[Dr.AD]

A Plan That Wasn't

This was a solo drive. This was an impromptu drive. And there was neither a destination nor a plan.

These three ingredients have resulted into some really memorable drives for me in the past. This turned out to be no exception. However, there was one thing that was unusual this time - it was only a day drive. Actually less than a day, to be honest.

I never thought I would ever write a travelogue on a day's drive. But the unfortunate situation with the pandemic, the lockdowns, the partial unlock with severe restrictions on travels and hotels meant that even a day's drive was a bargain I would happily take. After being stuck sans any drives for more than two months, I just wanted to go out and drive my car.

Finally, the weekend travel restrictions in Karnataka were lifted, and the coast was all clear for a weekend drive. However, as luck would have it, I was busy with work and did not really plan anything. I was afraid the weekend would come and go, without any real action, just as many recent ones did. Although there was no plan, somewhere deep in my mind I was really eager to go out. I love my car and she deserves to be driven out on the open highways. I have recently taken up photography as a hobby and I now call myself an amateur photographer (and by this you can judge the extent of my identity crisis). My newly acquired camera gear was begging to be taken out. Basically I needed some time out. Out in the open. With my car. And with my camera.

If you love your car and your camera like I do, it is best if you are solo. Otherwise you can be the most annoying person for anyone with you. You will end up annoying them with your running commentary on how the car is driving, how the suspension is behaving, how perfectly weighted your steering is, and how you would like to take a U-turn and take that last corner again because you loved it so much. And if that commentary was not enough, you will annoy them to no limits when you pull over and stop at random places because you have a photo frame in your mind and you think you just found the perfect location for that photograph. You can end up having fights with the best of your friends or the closest of your family members in such situations. So, to avoid all that trauma (to the ones accompanying you), it is best if you are solo.

I always love solo drives. They give me a sense of freedom and they rejuvenate me. I love the freedom of driving and stopping anywhere I feel like, on any road, at any time, without worrying about the constraints of and coordination with others. In a group drive you are very restricted. You have to behave like a good team player. And while I love that too and I love our group drives (as is evident by my other travelogues in this forum, for example, this (Friends, Cars and an Idyllic Weekend in Coorg) one), solo drives have a special place in my heart.

Anyways, so coming back to this weekend, these thoughts were playing a havoc in my mind. I really had to go out. Eventually I gave in to the temptation on Friday night. I went to bed with a simple idea - I will get up early and start driving somewhere. Not sure where. But that does not matter. I will take my camera and nothing else. OK, a water bottle for sure. But that is it.

I got up early on Saturday, took a quick shower, had a strong black coffee, took my camera bag, and jumped into my beloved red BMW 320d. Now this car is very special to me. She is the perfect driving machine for my kind of driving - she is fast when I want her to be fast on those four-lane highways, she can take corners at good speeds when I find those sweeping corners, and she absolutely loves the tight turns on those meandering hilly roads. However, she is much more to me than just that. She is not just my driving machine and my companion on these drivers, but when I want to practice my photography skills (which I have yet to acquire ), she is also my model. When you have a beautiful red model at hand, what else do would you need for a photoshoot? And if I get bored of shooting the car (which never happens, but just in case), there would always be the lush green landscapes, rolling hills and dark grey clouds to focus on, given the lovely monsoon weather we are having.

So I was in my car which could not only take me to some far away landscapes but could also double as my subject for photography. But where do I go now? A quick thought and I decided to head out on Bangalore-Mangalore highway (NH75). There were two reasons: this highway is relatively easier to reach from my home without having to cross the whole city, and that this highway offered some great driving roads and great landscapes, especially during this time of the year, with dark clouds, lot of rain, and lush green hues everywhere. Actually there was a third reason too. This highway has some good breakfast places and I needed a good breakfast before spending the day out "in the field", as I told myself.

With that quick thought, I cranked the engine (Actually pushed the button to start the engine, which is so boring. I love the old-fashioned way of "cranking the key" to start the engine. But that is a different topic). In no time (well that actually means after about 45 minutes of drive) I reached NH75 and started driving Westward.

