















To be contd...

[luvurride]

Wow! Fantastic and inviting! Please bring it on!

[Dr.AD]

Fantastic pictures, RSUDARSANAN. It is quite impressive that you managed to take these pictures while driving, and quite literally, handling the corners :-)

Looking forward to the next set of pictures.

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

Me too wading thru' formatting with a lot of help from Dr AD. Thanks Anand for your patient assistance.

You are most welcome! It is always a pleasure talking and working with other bhpians :-)

[RSUDARSANAN]

Post #257 contd:

After a hearty lunch at the Oasis (alas, the Cbe tbhpians remained silent on our invite), we wended our way to Karamadai where we took the turn to Manjoor for the next set of twisties.









Enroute a wrong turn has us meandering for about 10 kms before rejoining the road to Manjoor. This road up to the commencement of the U-bends had its fair share of the good, bad and ugly stretches. The twisty road itself was fairly good though narrow, winding its way through dense forest and the Gedhai dam with the upper reaches making way for tea plantations.





















Akshay, a first timer to hill driving found himself at sixes and sevens with his ride, noticed by Jayanth. After a brisk climb, notwithstanding an errant bus driver not allowing Akshay, to overtake, we made it to our last pit stop Chamarajnagar Tea Centre. It was a heady mix of piping hot lemon tea and mechanical engineering banter.





















After picking up tea packets for distribution back home, headed for Ooty skirting the Lawrence School and the picturesque Lovedale station only to be greeted by an urban phenomenon – a traffic jam in Ooty town centre due to road resurfacing work. Karthik was mortified to receive a fine spray of tar on his Figo sprinkled accidently by a careless worker. Reached the hotel by 7.30 pm, tar delay, but otherwise we kept good time throughout.













to be contd...

[fulcrum.xyz]

Great pictures...
It was indeed a really enjoyable trip, the drive was great and it was great to meet fellow Bhpians. Thanks again to RSudarshan for impeccable planning, this made it all the more enjoyable

RSudarshanan looking forward to you next set of pictures...especially picture of the stretch between Karamadai and Manjoor.
The scenery during the climb from Karamadi upto Majoor was all through stunning - with the overarching peak in the clouds, the steep climb up and the nicely tucked away dam in the valley between the two hills...for me this was the best part. Both NikhilB and KiloAlpha did a great job leading through this section, thanks to them those of us following had a lot of fun through these hair-pin bends.
It was really impressive how well the both the Figo and Civic handled through these bends, next only to the beemer

It was definitely great fun meeting to all of you..cheers

The next set of pics from RSudarshan are already up, by the time my replies goes through and gets posted

Nice Pictures RSudarshan...


Mod Note : Post Edited. Smiley usage is restricted to two per post on Team-BHP. Please do NOT use more than 2 smileys in a post.

Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!

To know how to multi-quote, click here (How to MULTI-QUOTE (when replying to a thread) on Team-BHP).

We advise you to read the Forum Rules before proceeding any further.

[RSUDARSANAN]

Originally Posted by fulcrum.xyz

RSudarshanan looking forward to you next set of pictures...especially picture of the stretch between Karamadai and Manjoor.

Pics of the Karamadai and Manjoor sector, not many, are in my previous post immediately after the lunch photos starting with the forest check post.

[krish3]

Lovely pics and meet report. Thanks for allowing me to join the group ride for part of the way.

Had some fun before the speed limiter kicked in for the lone drive from Chamarajanagar - Ooty.

Following the BMW was very interesting. The stability of the vehicle on undulating roads is to be seen to be believed. The Rapid also was fast, its acceleration matched that of the Getz. Happy though to know that the Getz is not as jumpy as the Rapid.

A HATS-OFF to everyone; for keeping to very sane speeds and co-ordinated their driving to ensure a safe and enjoyable drive.

[dhanushmenon]

Amazing write up and beautiful snaps.

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

Enroute a wrong turn has us meandering for about 10 kms before rejoining the road to Manjoor. This road up to the commencement of the U-bends had its fair share of the good, bad and ugly stretches. The twisty road itself was fairly good though narrow, winding its way through dense forest and the Gedhai dam with the upper reaches making way for tea plantations.

Where did you take this wrong turn? I also intend taking the same route next week to Ooty from Kochi; and do not want to make the same mistake.
Hope the bad and ugly stretches which you mentioned could be well managed with a Figo.

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

After picking up tea packets for distribution back home, headed for Ooty

Could you please elaborate the location of this Chamraj Tea Centre?
Google maps and wikimapia couldnt help me. Is it between Geddai Dam and Maryland bus stop or after Maryland bus stop as per your map?

