[bhp]

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[Ahmed]

And yes - I finally get time to scribble a bit on this thread. Megaladon is back at base now. Here are the stats:

Total Kms clocked : 1048 KMS. This is from base Aurangabad - Nasik - Mumbai - Khandala - Kamshet - Pawna Dam - Kamshet - Mumbai - Nasik - Aurangabad.

MID says that M drank a litre in 12.4 Kms. Tank full mentions 12.29. So far so good. Last time when on my drive to Hyderabad I hardly managed 8 KMPL. Moderate 80 - 100 KMPH, occasional 140 on expressway.

Lets get back to what I am here for.

My second drive per se at TBHP. First one was for a dinner at Sunny's where GTO had guided me how to go about taking delivery of 'M'. This one was the best, most headturning, fun, what not.

I reached Airoli Naka and had crossed it at 0610 hrs. The moment I got down of my car, Guderian calls me for a where-about. This was the first time we met and I saw Admiral in flesh. Admiral is a looker I tell you.

It was awesome to meet these fine people - Guderian, Karan, MonaroCV8, kedarwelke, Manish and Venkat. I cherish this moment and long to experience the same fun in the near future as soon as possible.

I was the one who trailed the convoy all throughout and I can tell you that we were looked upon, jaws dropped on, commented on (When we were exiting the Kamshet route to Lonavla - an old villager mentioned in Marathi - Kahi tari serial che shooting challo ahe ka!) a fellow in a brand new 4x2 also joined the convoy on our way back to Kamshet and then decided to stay back. Fun - all in all.

Now let the pictures talk for their kind selves:

This is where we went - Pawna Dam


Lineup when we reached the OTR location


Deciding how to get down there.


LTD was the one most of us had


No - this is not the place where Aamir was kissed by a lady in red !


This one my camera clicked itself on a tripod


Parting and a bid farewell with a droll for the next slushfest


Apologies for the glare in most of my snaps. Too sunny on that day and we were stationed in the wrong side of sunlight. Let me hit submit before my phone stops tethering. Internet is down @ home. Took a good 27 minutes to upload for some reason.

Will post the video of the upcrawl soon.

[Guderian]

Thanks Karan561, Ahmed, Venkat, bhp, Kedarwalke, MonaroCV8 for the great snaps and the reports. It truly was a delightful morning eh ? Next time it is surely going to be a gut wrenching 4X4 expedition.
MonaroCV8 is already hunting for a suitable trail !

Originally Posted by Ahmed

This was the first time we met and I saw Admiral in flesh. Admiral is a looker I tell you.
Will post the video of the upcrawl soon.

Ahmed - Thank you for for the kind words. Admiral requires a lot of attention this Sunday. Haven't paid attention to the interiors for sometime and it has been looking a little run down & promptly noted by Karan561 and diplomatically informed as being 'tired looking'. Yessir - will be freshened/botoxed up soon !
That "Lineup when we reached the OTR location" shot has come out really well.
Awaiting the videos.

Originally Posted by bhp

Thankyou for the wonderful thread and drive plan Guderian.

Thank you bhp - due credit to MonaroCV8 to for the route plan. He's now hunting for a great trail to test the true potential of the Fortuners.

Originally Posted by Monaro CV8

Guderian's initiative paid off well.
What more do you want on a Sunday morning?

Thank you for the route and 'spot spotting' MonaroCV8.
Coming to your question above - another great route ? A great trail to get the Fortuners growling menacingly really. A pucca 4X4 trail. OK ?

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Nice photos. Must have been a head turning sight seeing 7 in a row. Guderian, how about tagging names in those group photos so that all can know who is who.

Thanks esteem_lover !
To avoid repetition listed the names of the conspirators in one of the snaps in the original post.

Originally Posted by F150

@ General Guderian, Nice mushy !!

Thanks F150.
Yeah the mush - couldn't be caught in a crowd of bury Fortuner drivers looking like a plucked chicken.

Originally Posted by parsh

Just can you map it on GMAP Sat to show the point and route?

Thanks Parsh. Now that's a tough one I guess. But to give you some clue - we went off the old NH4 at Kamshet, onwards to the dam, village etc. Post that we came across the space on the right where we normally gather during TBHP drives and take snaps. Since that was not very appealing - with a rust bucket of a bus occupying the pride of the place - drove about 1-1.5 KMs ahead came across a small clutch of huts and this point was just down road next to a small temple (which you see in the snaps) to the left of the road.

Originally Posted by kedarwalke

Looking forward for the upcoming slush fest!!

Oh you bet Kedar ! Same here. MonaroCV8 awaiting your search results !

Originally Posted by venkat_iyer

Here are a few more frames.
The "Convoy"

The convoy snap has come out great Venkat. Thanks for sharing all the snaps.
Incidentally what have you named your blue stud ?