Well, this simple day's story is turning out to be a longer than I thought. So let us take a quick break. Let me share one picture that summarizes this drive, and then cover the rest in the next posts.

The car, the clouds, and a camera which you can not see but trust me it was there.

[Dr.AD]

The Surprises; Good and Bad

As I hit NH75, I realized I was not alone. There were hundreds of other cars on the road. The traffic was much more than I imagined. Maybe everyone thought like me and they were all out on the highway, letting their cars loose after a long hiatus.

After navigating through thick traffic for some time, I reached my usual breakfast place on this highway - Dhruvathare. This is a good place for food, and also very popular with car and bike guys alike.

After reaching the breakfast place:


However, as I pulled into the parking area, two things struck me simultaneously. One, it was so crowded that the parking area was overflowing with cars and two, the parking area had some really cool machines parked there. I am talking a Porsche 911 Carrera S and two BMW Z4s among a few others. Wow! That was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. I was in for a visual treat, ogling at some really beautiful cars there.

A BMW Z4 parked ahead of me:



Giving it company was the mighty E63S AMG:



And then the biggest attraction, a Porsche 911 Carrera S:



Another Z4 parked next to the Carrera S:



Another view of the Porsche. Don't miss the red Evo X next to it:



And then this lovely yellow Mustang reminded me of this recent thread (BMW M340i vs a pre-owned Ford Mustang GT) (and I wished I was 25 again):


I just spent some time ogling at these cars, and almost forgot I had to have breakfast too. And when I came to my senses, I had to find a table for myself in that busy place, have a quick "idli vada and coffee" and plan my next move. (By the way, I was wearing a mask and following social distancing all the time. And this was in general a safe trip since other than this breakfast place, I was pretty much all alone by miles, through the rest of the day).

I opened Google Maps on the phone and started exploring the places marked as "starred places" in my maps. I have a habit of marking places in my maps when I read about them or a see a nice photo of some place, for such future use. So here I was, exploring all such marked places in my maps and deciding if there is anything I could drive to.

I suddenly remembered about a windmills farm and a temple nearby which offered great views of the windmills. That sounded like a great place for a drive as well as some photography with windmills and the lush green landscapes. So with that thought, I quickly selected that place as my destination in Google Maps Navigation, and clicked "Start Driving".

Soon I exited the highway. All the highway traffic was left behind now. The peace had prevailed. I was now alone and on my way to a supposedly great location. I soon found myself on a small village road, with great views around.

At some unnamed road, away from the crowds:



Views in the windows:



A water body surrounded by grass and cows grazing on the grass, birds having a great time on the water, a couple of temples in the distance, few windmills far away on the hills, and most of that hidden by a red car:



Since I had no plans, and no destination (well, that chosen destination that I marked on my maps was really an excuse to drive somewhere), I just spent some time standing out and watching the scenery, and soaking in the lovely ambiance there.

So far it looked all good. However, when I started driving further, the plan (which did not exist in the first place) started going wrong quickly, thanks to Google Maps.

We all know how sometimes Google Maps can take you on some totally random roads, some unmotorable roads, or even worse, some non-existent roads. I usually research my routes and plan well in advance to avoid such situations. However, when one is on an impromptu drive and has no other source of information or no homework done, and is solely relying on Google Maps, such experiences are inevitable.

Google Maps made me take a narrow road which looked like a wrong road, but I could still manage to drive on:



After those narrow roads, Google Maps made me drive through some villages, and in the end I reached a major roadblock (and there wasn't really much of a road to talk of, and hence we can just call it a "block"):


It was a bit funny to see the irony of the situation. An hour ago I was ogling at a Porsche 911 and a Mustang and driving on a fast four-lane highway, and now just an hour later here I was on a mud track with a bullock cart blocking my way and nowhere to go. Amazing inequalities of life! All one has to do is to respect both scenarios, smile and move on :-)

Anyways, so essentially I found myself stuck in a narrow village road with nowhere to go. Google Maps was giving all sorts of crazy directions here, and asking me to take turns which only a motorcycle could take. Eventually, I had no choice but to turn back. But there was no space for a U-turn too. The only option I had was to literally reverse the car for a few hundred meters, navigating narrow roads, gutters on one side, houses on the other, and all the while hearing the loud "beep beep" warnings of the reverse parking sensors. It was indeed a nightmare. The villagers came out from their houses and started staring at me and wondering what was I doing.

