[Turbojc]

27 December 2021:
I was at home trying to figure out creative ways to spend my year-end holidays when my friend called. He too had the week off, so he suggested capping the year with a long ride. Days off work and riding buddies rarely align, so naturally, I pounced on the opportunity.

Initially, we thought of visiting Dhanushkodi, but that entailed a four-day, 1400+ km round trip guaranteed to tear our budgets and our butts. Yelagiri was also considered, but 220kms didn’t seem far enough.

Enter Yercaud. A 360km one-way ride down some spectacular highways and twisty hill-roads sounded like the perfect way to bid farewell to 2021. So Yercaud it was. We hatched a plan to start from Chennai on the 29th, stay there for the night, return on the 30th after a spot of sight-seeing and breakfast, and reach Chennai before nightfall.



With the destination decided, 28th went by in a flurry – I booked a hotel room for the night’s stay, prepped my bike for the journey, shopped for snacks and sundries, packed my bags, and forced myself to sleep early so that I was well-rested for the ride.

Day 1 - 29 December 2021:

We started just before dawn on the 29th from our respective locations and met near Vandalur.



Oh wait, let me introduce our steeds. This is my dear Honda CB350:



And this is my friend and his KTM RC200.



Just before we started - that's yours truly on the left:



It had rained the night before, so the air was crisp, cool, and misty, just about perfect for the ride. The roads were sparse, and there was hardly any traffic once we crossed the Chengalpattu toll gate.

At around 8:30am, we stopped for breakfast at an A2B near Tindivanam. The restaurant seemed relatively new with ample parking and good food. After a quick but scrumptious meal, we set out again.



The open dual carriageway allowed me to test the touring mettle of my bike for the first time since I acquired it. Unsurprisingly, the CB350 was at home on the highway. The bike glided along effortlessly between 95 and 110 kmph. Sure, there were vibrations, but they were more of the 'I'm alive and kicking' type, rather than a jackhammer on steroids. It felt planted at those speeds, with not a hint of nervousness when executing lane changes. It felt as if it could cruise all day long without breaking a sweat.



We reached the Ulundurpet Roundtana by 10:45am, where we stopped for a quick break.



Traversing the stretch between Ulundurpet and Salem was trickier and more tiring in comparison, no thanks to a generous helping of two-lane roads where overtaking was quite a challenge. It slowed us down significantly, but then again, safety first. We entered Salem via Attur, and reached the Yercaud foothills at around 1:45pm.



The sights that greeted us on our way up were a nice teaser for what would be in store above.



The climb up was quite a delight. This was the RC's territory, and my friend had a ball riding on the twisties. Obviously, the CB wasn't as nimble, but it was no slouch either. Save for a few sections that were being repaired, the roads were pretty good. Two lanes meant we had to take the turns cautiously, but then the onward traffic was sporadic, so we were able to maintain a decent pace.



All those turns and twists sure lifted up our spirits !



After an enthralling climb, we made it to our hotel by 2:45pm, where a tidy room welcomed us.



The balcony offered a charming view of the small lake outside. On the right is the famous Montfort boarding school.



The arrival was not without incident though. At the hotel's parking lot, I failed to put the stand down as I dismounted the bike from the right. I caught it just in time. However, a small patch of exposed skin between my riding boots and my pants came in contact with the exhaust header, leaving a small but nasty burn on my shin.

By the time we arrived, the restaurant was about to close. Nevertheless, the staff agreed to serve lunch at our room. We placed our order and headed out to get some dressing for my wound.



After a hearty lunch and bit of rest, we set out to witness the sunset at Lady's Seat, a view point not far from where we were.



Montfort's vast grounds. Reminded me about my good ol' school days.



Lady's Seat - of tall trees, splendid teas, and spectacular sceneries:












It was quite chilly post sundown, so naturally, we warmed up with some chilli lime corn :



Our Lady's Seat of Wisdom, the shrine after which the view point is named:



There wasn't much else to do, so we made our way back to the hotel for dinner.

The imposing gates of Montfort, shot on our way back:



This is where we stayed:



And that's a wrap on Day 1. Lights out, and off to bed. We had another long day ahead tomorrow.

[Turbojc]

Day 2 - 30 Decmeber 2021:

I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep for long. After barely a few hours of shuteye, I was up by 5:30 am. It was biting cold. The weather app indicated that it was 13 degress, which to us Chennaiites felt as though it was freezing. I stepped out on to the balcony to see what it was like outside, and this was the sight that greeted me:



The sky was teeming with millions of celestial bodies, all visible to the naked eye. Being an astrophotography enthusiast, I kicked myself for not realising the lack of light pollution atop the hill, which would have made for some amazing photos had I woken up much earlier.

Nevertheless, we still were treated to an amazing sunrise:





"The power of the sun, in the palm of my hands.." - Dr. Otto Octavius



After basking in the rays and views of the morning sun to our heart's content, we made our way to Pagoda Point, a view point facing the east.



The spot offered some amazing views of the valley below.











We were accosted by this friendly foursome over there, looking at us with their puppy eyes as we had our morning tea. Of course, we obliged them with a pack of biscuits.



We then went to the Servarayan Temple, a 10km ride from Pagoda Point. The route took us through some narrow hill roads lined by tall trees, and cruising along these roads at a sedate pace as the thumping exhaust note reverberated around us made for a wonderful experience .





