Back to Hessaraghatta

Got back in the saddle after another long-ish break yesterday, and what better way to start the season than with a trip to old familiar Hessaraghatta...
Last week's rains have ended a long stretch of unbearable heat here, and the weather was just lovely.


 

The surface quality of Pipeline road was really good throughout. Many sections have been re-carpeted, footpaths have been made and even nicely painted. It remains to be seen whether all this will stand up to the monsoon in the coming months. Pipeline road also seems to be heading down the 'development' path, with lots of housing and small commercial projects coming up in the area. Some of the familiar orchards and fields had been cleared to form housing plots. The lake area had also got a facelift. The little parking area at the entrance and the path on bund had been cemented and the whole area generally spruced up. Perhaps all is in aid of the expansion of the temple at the top of the bund. I remembered it being a tiny place earlier, so I dug out some photos from earlier...

Before and after

The bund has also been fenced off, so there is no way to ride off the bund on the other side near the check dam.

And the riding season has begun! (For me at least).

A Winter Night Ride

November is here, and the temperature has dropped noticably since Diwali. I took a short impromptu ride last night to enjoy the crisp winter air and the full moon. Despite the bright moonlight, some roads in are completely dark due to the dense canopy of Mahogany and Rain Trees. An added bonus is the sweet smell of Alstonia Scholaris flowers (near the library) filling the night.

HOWTO: Open Chain Quick Link with Nose Pliers

My s.o.'s commuter bike has a stubborn quick link on the chain which just can't be undone by hand. There are a number of nice tools specifically for this (Park Tool and others) but a pair of nose pliers will work just as well - in 5 easy steps! Click on the pictures for full sized versions.

Step 0: Find a pair of nose pliers

Hessaraghatta and Madhure

Another short trip to Hessaraghatta and Madhure, with lab folks this time. A fairly relaxed ride, with lots of bird and plant watching included.

Hessaraghatta Lake

Gollahalli in May

A couple of photos from last week's Gollahalli Populaire. There was a good turnout, and other than a couple of riders who got lost (and one crashed), most completed the ride. The crash was caused by a pothole lurking under an innocent looking puddle after the heavy rains of the last week, but rider was not severely injured.

Riding to the first control, past a bright red telephone booth
(no, there is no telephone inside)

Panorama of Manchanbele from the trail

I generated this Panorama a long time back - from photos taken on a ride via the Manchanbele Trail. I have talked about the route in a previous post, so here's just the panorama...

A fresh look at an old road...

Many of us have traveled a number of times on Hessarghatta Road, making it one of the most familiar roads for bikers in North Bangalore.However it can sometimes be surprisinghow the same roads can look drastically different when travelling the other direction, in different light conditions, and different seasons. Here are some pictures of Hessarghatta Road shrouded in fog, from a recent ride.

Photos courtesy Hari Krishna and Alex Fell.

Hessarghatta Main Road

The Hessarghatta Pump House

Savandurga and Manchanbele

Photos from an early tour of Savandurga and Manchanbele, with Mohammadi and Poovaiah.

Ramanangaram and Janapada Loka

Some photos from my first ever (longish) bicycle tour - to Ramanagaram, followed by some trekking, then lunch at Kamath Lokaruchi, rest at Janapada Loka and ride back to IISc.

A temple on the top of Ramdevara Betta

A small rainfed lake in the rock

The lake - it even had fish in it!

The view from the top

The rocky outcrops at Ramdevarabetta

The climb is possible only because of steps cut into the rock and steel railings all along

Janapada Loka