[OffRoadFun]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Thank you very much. Yes, you summed it quite well :-) I love driving and I love my cars. Actually I love your posts on how you enjoy offroading in your Q5. So you and I both have that common factor - we love driving our cars in whatever conditions suit our cars!

I will be going to farm in next 10 days or so, PM me if you are ever interested. It is not as lush green though I like beauty of semi-arid areas.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

I will be going to farm in next 10 days or so, PM me if you are ever interested. It is not as lush green though I like beauty of semi-arid areas.

OK, great! Thank you very much for the offer. Very nice of you.

I would love to visit your farm and meet you there some day. Unfortunately I am busy with work for next few weeks. Thus, it will not be possible now. But thanks again!

I agree with you about the beauty of semi-arid areas. I have seen photos of your farm in your posts and it looks beautiful. Have fun and looking forward to seeing photos of your Q5 off-roading in your farm!

[Dr.AD]

A Breakfast Drive with a "Twist"

This past weekend, we decided to do a simple breakfast drive (sort of a family drive) to a unique cafe located in the forests about 70km from Bangalore. The members included myself driving my BMW 320d (of course; and that is why this report in this thread), BHPian robimahanta driving his BMW M340i, and BHPIan zebo driving his Octavia vRS, and our respective families with us in our cars.

The cafe I mentioned, which was the destination for this drive, is quite an interesting place with a rustic charm. It is sort of a farmhouse stay and restaurant located in the forests of Tamil Nadu. The name of the cafe is Rocky Ridge Cafe (https://g.page/rockyridgecafe?share). They offer a nice breakfast spread of fresh hot breakfast items cooked per order. One can relax in the rustic farm setting, soaking in the the views and the green surroundings, playing games (they have a variety of indoor as well as outdoor games), and of course, enjoying the breakfast and sipping tea/coffee. The cafe is located in a forest area (and adjacent to some forest reserves) and offers plenty of options to drive around through the forests too. That was of course an added motivation for visiting this cafe. Needless to say, we had a good time there. In fact, we were so busy enjoying the food and the experience, that I forgot to take any pictures at the cafe at all. Thus, this is a funny report with zero pictures of the main point of this drive - the Rocky Ridge Cafe!

However, in addition to the cafe experience, just the "drive" part turned out to be quite interesting (and to some extent adventurous given that we were driving sedans and not SUVs), and I felt the drive was worth writing a short report on.

Originally, the plan was just to drive to Rocky Ridge Cafe in the morning, have breakfast, drive to a nearby scenic spot, and then drive straight back home before lunch time. If we had stuck to that, this would have been less of a story. However, in reality (and thankfully), the "twist" was that we decided to continue further ahead in the forests and take a long detour back home through the other end of the forest, instead of just driving back. And this onward drive turned out to be quite an exciting and adventurous one. We drove through some scenic sections, drove through some beautiful viewpoints, drove on tiny roads with plenty of turns, twists and hairpin bends, and in general enjoyed the drive. But that was not all. In addition, as if to fulfill our sense of adventure to some extent, tackled some really terrible roads (and at some sections no roads at all), got lost, got misguided by Google Maps on a path that required crossing a river that not even a Thar or a Gurkha could probably cross, and eventually ended up on a smooth six-lane national highway that felt like a different world altogether than where we were just an hour before that! And in all this drama, what was supposed to be a casual breakfast drive turned into a 5-hour adventure drive (and we loved it)! The credit for taking us on this onward route goes to robimahanta, who decided to explore these roads in his M340i and we just followed him.

Let me start by showing the map of our route:


Our original plan was to visit the "elephant waterhole" that you see marked in the map, and then return back. But the onward journey after that was an impromptu plan, with all the fun part that I mentioned above.


The two BMWs at Rocky Ridge Cafe (this is the only photo I took at the Cafe):


After the Cafe, we started driving towards the forest reserves, and soon reached the "Elephant Waterhole" that you see marked in the map. There is also a watchtower nearby from where one could watch elephants, but somehow we could not spot this watchtower.

