Following Yamuna to its Source – A Road Trip….Part 5

03 July 2011

On the way back....

It was time…. Time to leave the clean environs of Janaki Chatti and to move back to the mundane city life. I clicked a few more pics, took a deep breath and switched on the ignition of the bike. It was around 12.30 pm, when we left Janaki Chatti and had our first stop just after 2-3 kms as i wanted to capture the 2nd accident spot as described in the 2nd post.

I wonder if i can have one just like that....

Lush Green Surroundings....

Janaki Chatti

All set... on the way back...

Who's faster???

Accident Spot No. 2...

To Nandan - Adhiraaj along with the bike...

The sun and the clouds were constantly playing hide and seek and it was getting hotter as we were navigating through the mud puddles and the snaky, bumpy, grainy roads. The driving was a tad difficult as compared while moving up due to the condition of the road  and i was feeling a tremendous pressure on both my hands while controlling the bike. It took us two and a half hours to complete that particular stretch from Janaki Chatti to Barkot and we stopped there as it was time for the lunch break.

On the way back....

On the way back...

Yamuna in full flow...

The time was running out fast and Mussoorie was still 95 kms away, i had an idea about the road condition till Yamuna Bridge as i covered the same only yesterday but not for the 30 km road stretch to Mussoorie. Around 3.30 pm we left Barkot after having a plate of samosa and a lot of fluids, navigating at 30-40 kmph through the windy serpentine roads. By now it was getting difficult sitting on the bike (Talking to the one’s who drive or have driven bike for a long distance. You know what i mean… :) ) and every now and then i was counting the number of kilometers traveled and was trying hard to make it at-least 15, sometimes 20 before stopping the bike and jumping off the seat. A numerous stops later we reached the point, 2 km before Yamuna Bridge from where we had to take the road diverting to Mussoorie. The clock was showing 5.30 pm and we still had another 30 kms to cover.

On Mussoorie road...

The hills, the roads and the river.....

On the edge...

The road condition for that particular stretch was excellent. What’s better than to drive on a well laid road in the hills when you have a beautiful scenery of the setting sun accompanying you. We were gaining heights and at the same time the cloud cover was also increasing. We passed Kempty falls along the way with plenty of cars parked on both sides of the road giving the idea of what it would be like in Mussoorie. We had no prior booking, no knowledge as i skipped this part while planning for the trip but just a vague memory from my first visit to Mussoorie when i was little. The frequency of the cars following or passing by were increasing constantly with majority bearing the same number plate which starts with PB (Punjab), well mine also says PB but i was just passing through.

On the edge...

The Great Mussoorie Rush....

Anyways, we reached Mussoorie by 6.45 pm and there we were, stuck in the narrow lanes admist the Great Mussoorie Rush…. My mind just stopped responding for a moment. Hell, it was crazy out there with 3C ‘s in full effect – The Crowd, The Cars and The Chaos…. I went near the shed built on the left side of the road and stopped the bike and suddenly it was raining. The intensity by which it was pouring down left me with no choice but to park the bike there and rush towards the shed. It was 7pm then and by the time the rain god showed a little mercy it was 9pm. Luckily, we found a place to stay, so we got the dinner packed and went to the guest house. In the meantime the sky also cleared up but then the visibility of the stars was pretty low with so much light all around. That was a disappointment really if you are in the hills…..

04 July 2011

I was up again early, and with early i mean 5.15 am without the sound of the alarm and as per the tradition i ventured out to the balcony but came back running inside after a few seconds to pick the most important thing ‘Camera’ and spent the next 1 hour clicking pictures. As discussed last night we had no plans to roam around Mussoorie, though we both took a leave for Tuesday as well but then there was nothing that excited me about Mussoorie. By 8 am, we left Mussoorie and made our way to the capital Dehradun and stopped for the breakfast at McDonald’s.

Morning in Mussoorie...

Nau Manzila Mandir from a distance...

Morning in Mussoorie....

After a hearty breakfast and upon discussion with the manager of McDonald’s about the best possible route to Noida, i switched on the GPS on my mobile which helped me navigate through Dehradun City to NH 72A which was going towards Saharanpur. We followed NH 72 A till Chhutmalpur and then took a left onto a well laid State road further meeting NH 73 to Roorkee and then all the way to Noida via Muzaffarnagar, Meerut bypass, Modinagar and Ghaziabad. The only thing that we forgot during all the drive was to apply Sunscreen, it was not that we didn’t carry that but we forgot to apply it and the end result ‘Sunburns’. Well, now that it is healed but the two weeks that followed after the trip were a bit awkward and i was afraid as the skin was peeling of my arms. I made a visit to the doctor as well but he just laughed and sent me off without any medicine or a cream. He said and i quote ‘ You know who’s skin peel’s off? It will heal automatically. Don’t worry’. Instead i suggested him if i can apply any scrub or something, to which he just nodded and i went off.

Well, now the trip is over and all i am left with is another unforgettable experience that will remain with me throughout…. :)

And Back....

Route while coming back – Yamunotri-> Janaki Chatti-> Hanuman Chatti-> Barkot-> Nainbagh-> Mussoorie-> Dehradun -> Chhutmalpur-> Roorkee-> Muzaffarnagar-> Meerut Bypass-> Modinagar-> Ghaziabad-> Noida

Total Distance Covered – 411 Km. As i said in the 1st post the difference came out to be 475.6 – 411 = 64.6 kms.

Condition of the Road – Excellent to good except when passing through the cities.

The End…..