Thanks again for sharing.
Once again, wonderful snaps

[RSUDARSANAN]

Post #261 contd:

A quick freshen-up and we re-assembled, an hour later, in the lounge laid out especially for the tbhp overnighters. Thirteen hours on road and three score+ U bends could not dampen the spirited discussions which were carried over to the dining table. It was only when the restaurant dimmed its lights; it signalled the end of spectacular day.









A late rouse on a Sunday and we awoke to Ooty playing misty for us. I imagined it was going to be a rain challenged drive but the weather gods held off, notwithstanding it was their season, teasing us with cloudy skies, a drizzle here, a drizzle there and sunshine in good measure, a mocktail we happily lapped up and drove with gay abandon.

Breakfast done, it was time for Anand and Dheevatsa to depart early, work compulsions demanding. Byes exchanged, we shoppers headed down town for the customary, nay only shopping - Ooty chokolat, ofcourse ! Kingstar, no less, though agreeing to disagree, it’s Modern Stores for me. Bumped into Anand and Dheevatsa, shopping around, before heading off. Choco-hopping done, it was back to the Savoy for pack up and check out. Refuelled our rides and headed out for lunch.











It was on the ride into town with Akshay in his Fiesta, that Jayanth’s earlier concern dawned on me. Got Jayanth to ride with Akshay back to the hotel. A ‘jump-start’ tutorial with leads Jayanth and Karthik had Akshay and his ride duly re-mapped.

Lunch was had in royal ambience, though I thought the repast left much to be desired. This was at the Fernhill Palace, the summer resort of the Wodeyars, now a heritage hotel. A few clicks of the place and its environs.











With ride and rider duly tanked up it was time to take on the last of the twisties, homeward bound. Departed around 3 pm. Multiple vehicles ahead of us on the Sijur ghat restrained our descent all the way down to Masinagudi. Till we exited the reserve forests, drove@ sanctuary prescribed speed and as soon as the last forest barrier was past, it was full throttle again till our CCD Gundulpet pit stop. A short debate, SH 17 yes/no. A unanimous NO. So convoyed to Chamarajanagar to get on to NH 209 for the fast and furious run back to our start point, starring Akshay unleashed. Our colt had become a steed and let loose he did on NH 209 and how, as the stars twinkled in delight. Nikhil and Jayanth too had their own share of thrill and chill in tandem.






















Regrouped for the last time at the Nice Road junction around 9 pm, where Akshay bid goodbye and the rest of us headed for dinner. Winding down at dinner, the most FAQ was, when is the next drive. Any guesses ?

Let me use a cliché "watch this space" folks, may be a new thread too !

Until then…

Sayonara

THE END

[luvurride]

Why? Why? Why? Why did I miss this meet?

But its just fantastic to look at the pictures and could literally feel the enjoyment of the drive and company!

[IronH4WK]

excellent drive and pictures sirji!

that hotel looks familiar. is that Taj Conoor?

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

excellent drive and pictures sirji!

that hotel looks familiar. is that Taj Conoor?

No. Its Taj Savoy, Ooty.
By the way, Sudarsanan sir, I was hoping that you would respond to my earlier request

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

Where did you take this wrong turn? I also intend taking the same route next week to Ooty from Kochi; and do not want to make the same mistake.
Hope the bad and ugly stretches which you mentioned could be well managed with a Figo.


Could you please elaborate the location of this Chamraj Tea Centre?
Google maps and wikimapia couldnt help me. Is it between Geddai Dam and Maryland bus stop or after Maryland bus stop as per your map?

[RSUDARSANAN]

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

By the way, Sudarsanan sir, I was hoping that you would respond to my earlier request

Dhanush: Posted the last instalment of the report and rushed off for a meeting; which is why I did not see your post; sorry if I gave the impression of ignoring your request.

Coming back to the point where the wrong turn was taken, I really don't know as I was the sweeper of the convoy at that point in time.

My suggestion is apart from your GPS support, check with the locals at every cross road (if in doubt) once you are on the Gedhai dam-Manjoor road from Karamadai. Once you've finished the 43 U-bends, ask for Lovedale Ooty route. On this route Chamaraj Tea centre will come up on your right 20 kms short of Ooty.

We had a Figo in our convoy, so no worries.

Have a good trip and enjoy the twisties.

Cheers

[ampere]

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

Have a good trip and enjoy the twisties.

Nice snaps! So finally you guys went via Lovedale and not Emerald/Avalanche.
The lakes would have been nice! But who cares ! A nice drive you all had. Thats what matters