What's been up lately

Rishikesh

Previous days have kept me occupied for string of things happening in my life. My due apologies for not being regular. The HOG has seen a lot of action during this little writing sabbatical and apparently would have carried to do so, spare the crash we had. Details to come.

The rides have been happening every now and then, and its such a treat to take the bike out on a highway and stretch its legs. A friend of mine, Harish Gandhi (an architect by profession) had planned a 3 day trip to Dehradun and further reaches along with the members of his staff. We (HOG & me) were invited to come along and there are no prizes for guessing our response. The ride was unlike the ones that I do, which are hardcore riding, riding, riding and riding. This one on the other hand was more chilled out, spaced and fun oriented. The target destinations were not rigid/fixed, and were pretty flexible under any circumstances. The first day, on our way to Dehradun, we stopped at Gurdwara Paonta Sahib with weather being a bit cloudy, but not rainy at all. Then we did the scenic ride passing though Vikas Nagar, Herbetpur before reaching Dehradun. Since HOG had taken the lead in the pack, we reached IMA and waited for a photo op......sadly, nothing  materialized. We never stopped at Dehradun, as the intent was to halt at this place famous for its sulphur springs, called as Lacchiwala. A bit off the road, set in a forest reserve where you pay a nominal fee before entering, Lacchiwala provides a welcoming site. The place is set in scenic greens..... bang in the middle of forest, just too good. While others jumped in to have a dip in the sulphur springs, I settled on the bank with my bottle of suds. Calm...serene... I probably would run out of synonyms to actually define the place, but it was worth the visit. I was ultra relaxed when we made our final push to the destination of the day; Rishikesh. Not to mention the guard at the parking asking for a tip, whence he came to know about popularity of the HOG with people clicking pictures with it as I was away.

Reached...this done....that done........ and lay before me the question of activity for the evening. So taking the least effort route i.e. go with the flow, I went with entourage to the Ghats for the evening AARTI. I am still confused as to which Jhula we crossed; Ram or Luxman so as to reach the venue, but noticeably Ganga flowing underneath was ferocious..... ferocious with a subtle show of mighty force and power behind her. The AARTI at Ghats is something to be seen, it really is. Over dinner, it was decided that next morning we would move towards SAHASTRADHARA, a place close to Dehradun famous for its lovely waterfall with known therapeutic value. The HOG was at its absolute, declaring its presence wherever it went. Waterfall OK.... and it was time to move to next destination i.e. Mussoorie. It was raining as we were at SAHASTRADHARA, and blessingly the weather opened up when we decided to move towards Mussoorie. We bypassed Dehradun and very soon were on the ascend to Mussoorie township. The sun was shining bright, the weather cool to right degree, road curving at the right angles and FATBOY thumping to the perfect decibel. It was a text book ride upto Mussoorie town, with a bit of everything.....and everything in right measure. The town was engulfed in clouds and with its killer weather provided a complete WOW factor. The hotel was warm, cozy, full of heritage run by an elderly Sardar couple as we party'd our way in its corridors into the night.

On way back from Mussoorie via Kempti Falls

The way back was this new route, wherein we bypassed Dehradun landscape and joined the road to home, at Herbetpur. The route we traversed, went past Kempti falls (which is the only landmark I recall) and didnt have any settlements along it till the time we reached Herbetpur. On this very route FATBOY had its first taste of water crossing.....on which......I now second the thoughts of gora JOHN (Harley's service head), that this bike is not meant for 1-2 feet high water crossings. On the road curve itself, we had a huge waterfall bang next to the road and the splash and water was going over the road and down into the gorge. I had a good drip on myself as I went underneath the fall (in the little created space cavity that allows you to see water falling from the top) but never dared to go under it for its force. The waterfall was entirely unexpected..... and left us with "gaping for air" kinda amazement.

We returned to Chandigarh the very same day, but not before the ride had left its impression upon me. The people on the ride had something to do with it......maybe.......as I found the whole experience so very positive. I discovered that flexibility was the key in this ride.... we rode to where everyone wanted to, in the way they wanted to....yet maintaining that delicate balance of discipline. We had the best of weather wherever we went, found nicest of places to stay, saw amazing natural/man made spectacles and everyone returned safe not to mention the fun component attached to it.

One BLESSED ride it was and my word of thanks and appreciation to Harish Gandhi..... the guy has the vibes.