My car at the elephant waterhole:



The vRS:



The mighty M340i:



Another shot of the M340i:



The two BMWs posing at the waterhole:



Could not resist clicking shots like this at that serene setting:



Finally, a parting shot of my car at that spot before we started our onward journey:



The onward journey from this waterhole towards "Bettamugilalam View Point" that you see marked in the map turned out to be quite an adventurous one. As I mentioned above, we faced plenty of bad roads, some terrible roads, and lot of confusion (at some places the roads looked like they did not exist) before we reached this view point. However, just to be clear, let me say that the roads were not that bad for a SUV. If one had a proper high GC SUV, these roads will be a lot of fun. When I keep saying we faced bad roads, that is especially in the context of the specific cars we were driving.

However, the pains of the bad roads were forgotten when we reached this beautiful view point (and this was the best section of tarmac we faced in that area):



A parting shot of our cars at that view point:



And finally, the overall trip stats for the day:



As I said, a supposedly casual breakfast drive turned out to be a 5-hour, 200km long (and adventurous) drive. But we loved it and this drive unexpectedly turned out to be an interesting story that probably we will remember for a long time.

Also, once again it proved that as long one drives slowly, carefully and patiently, the BMW can handle any bad roads. The roads we tackled here were as bad as any sedan could ever experience (anything worse would become a mandatory SUV territory), and all three sedans handled the roads without any damage whatsoever. I was following the M340i most of the times on the bad roads, and it was an amazing experience to see robimahanta skillfully navigating that power monster through these massive potholes and broken roads. That car is an amazing machine. It can manage conditions like this on one hand, and on the other hand, once it reaches open highways, it can accelerate like a supercar (and keep up with them too). It is a supercar and a practical family car combined in one single package. What an amazing car!

And my car did not do bad at all, as well. I once again appreciated the ride quality. While we were tackling the potholes, at no point we felt uncomfortable or tossed around in the cabin. And the moment I got a small clean patch, I could accelerate and have fun. And of course, the twists and the hairpin bends on that road provided a lot of "fun to drive moments" that this car is designed for. Those corners were a natural playground for this car.

Overall, a memorable day out in the wild with our red cars.

[Dr.AD]

Weekend Drive to Yercaud, and 60,000km up!

This weekend we (I and my wife) did a weekend drive to Yercaud, Tamil Nadu. The steep climb to Yercaud with those 20 hairpin bends is always enjoyable. Once on the top, we also did the 32km "Yercaud Loop Road" which is quite fun to drive on too. We stayed at "Great Trails by GRT" (previously known as GRT Nature Trails). This is a nice place with spacious and well appointed rooms, and more importantly, great views from room balcony as well as from the hotel premises in general.

While on the way to Yercaud, the car reached 60,000km mark. It has been almost exactly one year since the 50,000km mark. Given that I do not drive the car at all for work or any other "commute" as such, and given that my entire driving is only these weekend fun drives, I think 10,000km in a year (and the year that includes two months of strict lockdown) is not too bad. The car has been absolute joy to drive and own so far, with zero troubles.

60k km up, and it has been all joy so far (touch wood):



On one of the hairpin bends on the way to Yercaud:





This "Great Trails by GRT" hotel is the first thing one hits after arriving in Yercaud. It is located bang on the 20th hairpin bend of this 20 hairpin bend drive up to Yercaud. We reached there quite early and were in no mood to check into the hotel that soon. Therefore, we decided to continue driving further, and then went on to complete the 32km Yercaud loop drive. This is lovely loop that goes around the Yercaud town, and passes through thick forests and coffee plantations. This road is narrow, but otherwise in good condition and is quite scenic too.

