Weekend Budher Ride

9, 10 July 2016

A spontaneous Ride. Gyan was in town. Rainy season was here. So we chose to Ride to Kalesar for the weekend. Hills were not recommended for the rainy season due to landslides, although I had been there the weekend before to Thanedar. The road stretch to Paonta Sahib is one of my favourites. Its provides a nice mix of runs on national highway, state highway and forested area. It is not that far also. Ankit was the third rider that joined us.

After a long, long time we played our tradition of pre-Ride BBB with many gathered for beer the night before at a Gurgaon ahaata. Thankfully, it didn't last as long as our previous meets. All were dispersed before midnight which meant that we avoided riding with a hangover.

The confirmed riders were:

Ankit Gupta - Royal Enfield Classic 350

Gyananath Moshahari - KTM Duke 390

Diptinder Singh Chhabra - Royal Enfield Electra 4S

9th July 2016:

The alarm ran for 4 am, and we were on our way to meet Ankit at the designated landfill point at 4:45 AM. We reached the point at 5:35 AM to find Ankit already waiting there. This was a surprise as his place is very close by and he is usually late. We set off as soon as both of them were done with a smoke. This smoke irritation would continue throughout this ride. 

It was strange setting off for a ride under a bright sky. We always leave in the dark. But since the planned destination, Kalesar was close by, we took it easy. The weather was very clear so the run would be quick. We also thought of taking it a bit easy on the stretches this time. After a regroup at Panipat toll, we stopped for breakfast at Karnal. Our habits include riding for at least 150 kms for the first stretch.

Aloo parathas and tea, the staple food for Riders early in the morning. Ankit again surprised us as he opted for bread toast. He had more than enough as a double order arrived. The departure again took longer as I was again forced to wait while the other two completed their smoke. Our next pit stop was planned at Chachrauli, to have strawberry shake. By now, I know the turns at Yamunanagar and Jagadhari by heart, so the way through these cities got handled quickly. With every visit, I see the towns' limits extending. But while crossing Chachrauli, we couldn't see any vendors selling strawberry shake. So we started to look for the next best thing, cane juice and again didn't see any vendors. Having covered more than 200kms already, it was high time that the Duke got a refill. Our next break was at the destination itself, Kalesar where we had tea and samosas. The time was 10 AM. 

There used to be a time when we used to take 12+ hours to cover 350 kms. We had covered 270 kms in 4.5 hours today. This must be a new record in BoP. Never had we reached our destination before noon. Well, there was a Neemrana Ride, but the planned destination at that time was Abhaneri and we were forced to stop at Neemrana due to dense fog. 

On enquiring, the locals recommended visiting Hathni Kund, so we made our way there after picking up a few beers. We reached a barrage area, but there was no way to reach the water. So we hunted around and then saw a few tracks made by tractors who were carrying away riverbed stones. This offered an excellent offroading experience and we traced those tracks till we reached one of the outlets of the barrage, an isolated spot with the cold water flowing right besides us. 

We cheered while sitting on the river banks. It used to happen on our Rides that we would jump into a water body at first sight. Ankit was very eager to do that here too, but the rest of us were not. So we just soaked in the cold with our legs dipped in the water and cold beer running down our throats. I need to go back to those old days of natural baths. 

We discussed on where to head next. After spending a leisurely amount of time, we took off towards Dakpatthar. We had missed a stay at the grand GMVNL guest house there on our last visit in 2011.  It offers a swimming pool facility too. We could make up for that lost opportunity today. So we made our way across Paonta Sahib, Vikas Nagar and reached the guest house only to find that it was closed for renovation. The hunt for the next place to stay began and we reached the Inspection Bungalow of Irrigation Department. This place had a fabulous view of the canal and a smashing looking property it was. Unfortunately, this was reserved for VIPs and some of the Irrigation Department were already visiting. Ankit tried to find out some contact through his Delhi connections, but to no avail. 

We again discussed on where to head next. The discussion ended with Chakrata. We would try to book the Forest Rest House at Budher from Kalsi and if not, then we would stay at Chakrata for the night. This pleased Gyan very much as he was looking to add 350 kms on his odo for the weekend. By now, it was past lunch time. We reached the Forest office at Kalsi at 3 PM. The DFO was not present there, so we took his number from one of the staff members and called up to book the Rest House. The DFO gave us a verbal confirmation but we were still skeptic as there was no written proof. 

The nearby eateries didn't offer full meals, so we made our way forwards towards Sahiya. The pleasure of hilly roads was undertaken after all even though they were not at high altitude. Lunch was at a very small place, but delicious, like all mountain meals. This time I threw a surprise by ordering veg while the others had chicken.

