Riders on a Storm

[tsk1979]

The road is very narrow
No problem, its wide enough for elephants to pass
The trail is rocky
No problem
Its snowing
No problem
Its slippery
No problem
There is a huge landslide
No problem
We have to reverse
Problem

Yes, Big problem, esp when the path is as wide as the safari, full of rocks which are falling down every time I go too close to the edge.
There is no way I can reverse 2kms on this one.
So what to do?
There is a waterfall, and all I have to do is reverse up the falls!
Simple? Ain't it?

Well this trip, over 4 days, was anything but simple.
We had lots of rocks, lots of snow, and a "feeble western disturbance" for company.

Its was the first time we had a white diwali, and the first time a tow rope was attached to the white elephant, and the first time we almost got trapped, on the wrong side of "the pass"

Pics under process... But a few starters, before the log begins! Please bear with me!












TO BE STARTED....

[Dippy]

tsk, your travelogues are always worth looking forward to. If the starters are so yummy, I cant wait for the main course to begin Bring it on quick.

[.anshuman]

Wow another great travelogue to come, White Safari in snow looks like a polar bear.

[hvkumar]

Good that you made it to Lahaul Valley. Looks like Kunzum la will now close down with so much of constant snowfall.

[Rudra Sen]

Fantastic! Waiting. Cursing myself. Feeling jealous.

[neoonwheels]

Yet another reason to look for updates in the travelogue section of Tbhp

[Latheesh]

Wow, Expecting a great travelogue. Great starter pics, safari and snow :-)

[tsk1979]

Diwali meant a 3 day long weekend.
Add to that 1 more day, and you have 4 days.
4 days enable you to do a lot of things.
You can spend the idyllic long weekend on the banks of Naina Lake, or lounge by the side of Tirthan valley.
But Nainital was too "been there done that", Tirthan we had gone few days ago on 3 days Dasshera weekend.
So where?

Tough decision.
Then some things happened. A news report came saying "Rohtang to be open till Oct 31", and we saw the pics of Chandertaal lake on somebodys flickr account.

This was to be our destination.
But not so quick. First IMD website for weather update.
"Mainly dry weather over the region, with likelihood of a feeble western disturbance over J&K"

So it was decided. We will cross over the Rohtang, see Chandertaal, stay the night at Chattru or Chotta Dharra, and come back next day to Kothi.

A very simple plan.

Thankfully, the PWD rest houses were empty, and we got our bookings done.
Day before the trip, we celebrated diwali, lit up the house, and had a nice Diwali meal.

Tomorrow morning aim was to wake up at 5am(plans... Ah plans", and we went to sleep at 2am

Tomorrow morning we will drive to Manali, non stop, for our first pit stop of the day

[rkbharat]

amazing, waiting for the full show,

BTW in the 5th pics(2nd from last), is this fresh snow or ICE on road?

[Majic]

Pics under process... But a few starters, before the log begins! Please bear with me!

Oh no, Oh no, there goes another couple of my hours. After the last trip i have got addicted to the threads of TSK, Tanveer hope that it would as good (five star rated) thread as usual.Go ahead you have aldready made my day with the teaser.. Do continue.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by rkbharat

amazing, waiting for the full show,

BTW in the 5th pics(2nd from last), is this fresh snow or ICE on road?

Its ice on the road, along with fresh snow falling on top of it.
The 3 degree temp is due to engine heat warming the sensor, actually it was lower, I suspect below freezing, as whenever we splashed through a water crossing, icicles formed under the bumper instantly

[ashwinsid]

Ooooh. Nice. Cant wait for the full travelogue.

[phamilyman]

Awesomes. Kya baat hai. Your gaddi (except the niggles) is taking you all the right places

Now for Maruti to introduce a Gypsy MJD

[rkbharat]

superb, so were you doing 2WD or 4WD on it, there must alot of skid, real scary fun, is'nt it ? I guess you were the first on the road after snow fall

Just can not wait to see more

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Its ice on the road, along with fresh snow falling on top of it.
The 3 degree temp is due to engine heat warming the sensor, actually it was lower, I suspect below freezing, as whenever we splashed through a water crossing, icicles formed under the bumper instantly

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Awesomes. Kya baat hai. Your gaddi (except the niggles) is taking you all the right places

Now for Maruti to introduce a Gypsy MJD

Niggles.. Do not remind me of them, If I posted a list here it would run a mile long

Originally Posted by rkbharat

superb, so were you doing 2WD or 4WD on it, there must alot of skid, real scary fun, is'nt it ? I guess you were the first on the road after snow fall

Just can not wait to see more

We were not the first, we were the only ones. And I was in 4WD on all snowy stretches. On 2WD, she was not climbing the hairpins, all I got was wheel spin and slide.
And as for scary fun, there was no fun, only scare. Imagine yourself on a narrow mountain roads where brakes only make you slide. This is clear engine braking territory. You even tap the brakes, and you slide big time!