Somewhere on the 32km loop drive:



This is the kind of narrow but scenic road that this loop drive offers:



And another point on this loop drive:


Somewhere on that loop drive, my wife spotted a nice little trail and she was the one who said let us drive a bit on that road and see how it feels. By now she has become a hard-core car and road-trip enthusiast, and nowadays she is the one who finds photoshoot spots for me. I am proud of her.

On this trail that my wife spotted:



This trail offered good photoshoot opportunities:



Customary photo of the DRLs:



By the way, the above photos show onset of some fog. As we drove further ahead on this loop drive, the fog became very thick. There was this one section of the loop drive where we were driving through very heavy fog for about 5km or so, with very less visibility. Driving through that thick fog, through that dense forest, with nobody around and with close to zero visibility was a surreal experience!

This was the kind of fog we drove through for some time:



We had very little visibility, even at noon:


After this drive, we checked into the hotel and spent the rest of the day just relaxing in the hotel. The hotel offers fantastic views of the valley below and the Salem city, and I spent the evening hours watching the views and the clouds. Our room had a big balcony overlooking the valley, and it was fun to sit there and watch the play of clouds, fog, mist and sunlight in the valley. Of course, I also used this opportunity to take some evening photographs.

Evening sky over Salem city:



Views of Metur Dam under evening light:



A different kind of a sunset:



Sunlight breaking out through the clouds:


Apart from relaxing in the resort, and spending time watching the views, and watching the clouds and fog move around in the valley, we did nothing else.

The return drive was quick and uneventful, just like the onward drive.

Customary nariyal pani (coconut water) break while on the return drive:


Overall, it was short and simple drive which was a lot of fun nevertheless!

[indrangiri]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Weekend Drive to Yercaud, and 60,000km up!

This weekend we (I and my wife) did a weekend drive to Yercaud, Tamil Nadu. The steep climb to Yercaud with those 20 hairpin bends is always enjoyable.

Hi Dr.AD, nice weekend trip to Yercaud !!. Its the best driving trip to experience the hills and quite close to Bangalore. I was also on the road on Sat 11th morning on the way to Palani temple and remember spotting a red BMW 320D overtaking me before Salem. Did notice that it was KA51 registration and guess it could have been you now !! I was with a group of 3 cars a Triber and another Etios Liva and hence was keeping to moderate speeds

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by indrangiri

Hi Dr.AD, nice weekend trip to Yercaud !!. Its the best driving trip to experience the hills and quite close to Bangalore. I was also on the road on Sat 11th morning on the way to Palani temple and remember spotting a red BMW 320D overtaking me before Salem.

Thank you! Yes, I remember ovetaking a blue BMW 320d. Did not realize it was you, else it would have been nice to meet you and catch up with you :-) Hope you had a good trip to Palani.

[Moontan]

Yercaud. That's my hometown. I also went to school there.

My profile pic is also of my 328i on the loop road of Yercaud.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Moontan

Yercaud. That's my hometown. I also went to school there.

My profile pic is also of my 328i on the loop road of Yercaud.

Oh, great! It is a great place, and I am sure you must have had tons of fun driving around your 328i there :-) We should meet there sometime and drive around. It would be lovely to have the two F30s taking the corners together!

[Rolling_Stock]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Weekend Drive to Yercaud, and 60,000km up!

Overall, it was short and simple drive which was a lot of fun nevertheless!

Like 2 things in your post;
1. Exiting drive with complementing pictures
2. Leisure stay just focusing on relaxing and enjoying the nature

So, making it a purposeful weekend trip.

I still remember the drill I had to undergo couple of years back. While returning from Villupuram to Bangalore, as sudden change in plan by home minister leading us to Yercaud to spend the evening among the misty clouds. As usual depending upon the google maps, I took the alternate route taking a diversion at Ayothiyapattanam towards Kuppanur-Yercaud ghat road.

With a fully loaded car, the climb was steeper and terrifying. Couple of sections laterally gave goosebumps. All the occupants maintained a total silence until we reached Yercaud. I could see a deep sense of relief upon reaching the hill top.

But, one thing was certain, it made me a confident driver and earned respect from my family.