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

How I wish I owned a Fortuner too. Great write up and great pics Sir.
It must be a sight watching a convoy of 7 Fortuners going past zoop-zoop-zoop!

Thank you Octane_Power. Yes it was a fabulous sight alright to see 7 Fortuners in both single file formation and line abreast. Had seen quite a few dropped jaws during the drive not just in the hinterland but also on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Originally Posted by karan561

Thanks for the thread GUDERIAN,

My pleasure Karan561. That last snap of yours - is that foggy look the side effect of having removed the sun film or what ? Does it hamper vision at times ?

And as expressed by all -Ahhh... just can't wait for the next run of the Fortuners !

And here is an unpublished and hitherto censored snap of owners...with one owner unable to get back to the vehicle despite his desperate dash. The great Sunday 'dash' indeed !

[venkat_iyer]

Originally Posted by Guderian

Thanks Karan561, Ahmed, Venkat, bhp, Kedarwalke, MonaroCV8 for the great snaps and the reports. It truly was a delightful morning eh ? Next time it is surely going to be a gut wrenching 4X4 expedition. MonaroCV8 is already hunting for a suitable trail !

The convoy snap has come out great Venkat. Thanks for sharing all the snaps.
Incidentally what have you named your blue stud ?

Attachment 1053261

HG,

A truly delightful morning indeed! Eagerly looking forward to the next (and my first) propah 4*4 tryst!
I am thinking of naming it "Callandor". Am a die-hard Wheel of Time saga fan, and for the uninitiated, the Callandor is a crystal, power-wrought sword, powerful enough to destroy a city in one blow . Have just begun putting together my experience so far, and hopefully will be able to put up the thread soon.

[dkaile]

Excellent dash mates. Would have loved to join had I been living somewhere nearby.

[specialedition]

Great idea to have such a gathering of Fortuners. Lovely place n pics and its a squadron on move, no one would mess around.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Guderian

My pleasure Karan561. That last snap of yours - is that foggy look the side effect of having removed the sun film or what ? Does it hamper vision at times ?

Nope, never had installed sun film on my BRUTE-FORT

[joshuakeys]

Wow, what a sight, 7 fortuner's together, all of them together on road, It was like watching all the super starts together.

[vvb8530]

Originally Posted by Ahmed

And yes - I finally get time to scribble a bit on this thread. Megaladon is back at base now. Here are the stats:

Total Kms clocked : 1048 KMS. This is from base Aurangabad - Nasik - Mumbai - Khandala - Kamshet - Pawna Dam - Kamshet - Mumbai - Nasik - Aurangabad.

Hey Ahmed,

Sorry for going OT but any particular reason for taking the Nashik route from Aurangabad?

I have lived in Auranagabad from 2004 to 2008 as i was studying there and used to drive down to Mumbai pretty often and would always take the Auranagabad - Ahmednagar - Pune - Mumbai route as it was supposed to be faster and with better roads.

Is the Nashik route better now? I ask since i am planning a trip down to Auranagabad in March to visit my Alma Mater.

Regards,
VVB

[Ahmed]

Well - VVB - I agree with you that the Nagar route is better. Usually when I am driving alone, I want to enjoy my drive, music and not be stressed because of the traffic. And when in a Fortuner - bad roads don't matter you a lot. There is a stretch of about 20 some kms that is pathetic between Aurangabad and Vaijapur. From thereon - its very very good. Take the Niphad -Yeola route and not the Shirdi Sugar Factory route. Less traffic, Shorter Route, Better countryside view in Monsoons.

I would not use this route in my i20 or for that matter XUV as well.

[bhp]

All thanks to Guderian and Monaro for planning and executing such a wonderful meet.

Good breezy weather, Beautiful view of the Pawna lake, 7 Fortuners rolling on rural roads. A sight to behold and a sunday morning well spend.

Some pictures taken by my mobile camera.

Already looking forward for the next meet and upcoming slush fest.

[Ahmed]

I was too busy in business and hence could not fetch enough time post this video. Apparently comes out that Canon 550D is not a good option for videos in bright light or maybe I have to do a little more research on the Manual videos mode. My Sony W220 handheld is far better ! Missed opportunity - I should have used that instead. Here is a video of whatever was left.

http://youtu.be/9joZtd_ezZY

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by Ahmed

Here is a video of whatever was left.

Thank you Ahmed for a neat clip ! Looks nice.
Next time I am sure there'll be a full length movie with all the experience you've picked up.

[Monaro CV8]

One of the few locations you could see in your rear view mirror and notice : where is the road?




Karan's idea.

[karan561]

This was the first drive what we had done with Guderian & our T-FOG group about 2 years back.

After his demise last Sunday we thought of doing the same drive again in his memory.

This pic is taken today morning at the same spot where our group first met. From L to R (bhp! - Manish, MonaroCV8 - Satyen, Venkay_Iyer- Venkat & myself)



R.I.P. Sir. Wherever you are, you will always be Family to us, Final Salute