The hill atop which the temple is located is apparently the highest point in Yercaud. Sure enough, it entailed a short ride up a steep road. The temple is essentially a small cave that houses the deity of Lord Servarayan. Just as we made it to the top at around 8:30am, the clear weather took a surprising turn. We were quickly shrouded in a thick blanket of fog, reducing visibility down to a few metres. After a quick darshan, we decided to wait till the fog cleared up a bit.



The temple grounds also featured a view point at the very top, along with a few shops and a small amusement park.





Once the weather cleared up a bit, we made our way back to the hotel for breakfast. We had initially planned to visit a waterfall nearby, but we didn't have the time as we had to check out by 11am.



Post breakfast, we chilled in the room for a bit before we packed up and checked out. By 11:30am, we were on our way down.



Until next time..



The ride back home:

I wish I could say that the ride back to Chennai was as amazing as it was the day before. But it wasn't to be. The ride down the hill wasn't a particularly pleasant experience for me - the relatively rapid descent made me queasy and my ears were blocked all the way till we reached the Salem.

Soon after we crossed Salem, the heavens opened up and slowed our pace considerably. We soon learnt that Chennai was experiencing an unpredicted deluge. My folks advised us to stay in Ulundurpet and start again the next day. We were already drenched, so we decided to ride on thinking that it wouldn't make much of a difference. I felt confident that I'd make it home soon after sundown. Oh boy, was I wrong.

With our speeds hampered by the rain and slow service during our lunch stop, it wasn't until 6pm when we could reach Tindivanam. As the daylight faded, I found that my CB's headlight was grossly inadequate to illuminate the highway. To make matters worse, there was a lot of fast-moving traffic, with cars and trucks speeding as though their lives depended on it, heaping stagnant water on us by the bucket loads and further obscuring our visibility. Thankfully, the powerful projector beam of the RC came to the rescue. I slowly tailed my friend until Singaperumal Koil, where we parted ways. This was were things got a bit more, ahem, interesting .

The heavy downpour resulted in monster traffic jams that extended for kilometres all the way till Perungalathur. Thankfully, there were enough gaps between the rows of cars, buses, and eighteen-wheelers, so I was able to make my way out of the mess without having to wait for long. However, as luck would have it, it started pouring heavily just as I entered the Chennai Bypass Road. The candlelight on the CB was rendered useless, so I had to ride over 30kms in practical darkness amidst the speeding buses and cars. It was a nerve-wracking experience to say the least. I finally made it home by around 9pm, much to the relief of my parents. My friend too reached his place without much trouble shortly after we parted ways.

Epilogue:

It was a short trip, but a memorable one. It was also my first long bike ride in over five years, and the longest I've ever done. It gave us a chance to get away from our mundane routines and smartphone screens, to connect with our bikes and nature. I hope I get the opportunity to go on more such rides in 2022.

Hope everyone has a great year ahead. Cheers!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[neil.jericho]

Turbojc, that was a nice and crisp thread on your trip to Yercaud. Ive been visiting it since 2009 and seeing your pictures of the different tourist spots brought back a lot of fond memories from my past rides there. Here is a pic of the same Ferris wheel enveloped in fog. This was from my first visit to Yercaud. Thirteen years later and the experience remains the same!

[Peri_patetic99]

Nice ride and the pics are so good, they make me want to saddle up and go to yercaud right now

Also, i too have noticed that even in the city the CB's low beam throw is strictly adequate, high beam tends to make things a wee bit better but still expected better throw from the lamps. Are you planning to upgrade the existing led setup or perhaps auxiliary lamps? If so, which ones would you recommend, and go with?

Edit: Also, where did you get that cowl from? Looks quite good but does it serve any purpose ( i.e. wind protection and such)?

[Truck_Monk]

Beautiful and amazing. I simply loved it. I wish I would have been the part of this trip.
Great guys and cheers.

[Turbojc]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Turbojc, that was a nice and crisp thread on your trip to Yercaud. Here is a pic of the same Ferris wheel enveloped in fog. This was from my first visit to Yercaud. Thirteen years later and the experience remains the same!

Thanks @neil.jericho! Surprising to see much hasn't changed in 13 years .

Originally Posted by Peri_patetic99

Nice ride and the pics are so good, they make me want to saddle up and go to yercaud right now

Thanks @Peri_patetic99! You should definitely visit the place some time.

Originally Posted by Peri_patetic99

Also, i too have noticed that even in the city the CB's low beam throw is strictly adequate, high beam tends to make things a wee bit better but still expected better throw from the lamps. Are you planning to upgrade the existing led setup or perhaps auxiliary lamps? If so, which ones would you recommend, and go with?

Funnily, the high beam is positioned at such an angle that it's the sign boards that get illuminated . I'd love to upgrade the setup, but I'm working out a plan to upgrade my bike later this year.

Originally Posted by Peri_patetic99

Also, where did you get that cowl from? Looks quite good but does it serve any purpose ( i.e. wind protection and such)?

I got the visor from Bandidos Pitstop. It's only an aesthetic upgrade, and didn't provide any respite from the wind. You can find it here:
https://bandidospitstop.com/collecti...ro-metal-visor

Originally Posted by Truck_Monk

Beautiful and amazing. I simply loved it. I wish I would have been the part of this trip.
Great guys and cheers.

Thanks @Truck_Monk!

[superstarksa]

Fantastic writeup, Turbojc! Fancy seeing a familiar face here!