Cheers !!

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stock

Like 2 things in your post;
1. Exiting drive with complementing pictures
2. Leisure stay just focusing on relaxing and enjoying the nature

Thank you!

As usual depending upon the google maps, I took the alternate route taking a diversion at Ayothiyapattanam towards Kuppanur-Yercaud ghat road.

I have driven to Yercaud multiple times, but I have never taken this road yet. I hear it is very narrow. Maybe I should try this next time just for the fun of it :-)

With a fully loaded car, the climb was steeper and terrifying. Couple of sections laterally gave goosebumps.
But, one thing was certain, it made me a confident driver and earned respect from my family.

Wow. Nice experience! Experiences like these make the driving trips the fun they are!

[Moontan]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Oh, great! It is a great place, and I am sure you must have had tons of fun driving around your 328i there :-) We should meet there sometime and drive around. It would be lovely to have the two F30s taking the corners together!

I was locked down there for over 6 months during the first lock down last year. As they had banned entry up the hill for all non residents, us lucky ones on top could move around freely up there, albeit with a mask on. So I drove around there as often as I could.

[Fillmore]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

A Breakfast Drive with a "Twist"

Originally, the plan was just to drive to Rocky Ridge Cafe in the morning, have breakfast, drive to a nearby scenic spot, and then drive straight back home before lunch time......
Overall, a memorable day out in the wild with our red cars.

Just came across this post of yours. Looks like you guys had a cool trip.
Btw just FYI if you do that loop again and if you do not want to come back all the way to Bangalore or want to stop for some decent food there is a Nature Resort enroute called "Holiday Valley"

https://holidayvalleyresorts.com/

They have a full fledged restaurant and also has cottages and rooms.

[BeMyWings]

https://youtu.be/XU1QbD8dYb8

Doc, This is my very humble tribute to the 328i. I hope you like it Doc! I did my best to get them synced up in order, if they are a bit off, do excuse me.

Mr. Turtles, I enjoy reading every one of your posts, I think somehow I never quite came across them until I reached back into the historical stuff to retrieve the Doc's posts. You have a knack and talent for writing, we must hear more of your "Salad vs Malad" quotes!

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

Btw just FYI if you do that loop again and if you do not want to come back all the way to Bangalore or want to stop for some decent food there is a Nature Resort enroute called "Holiday Valley"
They have a full fledged restaurant and also has cottages and rooms.

Thanks a lot. This looks like a good place and we might visit here in one of the future trips. Thanks for sharing this information!

Originally Posted by BeMyWings

Doc, This is my very humble tribute to the 328i. I hope you like it Doc! I did my best to get them synced up in order, if they are a bit off, do excuse me.

Thank you very much. You have done a great job. I really appreciate it.

However, a couple of comments: 1. This is not a 328i but a 320d. 2. I am not sure if it is appropriate to host these pictures on your YouTube channel because the copyright belongs to teamBHP and I. I totally appreciate your intentions and the efforts, and thanks again for that. However, it somehow does not feel right to have my car pictures on some YouTube channel which has no connection with me. I would really appreciate if you could please reconsider hosting this video. Thanks for your understanding, and thanks again for the lovely video and the efforts.

Mr. Turtles, I enjoy reading every one of your posts, I think somehow I never quite came across them until I reached back into the historical stuff to retrieve the Doc's posts. You have a knack and talent for writing, we must hear more of your "Salad vs Malad" quotes!

This comment is probably for @iliketurtles and his wonderful thread (we are all fans of that thread - one of the best threads on the forum!). Maybe this is where you got the "old new Red 328i" reference and that you attached to my car in the video.

[BeMyWings]

My most sincere apologies Doc, I should have obtained permission before posting the video. I have deleted the video, regret the error.

And yes, I got mixed up between the two Red BMWs. Both threads are my favorites and I guess I had them both open at the same time.

I have learnt my lesson, thanks for being understanding and educating me about the copyright