Ride report - Around Kabini and Kodagu 2022

 Here is a ride report of recent bike trip around Kabini & Kodagu:

 

Part -1 - Kabini & around:

 

 

Pics (below) from the hill were taken during safari/sightseeing ride with the homestay guide and not on bike but its awesome area to ride bike though. So next time. 

Part 2 - Kodagu - Day 1:

Route: https://goo.gl/maps/SLYP4NFZhvVqnfZe8

After I came back from Kabini ride, I contacted an old friend in Mysore who arranged for an overnight stay and safari inside Nagarahole-Bandipur jungle next week and I was thinking of riding again in the interior parts of this region outside of the national park. But somehow I was also thinking this is all too much as I had already been there twice in the last 3 weeks. Also, there was forecast of rains for the days my friend had booked. So I called up my friend and called-off our plans explaining all this and he also agreed that we can postpone it for a later time.

 Meanwhile I had always wanted to ride in the western ghats in monsoon so decided to head towards Somwarpet. My cousin graciously agreed to drive me & bike there and luckily my bike fit perfectly (with just wheels removed) in the trunk of his car.

Next day, I biked to Mallalli falls and surrounding areas exploring and taking only remote & longest & steepest backroads finishing at Madapur. Climbs in this region are steeper than the other areas of western ghats that I have biked. Here are some pics & videos:

 Morning walk in Somwarpet

Then ride

 

There were so many streams and waterfalls by the roadside, after a while I stopped stopping at small streams and waterfalls!

After lunch at Madapur, decided to go to Mandalpatti and see if it will be possible to ride. As we went near, it started raining quite a lot and the area was completely blanketed by clouds and visibility was very bad. And the roads are so steep. So just drove around this region hoping that next day biking will be possible. Went to Madikeri and stayed there for the night.

Day 2:

Route: https://goo.gl/maps/NJMBqXEwbVwUc76g8 

During our wanderings the previous day, I had marked a starting point for today's ride and we went there after breakfast and it was drizzling and completely foggy. In that weather, I was not motivated to assemble the bike again in the morning and ride. Reluctantly got ready hoping that the rain would stop and luckily it stopped and to my surprise, it also got bit clear. Such is the unpredictability of weather in the tropical hilly regions of western ghats.

 So started to ride this loop which some local guy had mentioned to us while we were having lunch at Madapur. He had warned it is very remote (relatively), very steep and goes adjacent to Mandalpatti and he was completely right. It was steep gradient & long, and goes quite high in elevation and I just walked most of it.

But before all this, there was a freak accident near a waterfall along the way.  There are warning boards everywhere that the water current is very strong and intense and says not to venture into the water near the bridge. Photos do not capture the intensity of the flow.

 Below is the video of me reaching the bridge near waterfall:

same waterfall full video taken the day before:

 

 

 

So i reached this waterfall and there was a couple from MH and the husband came to me asking if he can take a photo of the bike. I thought he would just take the photo of himself with the bike standing so gave him the bike. But he soon started to mount on it from the edge of the road where I had stopped and I immediately warned him and told him there is no side railings and that he should move the bike to the middle of the road and carefully mount. So we moved the bike to the middle of the road at the beginning of the bridge and he climbed but his foot was barely touching the ground & somehow he managed to push the bike and suddenly the bike started going to the edge. I sensed some danger and immediately followed him and by then he lost balance and fell towards the edge such that his back and butt was facing the stream and the legs towards the middle of the road and due to the impact of the fall he could not control and his full torso went backwards down the bridge head first. But his legs from the knee below were on the bridge and I immediately put my full weight on his legs (calf muscle part) so that he would not slip and fall. And he was screaming for help and also luckily managed to put his hand down on the supporting beam below. And then his wife and my cousin came and we all held his legs firmly while his whole body from the knee up was dangling with head down facing the rocks and strong current of the stream below. By then their Jeep driver and another local guy came running and they slowly took his hands and held them and we all five of us slowly pulled him up and made him sit. Phew!! He had some large bruises on the calf muscles and also pain on the lower back but he was smiling and thanking everyone around. Warned him again that may be because of adrenaline rush, he may not be feeling the pain so much but soon he should go to doctor and get x-ray/scan of his back. We all had some tea and talk and they left thanking us again!

We spent some more minutes there.

 

Later on sent back my cousin telling him to come to another point taking the normal road and I took this narrow road that just goes up with steep gradients and is quite long. I could not ride anymore and I started walking. It was more like hiking and there was no fog, no vehicle, no people at all and it was so beautiful. It goes just next to Mandalpatti and then right towards somwarpet. 

Thats me on the bike

Photos below is blurred not because of fog. There was no fog.

After this road reaches the top, it is a regular winding and rolling hilly road and reached an intersection where my cousin was waiting. Told him to drive further towards Somwarpet and I would bike and see if we can catch up at Somwarpet. But by then though I had food and electrolyte drink, I was not so much in the mood to ride. But anyway rode some more time towards Somwarpet and there was another steep descent and at the end of it, there is another big stream running and my cousin had just stopped there to immerse himself in that setting. We spent some time there and there was another big climb ahead. I just finished the ride there and we drove to Somwarpet, had lunch and then came home.