Sunday Ride to Irkasandra Tank with Bangalore Bikers

It was yet another Brilliant Ride with BB. Being a combined welcome Ride for May and June there was no limit on the no. of Riders. So a good turn out of almost 60 people with bikes ranging from 100cc to 1000cc. You will not find such variety in any other group I guess. It was great to meet everyone. Also nice to interact with friends from last welcome Ride and Sakleshpur Ride.

PC: N I John, LetsClick Photography

PC: Aryan

We were Split into 3 groups. Few people dropped out at the last minute. So there was some change in the group. Nevertheless, Ride started on time after John's briefing. I reached meeting point little late, but did not miss the briefing.

Group1 had all Sooper Bikes and Pocket Rockets(Dukes) led by Vijay Shah, followed by Group2 led by John which had a mix of Gixxers, CBRs, R15-R3s, Apaches, REs etc. Group 3 was entirely Humara Bajaj :) (Dominars & Pulsars) led by Manan with Yash tailing.

Ride started on a good note and everything went smooth. Initially Group 2 got split into 2. But we all reached Dobaspet in no time. The leads made sure everybody stopped and nobody went over the flyover. From there we Rode as a group. Took the turn towards Madhugiri(Uridgere-Koratgere Road). Destination was just 25 odd kms from Dobaspet. Beautiful Scenic single lane Road throughout, passing through some villages. Mix of smooth curves and straights. I thought now all the Riders ahead of me will again disappear. But everybody stuck with the group without speeding and Big thanks to John who was leading Group2 on Gixxer for a change. Actually, first time I saw him from close distance Riding slowly :p. Everybody was doing a Jolly Ride, enjoying the scenery.

Just some 10kms after Uridgere we took a right turn. From there Road was not good. Actually the Road was not made yet(the last 1-2kms). So had to Ride slowly and carefully on the loose jelly stones that were not rolled over. It was somewhat like offRoad. My Bike was dancing with tyres slipping left and right :p

As we reached Irkasandra Tank, we were greeted with a cool Breeze and Serene View. Climate was just perfect. Everyone started gazing at the view and then took pics and videos :) This place reminded me of Dandiganahalli dam. We parked our bike there itself and got down to other side for a short "Intro on the Rocks". Some people even took their Bike close to the waters and did "Parking on the Rocks". Intro session as always was fun filled. Took the mandatory group pics and then just hanged around the place for some time, chit chatting. Its a cool place to chill out early in the morning. Very near and easily accessible.

After lazing around a bit, we started back and John made us stop a number of times on the way for the Drone shots :D We can expect to see ourselves Riding in a cool drone video now. Subscribe to N.I John. :)

For Breakfast we took a U-turn towards Tumkur and went to Kamat(near Reliance). Same place where we stopped for last welcome Ride. After Breakfast, John was courteous enough to take our pics at the same Parking place once again :) and Thanks to him, Almost everyone got a chance to take the Gixxer 250 for a short spin. We were all impressed by the looks, refinement and pickup of this Bike.

I took the Gixxer for a short spin just after Hitesh's R15 and both bikes felt Super refined although they have very different Riding postures. R15's is very committed whereas Gixxer's position is upright and comfortable. More comfortable than a CBR, I would say. I'm sure some people in the group will definitely get inspired to buy this bike in near future. This is the advantage of group Ride. You get real time feedback from friends and when you get to take the Bike for a spin, nothing like it. Gives very good idea of different Bikes and their behavior.

After a long break at Kamat, we started back to Bangalore and Reached home by around 12:30-1pm. Some of them who had started early, reached back by 10 or 11am itself. The return Ride was uneventful.

Here's the amazing Drone footage of the Place.
Simple, pure, pleasing video by John



Video Credit: N.i. John, LetsClick Photography
Like, Comment, Share, Subscribe maadi..

All in all it was a perfect chilled out welcome Ride. Great time pass on a Sunday morning. Thanks to BB and John for Organizing. Once again, Welcome to all new members..
Until next time.. Ride Safe, Ride Long. ​​​

Read More

Weekend Trip Options from Bangalore(2 days < 250kms one way)- Coorg and Chikmagalur

The two most visited places from Bangalore for a weekend Ride/Drive are Chikmagalur and Madikeri(Coorg). Simply because they are quite near to Bangalore and have lots to offer as weekend destinations specially from Bangalore. Also they are neither too near nor too far. Perfect for the so called Riding/Driving Enthusiasts for a Short Trip.

