legal farewell ride - Huliyurga

Huliyur Durga Ride The opportune moments to ride around the hilly roads of Huliyur Durga arose in the pretext of my farewell ride. Legal’s Farewell Ride as they preferred to call it. Well, I was heading out to the west coast to augment my half a life time of education with yet another degree called the Masters. A slave to my master’s dream, I had to bid audie to FSR and the many wild adventures. Some of the members of the group, agreed to a final ride with me to mark my farewell (some said it should be interpreted as ‘good riddance’). As part of the perks offered for my farewell, I was allowed to pick the route and I decided upon Huliyur Durga ride, which et al, maybe with some bit of chagrin, agreed to have been one of the best rides FSR has done. On a bright Saturday morning of [___], 2007, I reached the designated meeting point – Yeshwantpur Metro, to realize none of the fellers were around. I was wondering, if they had a wicked plan to bid farewell by making a blunder out of me and having a hearty laugh at my expense. As it turned out in a while, Sats arrived and I duly handed him the task of rectifying some ignition related defects in my mis-firing bike. With all the possible cussing and swearing and after having branded my bike a ‘Chalti ka naam gaadi’, off-course not to miss mentioning the poignant look on his face to realize even an RD 350 could be in such state of penury, he finally fixed it, during the course of which the other fellers Santiago, Sats, Indi, Suru, Matts and Screech trickled in. We were to head out towards Kunigal (where Screech had promised me to get a badhnekay – brinjal stamp for my VISA to US) and turn left towards Huliyur Durga and from there head towards Mysore road through Kanva Dam and Ramnagar and finally back to B’lore. The loop was about 180 kilometres. Special thanks to Purshotham aka purshi for the route. After a photo shoot in grotesque poses, directed by our own very whacked Spielberg, Indi, the eight of us were off towards Kunigal. We stopped at Nelamangala for a thatte idli breakfast. After gorging on it, downing a few cuppas, Santiago depleting the stock of chocolates in one of the little shops run by a poor old wretch and Matts sharing his new found fascination to minute maid orange juice, it was time to do some hardcore riding J !!! After riding about 30 kms we stopped just outside Kunigal for re-gathering. Many long minutes passed by and Santiago and Suru were no where in sight. After many a anxious moments, they finally arrived. The story goes that Santa’s Rudolph (Beemer F 650), traumatized by its Grinch of an owner, declined to ride beyond 60 kms per hour and has ever since been recalcitrant to ride beyond that speed. (Santiago got me to pick up some parts for his beemer in his endeavors to negotiate mutually beneficial terms with his bike, though I see no hope for it or him). We reached Kunigal and found the turn to head towards Hulyur Durga, off-course not without its own little exciting moments of suru and matts, plastered in their own little fantasies, missing the turn and finally finding the way. We stopped by a pristine lake with that look of hope that it will continue to remain for many more years and lakesh aka screech lisping in delight to add yet another lake to his list of drinking haunts. (He would be best if made the chief of lake development authority- probably even submerge the city to make it one big lake). The road towards Huliyur Durga started getting more scenic as we got headed further deep into it. Many a little hillocks and winding roads with the morning breeze made it for us. Unbounded exuberance and what not, we rode on and made our way into the little town of Huliyur Durga. This town popular for one of the highest hillock, a monolith, is a quite little town. After a few more snaps with the tower like monolith in the background, we scampered around looking for a appropriate chai stop over joint. With none to meet our expectations (read ‘our’ in this context as Santiago) we rode on towards Ramnagar. This is where the story begins and the part of the ride to remember forever. The road was beautiful and terrain a sight to see. The road running through a semi-forest with all those trees swaying in the breeze and road winding away to spring out more surprises at every bend..the story goes on. Little wonder why our elders incessantly rave about how beautiful the places around Bangalore were a few decades ago. This was nature presented in its pristine form. No large tracts of developed lands or commercial establishments or screeching motor vehicles or the din of a town. A long forgotten road winding through some isolated parts of the country side, a true haven for the maverick souls. We stopped at yet another vantage point with a small pond beside it for some snaps and a bird eye view of the terrain around. Feasting much as we could, we rode on. Reached Kanva dam and stopped over on the embankment, to soak in the sweeping winds. The fellers suddenly found something amiss (especially lakesh ….who else!!!). A beautiful water body, sitting on a windy embankment in absolute peace, but, no beer, rum, whisky etc etc…..It was not meant to be. With many a discussions to henceforth do the rides with a utility four wheeler following behind for emergency purposes (such as beer when in a beautiful setting and what not),we headed towards Ramnagar and exited onto the Mysore highway. Stopped over at a Dhaba…made the most of it and back to B’lore ….high on ‘spirits’…. Yet another ride nailed …to be cherished for a lifetime.