[Monaro CV8]

The Fortuners were at is again !
After conquering Rajmachi in the monsoons (couple of times), Jungle Trail at Silvassa Deer Park, Slopes of Hell, Pavana Lake & finally this time the Arabian Sea Coast.

Beautiful drive, cool breeze, scenic vistas made this day a truly well spent one.

Thanks Manish for initiating this drive. And HG for the thread.

Fellow TFOG mates Karan and Venkat.

Got a few clicks to share:

The start of the Foggy drive.
Was highly intimidated with this sudden change of weather conditions. At times Visibility came down to 2 meters. Pollution from the nearby industrial belt had ensured that a heavy pungent "smog" was left lingering on this stretch of the Pen connector road, between 8.00 to 8.30 am that morning.





Over 'Revdanda' Creek Bridge
Quite a few vistas on route.



First sight of the coast line


Reached Kashid


Manish was making sure that the stretch of the coast where the Fortuners would tread on, was an isolates patch.


Trail leading to the coast


Happy bunch after we found the way to the beach:




First Fortuner to carefully enter :
Karan

All lined up by Herr Guderian, with Military precision.
Ten Hup !!



Even the rears got inspected in the line up


Spotted a spy behind the bushes! Wait a minute, it looks like Guderian


Looks like a Japanese Armada emerging from the sea

[Monaro CV8]

Contd..



Would need 170 of them horses to even one Fortuner !
But still ..


Shoot the shooter ! Caught HG while he was snapping us.


Life is a Beach : sun, sand, palms & fortuners


The Fortuners going for a stroll on the beach

Venkat happy


Karan and Manish trying to figure out how to tackle the dune

Group huddle


My Truck : grinning from wheel to wheel

After the beach action, we took to the roads. Had to beat the Traffic post mid day.
The parting shot.


All in all a good action packed day.

Manish and me had good fun drifting in the sands.

looking forward for the next drive.

[Guderian]

And here is the last bunch of snaps, leftovers really, from my camera...
Nothing spectacular but just reliving that gloriously beautiful day really ! All the moods and thoughts.

Debating breakfast merits.


Promise of an early return cheered Venkat, finally.


But no one anticipated the fog crawl. Venkat brakes suddenly. He claimed to have seen a lady in white sari beckoning to him. And yes, her head was turned 180 degrees. Our Hindi movies can't get it wrong.


Break after all that braking. That fuel bunk on the right is where we returned and bid our final goodbyes after about 4 hours when the Mumbai & Pune teams split up on the way back.


In quiet contemplation of what lies ahead for them.


Two wheelers and cyclists were a constant threat.


Another side of the water way.


Many of the old steel factories, jetties and attendant paraphernalia are now silent. Unlike 10 years ago when I last came here. Death throes or waiting for revival ?


Amount of greenery is coming down of course. More swathes of barren lands.


Sea certainly has turned browner from the earlier blue/turquoise.



Rocks certainly are darker now. Muck ? Oil ? Or just natural ?


Snap time for all.


Drive on. Drive on.



On the beach. First one, then two, then three...and all.





Talk, talk, talk...sab tick talk hai.


Horse power check - before the final results.


Glorious vistas.


If Obama can, why can't I ? Selfie !


Yeah chuckle about the selfie...!


Sad...but it's time to leave !


Tally ho chaps ! Till the next run...

Originally Posted by Monaro CV8

Looking forward for the next drive.

Hey Monaro,
Great shots. Some of those pics makes me feeling like running away right away...
What's next then eh ?

[Monaro CV8]

Nice left over snaps there HG.

Here are some from my end.

Sun and Shade :
Karan's Fortuner


Manish's Truck in the foreground : sporting a HVK sticker.


Through the narrow roads of Konkan: 5 Fortuners in tandem was a sight !


Getting candid with Guderian ..


View of the sea from my Fortuner : the calling ..


Venkat's Fortuner along with Manish's : Facelifted & Classic !


Untill the next drive

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by Monaro CV8

Nice left over snaps there HG.
Venkat's Fortuner along with Manish's : Facelifted & Classic !
Attachment 1207346
Untill the next drive

Hey Monaro,
Thank you.
Great snaps once again.
Time to plan the next one !

[FarPatel]

Hi General and Co, it was great to read your posts and drool over your pics. Almost felt as if I was a part of your group too, especially as I have crossed the Revadanda bridge too, many years ago, in my Qualis.
Anyway, since you guys like the sun, sea and sand so much I'd like to offer a word of caution if you ever think of going to the beaches of Bordi or Umargam, on the Mah-Guj border. The sand there is made up of shell fragments, not quartz grains, and this makes it extremely soft and unable to bear the weight of a car. I know from practical experience, as my Qualis had got bogged down before I had even got on to the beach proper. Got stuck up to my axle and was able to get out only with the help of about a dozen locals who scraped away much of the sand, put palm fronds and old timber under the wheels, then used their combined pushing power along with my engine, to get me free. That was one scary situation, being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with my wife and daughter and a beached truck. It may be a good idea to consider carrying some long, strong, flexible rubber sheets to stick under the wheels in case you are faced with a similar situation on your trips, 4WD notwithstanding.
Cheers,
Farokh

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by FarPatel

Hi General and Co, it was great to read your posts and drool over your pics. Almost felt as if I was a part of your group too, especially as I have crossed the Revadanda bridge too, many years ago, in my Qualis.
Anyway, since you guys like the sun, sea and sand so much I'd like to offer a word of caution if you ever think of going to the beaches of Bordi or Umargam, on the Mah-Guj border...

Hi Farokh, Thank you very much for the warm words of appreciation !
And thank you for the tip on the beach driving at Bordi/Umargaon. We'll certainly keep that in mind...
Luckily for us we check every section before attempting a run with the 2 ton leviathan, be it mountains, beach or just about anywhere else and that has kept us out of trouble. Backed by some sensible thinking on how we should be treating our trusted rides also helps greatly.