Whether or not the forest rest house would be available, we would need to stop at Chakrata. The Duke needed petrol and we would all need to pack drinks and meat for the night. At Kalsi, we were suggested to talk to the guard at a barrier 5 kms beyond Chakrata to confirm that the caretaker of the FRH hasn't come down to the city. So while I headed forward to the barrier, Gyan and Ankit went into town to fill up on supplies.

On reaching the barrier, the guard said that we would need to confirm from Talwandi, 18kms ahead. I waited for a while before Ankit called up and asked me to join them at the market. It would take a long time to get the supplies as none of the shops were willing to cook meat for us at that odd hour. I joined the others in time to know that one cook did actually agree to cook chicken, but it would take time. The rest of the supplies were sought in the meantime. We followed the advice of the family man, Gyan on what else should be purchased for the night and the following day ahead. It was funny to see him buying vegetables and rice while on vacation, his regular task otherwise too.

All loaded up, we resumed our journey towards yet another extended destination. We would need to cover the distance quickly as it was getting dark and the path from Talwandi to the FRH would be offroad. The road conditions had greatly improved since our last visit on this stretch while on the way to Rohru. We missed our regular participant Ranaji on seeing the milestone of Tiuni. Except for one bad patch, the 18kms to Talwandi was on a newly paved road. Moreover, we were now riding above the clouds.

We were now motivated to reach our destination before dark. We had bragged this fact on our last few rides, but this short weekend ride looked to be capable of breaking the streak. By the time we reached Talwandi, it was twilight. We asked around and found a man of Forest department who told us the names of two caretakers that would be present at the Forest Rest House.

Now we were on a narrow track guided by our headlights only. There is no traffic on this stretch of 3 kms, only a track capable of handling only one Jeep at a time. Thankfully, it wasn't yet fully dark as two or three turns on this stretch are blind.

When we finally reached the Forest Rest House, it was locked and there was no one around. We had made it to the destination before complete darkness but if we did not find the caretaker, we would have to make our way back to Chakrata in darkness. Chakrata would have still been okay, but covering the 3 kms to Talwandi was the real danger. This made us nervous.

We took a round of the Rest House calling out the name of the caretaker, with no response. The guard room at the back was also locked. In the near darkness we had noticed another building 200 m back down another narrow trail. I made my way there to see if anyone was available there. Getting closer to the building, I called out the names again, but there was no response. It was only when I rounded the corner wall and stood in front of the building that 3 people were visible having dinner. One of them was the caretaker. I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way back to the Rest House, allowing them to finish their dinner in peace.

15 mins later two of the guards came and asked for permit. That was another bombshell for us and we dreaded having come all this way for nothing. But on narrating the sequence of events at the Forest Department at Kalsi convinced them of our genuity and they unlocked the Rest House. Word of mouth still holds true in the Forest Department.

The House had one hall and two large bedrooms on either side of it, each having its own XL-sized baths. There was no running water, but two bucketfuls of water were placed in each bath. There was no electricity. There were three emergency lights charged throughout the day using solar power. There was no phone network and that really pleased us. Perfect conditions to spend a vacation. There was also a large fireplace in the hall. But it wasn't so cold yet for the need of a fire.

And soon the BBB started. This ride had offered us much relaxing time, so actually the BBB had been on for a very long time. It took an hour to get the chicken and meat heated up and served. By then we were happily downing pegs. The chicken was delicious. It had been worth the wait. The mutton wasn't heated properly so we gave it a miss. After some gorging, it was time to step out into the moonlight. It was blissfully quiet. The moon and stars were very visible in the cloudless sky through the gaps of the surrounding tall deodar trees. A little time  outside and we started to feel cold. We were not well prepared for the weather. We hadn't expected to ride for 400 kms today. Gyan had to buy a jacket at Chakrata for protection.

My comrades were expecting the cave to be nearby. It was now that I told them about the 3 kms trek to the cave. Surprises were hitting them gently. First there was Chakrata, then 18 kms to Talwandi, then the 3 kms trail to FRH and now another 3 kms trek. I was not being very kind to them.

As it started to grow colder, we made our way back inside the cottage. Now, we were regretting our decision not to lit up a fire. We finished our dinner and then ran into the warm blankets. Gyan is notorious for his snoring. But having travelled a long distance today, we were tired and sleep came easily. His tenure in the dry state of Bihar has lowered his volume greatly now. Moreover, our healthy intake of alcohol took us past caring.

