Woke up at 6.00 am and me and wifey got ready by 6.30 am to hit the road for the ramanagram OTR. The original plan was to take the NICE road and meet all the folks @ Kadumane at ~7.30 am and avoid going to METRO.
As we started on bannerghatta road I called up Dwaraka and asked what the attendance status was. He said it was just him and Gireesh there. This gave me enough of a signal that folks will be late as usual. Instead of waiting at Kadumane, I thought that waiting at METRO would be more appropriate so went there instead.
As usual only a few folks were there and as usual had to wait for people to trickle in. Here are the steeds waiting for action
And yes, what's an OTR without bonnets being open. Here are 2 of these. The Gypsy being taped as the engine mount was loose and the pipes were leaking.
The jeep just being checked -- just in case or just plain engine gazing by enthusiast fellow jeepers.
Soon we all headed towards the NICE road and reached Kadumane for b-fast and took more than an hour for all people to come and finish b-fast. I am sure folks stopping there would have wondered what on earth were so many jeeps & gypsies doing there.
After a sumptuous b-fast we all were at Ramanagram in no time. Here are some of the rides lined up at the side of a hill (we couldn't do it as the base of this hill was full of very soft mud/slush -- guaranteed mess and headache with sooo many vehicles)
At the base of the hill on the other side.
So, one by one, folks started the climb up a small hill. Most of the first timers just freaked out and given a chance would have spent the day going up and coming down. (that's the high one gets in their first OTR :-))
Here is
suresh leading the way.
On the top now.
Dwaraka preparing to start with his Bridgestone H/T tyres. You have to give it
Dwaraka for this enthusiasm and never say die attitude.
Tyres spinning halfway up to the top.
My wifey wanted to take the gypsy up the climb. So here is she on the top after she went halfway in her first attempt (she couldn't resist using the clutch and stalled midway up).
Then she wanted bring the Gypsy down the slope she here is she taking the biggest possible U turn on top of the hill
In the end I couldn't resist taking the gypsy in 2WD up this hill climb and did it very easily :-) I myself was really surprised at how easily this was done. (but one another spot some 1/2 hr later just 2WD on an incline did not work. No traction at the ground on the base of the climb itself was one of the culprit)
This is when nearly all of the folks were at the top of the small hill and doing the up and down thing.
Yes. It's not everyday that you can take a picture of 3 white Gypsies. This captures the history of Gypsies in India. [L-R: 1.0L, 1.3L Carb, 1.3L MPFI]
While most of the folks were having their fill of the hill up and down circus, some of us went further to the OTR path only to see that all the terrain/land further has been 'cropped' by farmers and we could not proceed without damaging their crops. So we all decided not to pursue further but have another incline climb at the other side of the hill which had water on it and black fungus as a result of water. I don't have pictures of that part so from here some other person will have to post about that + TV9 coverage + bidadi + the rainstorm on the way back etc.
Yes, here is Kiran's Caterpillar. Looking ravishing.