This post is aimed at helping people planning for a weekend outing from Bangalore with information about the places, route, map etc. I'll be updating the post with some pics and maps since I've visited both these places numerous times.

Lets first start with Chikmagalur coz there are lots of places to see. Falls, Hills, Temples etc. Its both near to Bangalore and easily accessible. Just a 4 and half hours drive. Coz Blore to Hassan is a breeze. Can cover in 3hrs. From Hassan, Chikmagalur is just 60 kms.

CHICK-MAGALUR= Chikka Magal Ooru (Little Daughter's village)

I've prepared a Sample Itenary which people can follow. This will give a fair idea to plan your trip according to your preferences. This itenary is prepared keeping both youngsters and family in mind and is not very challenging to execute.

Leave Bangalore at 4am.
Try to visit Mullayangiri early in the morning. Day1 will anyways be reaching Chikmagalur only by 10 or 11am, so cover the temples and the falls on Day1 and take Rest.
On Day2, can visit Mullayangiri early in the morning. There is some trekking involved, but the view is worth it. There will be some mist as well. And the morning breeze on the hill is something to be experienced. The feeling can't be described in words.

Day1: Blore-Breakfast- Halebidu(Hoysaleshwara Temple) - Belur(Chennakeshawa Temple, Take a Guide if available)-Lodge/Resort Checkin-Lunch
Note: Belur is on the way to chikmagalur. Belur and Halebidu are some 17kms apart. If visiting both, visit Halebidu first and then Belur.
Post Lunch: Dabdabe(Buttermilk) Falls- BabaBudangiri Hill - Lodge - Roam Around in the market(Chats)-Dinner-Halt
Buttermilk falls doesn't involve much trekking. Need to park the car by the side of the road and A jeep will get you down(offroad) near to the falls and from there its just a leisurely walk.
Carry extra clothes and covers. Bababudangiri also not much trekking. Its more of walking.

Day2: Start at 6am from Lodge-Mullayangiri-Breakfast-Lodge(checkout)- Some Other Place-Lunch
Post Lunch: Ayyana kere Lake- Dinner -Blore
Ayyana kere is just a large lake. Peaceful and good place to relax and click pics. Nothing much to do. Its quite far from the city, 25kms on the other side on Chikmagalur. But then you can take the alternate route through Arsikere to Bangalore. Check the above map and see which all places you would want to visit on Day2.

On Day2, in case it gets late, you can stop for dinner on the way(Swathi Delicacy before Kunigal).

PS: There are lots of other places in Chikmagalur which I've purposely left out. Either because its time consuming or because its a little too adventurous to include them in a 2 days plan. I'll share about those places in a separate post. 2 days is not at all enough for Chikmagalur/Madikeri or any such place for that matter. With too many options and misleading reviews on the internet, I'm just trying to bring your confusion down by picking a few places that are worth a Visit.
Any Suggestions/comments are most welcome.

=======================================================================

MadikeriComing to Madikeri, one of my fav places for a Trip.

You can visit the following places in Coorg:-

1) Bylakuppe(Tibetian Monastery), Nisargadhama and Dubbare elephant camp in one shot preferably on 1st day itself. Try Zipline at Nisargadhama and Rafting at Dubbare. Check this for the timings: https://coorgtourism.co.in/dubare-elephant-camp-coorg

2) Omkareshwara Temple, Abbi falls, Mandalpatti, Raja's Tomb and Raja Seat all are near Madikeri.
Mandalpatti has some offroading. Better park the bike midway and walk the last stretch.
Abbi falls you've to climb down and climb up some 100-150 steps. You can only take pics from a distance. Can't get down to the waters. Will be a bit crowded.

Raja Seat(Sunset point) and the Omkareshawara temple can be covered at evening time as well. Raja Seat will be open till 8pm I guess.

You can take a walk at Raja Seat if you reach there before its dark and Relax. There's a toy train and musical fountain as well. You can just have some snacks and relax.

3) Talacauvery and Bhagamandala- go early in the morning. Will be a good Ride. Dont keep this for evening/afternoon. Try coffee/tea at some shops on the way.

4) Tadiandimol(Trekking)- Chelavara falls (close to Virajpet). Again, dont keep this for evening.

All the places are touristy places So plan according to your preference. Try to explore some offbeat places. Check this blog post for some maps and info.

Read More