10 July 2016:

Night spent and it was already our day to return. This is what I dislike about weekend Rides. But first, we had the day ahead of us. Mountains ensure that you wake up early. The perfect stillness and quiet of the place was enthralling. We had got some biscuits and cake along and the caretaker provided tea, without milk. We blamed our family man for missing out on milk for the stay.

Now came the trek to the cave. I had promised an excellent place to my co-riders. Getting them to the Forest Rest House was easy as it was on motorcycles. But now it was literally an uphill task, 3 kms of it. Before setting off, we asked the caretaker to get the leftovers heated up and ready in another 2 hours time when we returned. And then we set off on the mountain trail through the forest.

We didn't hear anybody but ourselves on this trail. This was a blessing in disguise as we were getting noisy by the minute. The noise wasn't with all the talking, but the gasping. The 3 kms were an ordeal to cover. Throughout we had to encourage each other to just make it to the next turn up ahead. Little by little we did, and then finally emerged into the clearing.

Crossing a few hillocks we made it to the entrance of the cave. Looking at the small size of the entrance, Ankit and Gyan were discouraged from entering it. Even I would have been had I not ventured in earlier. Knowing how the space opened up inside, all three of us crawled through. Ankit had conquered his claustrophobia, bravely. Camaraderie can conquer many phobias.

The wonderful thing about the Budher cave is that it does not have a musty smell. There are other openings for ventilation. We rested ourselves tired from the trek. Being in a cave, one has to meditate. There is no better song to be played at that time than "Nothing Else Matters". The acoustics settings of the environment ensured a clean surround sound even from my cheap phone. For the entire 6:28 duration of the track, we had attained inner peace, moksha.

When the track finished, we woke up to the real world and crawled out. Reality dawned and we had to make our way back to Delhi where we earn our livelihood. But we were in no hurry and just laid out in the meadows for a nap. It was planned to bring tents next time. A night halt in the meadows under the stars would be a terrific idea. There would be none of the commercial establishments that have taken over Triund and Khirganga to disturb our stay.

With heavy hearts we started back on our return journey. The descent had taken less than an hour. The leftovers were prepared by the time we got back. Wolfing on the food, we finished it in no time and got on our rides. Riding above 80 km/h takes a toll on my Bullet's mileage and even though fitted with a large tank, I had struck reserve yesterday after crossing Chakrata. I had to borrow a litre of petrol from Ankit whose Bullet is now a mile cruncher, thanks to large tank and K&N filter. That litre took us till Chakrata where we could get more petrol in black before encountering pumps at Kalsi.

The weather was lovely with a very light drizzle as we made our descent from Chakrata. However, we started to dread the weather within 5 kms because my clutch cable broke. Being a weekend ride, I wasn't carrying a spare one too. This was a lesson for all future rides, whether weekend or day-long or week long. Murphy's law had struck. Our long running streak of zero breakdowns had now been broken. Thankfully, the road was downhill and we managed to reach the next town Sahiya where we could find a mechanic. But the mechanic had gone to Vikas Nagar for the day. We would have to go further.

With a jump start, we carried on. I had to make some nerve-racking calculations with the traffic now. All the physics of velocity, acceleration and deceleration came into play. It was a precise play of objects and if the oncoming vehicle took even a second longer/later, my Bullet stalled. Overtaking had to be timed given that I was stuck in second gear. The low speed was acting as a lullaby for my co-riders too. Gyan went on ahead to look for the next mechanic. Ankit was stuck in following me. We droned on and finally reached a mechanic at Vikas Nagar. It took 5 minutes and my Bullet was back in action.

Since we were already running late, we took another stop just before Paonta Sahib for a late lunch. Thereafter, we were prepared for a long haul. The time was now 5 PM. Crossing Yamunanagar took us into the twilight zone. This is the most dreaded part of travel. Its not a clear sight with headlights on/off. To add to that, we were on a single lane. It was now essential that we reach NH-1 quickly. Therefore, we took the long route and touched the NH-1 at Kurukshetra instead of Karnal. Now we were on the home stretch. We can ride on this road at any time of day. But the twilight run had taken a toll. We stopped for a break. Energy drinks were taken to replenish.

The next regroup happened at Panipat toll and then finally at the landfill site. We had made it just after 11 PM, not a bad timing. We would have made it sooner had it not been for the traffic caused by numerous weddings.

This spontaneous Ride had ended a two month long drought and it was made possible by Gyan. A longer Ride would've sprung up things, but something is better than nothing. We got to stay at a fabulous place. Caves and Forest Rest Houses have become the new crush now. I'll be looking forward to visiting more such places. As for Budher, we considered re-visiting this site with tents. Until the next one,

JAI BoP!!!