I finally managed to traverse my way back through a few tricky turns, in reverse, thankfully without any damage. Then when I found some space, I took a proper U-turn, and drove back to the nearest wide(r) road I could see, and pulled over there to study the maps again.

I decided to take a shot at driving on one wider road going roughly towards the destination I had marked, hoping it may be longer but might still take me to the marked destination. However, no matter where I drove, Google Maps kept on navigating me through some really narrow village roads. After a couple of more such attempts, I gave up.

But then, I did not really have to go where I was headed. This is the beauty of such drives with no destinations. I could just change my plans, on the go! I was there for a drive, not for a destination. So I looked at the maps again, looked around and saw some windmills, found a wider road that looked to take me closer to the windmills, sipped some water and took some deep breaths, thanked my stars that I could reverse out from a very tricky situation without any damage, slid the gear lever in D again and started driving toward the windmills.

After such an unplanned and a bit of chaotic morning session, what lied ahead was a lovely afternoon.

[Dr.AD]

An Idyllic Afternoon

After the chaotic morning drive where Google Maps made me go through (and get stuck in) narrow village roads, I quickly made a new plan and I took a new road.

My guess by reading the maps on the phone that this road would be a bit wider and that it would also be scenic (looking at how the road seemed to be going near the windmills that I could see in the distance) turned out to be right. I finally found the most perfect road for what I was looking for - relaxed scenic drive and some photography opportunities.

Not just that now I was driving on a nice road, but the landscapes were indeed as scenic as I had imagined, the weather was as pleasant as I could ever ask for, and the dark grey clouds were as beautiful and as mystic as I ever wanted them to be. And driving on those roads, in those lovely conditions, I found several "aha moments" where I parked my car on the side of the road, got down, loitered around taking photos and soaking in the ambiance and the mood, and just having a great time.

These roads were mostly deserted, apart from the cows grazing in the fields. I rarely saw another car go by. There were a few motorcycles and bicycles passing by once in a while. Those were mostly the local people driving in and around their villages. That meant most of the times I found myself totally alone, enjoying the views and the weather.

Let he pictures tell the rest of the story now.

Finally, found the kind of roads I was looking for:



The road had ups & downs & turns & twists, the tarmac was smooth, and the landscape had hills and windmills. And the sky had dark grey clouds. What more could I ask for?:



With each turn, I was getting closer to the windmills:



The windmills were everywhere, and they were mesmerizing:



Since I had all the time, and there was nobody around for miles, why not a random shot of the car?:



A bit further ahead and another small hill with a few windmills caught my attention and made me park my car and get out again:



A perfect road for a relaxed drive:



One more car photo with the windmills in the backdrop:



The landscapes as I continued driving further:



A close-up of windmills on the top of a distant hill. I stood there dreaming of driving up there (see a small road there) and imagining how beautiful it would be there:



I continued driving on this road for a bit further, enjoying every moment on the way, and then this road ended into State Highway 121. This SH121 is another scenic road, one that every driving enthusiast would love to drive on. I was thrilled to find myself on SH121. I knew I was going to have some great time there as well.


Once on SH121, I pulled over at a this spot which had bright green fields all around to give a natural contrast for my red "model":



This was indeed a lovely spot. I got down and spent some time watching these landscapes:



A perfect spot to practice car photography:


After playing around with my camera there and taking a few more shots, and sipping some more water and enjoying the views, I got back in the car and started driving again.

And then after a few kilometers of relaxed drive, I stumbled upon a location that would turn out to be the highlight of my day. I found a serene lake with backdrops of hills and windmills, and a charming road passing by it with green fields and white road markings on both the sides. Could not have asked for a better spot for spending some time with my camera.

I was thrilled to see this location. I parked my car. Came out. There was nobody around. I spent a good amount of time here. An odd bike passed by once in a while. Apart from that there was nobody around. It was finally the moment for me. Me, my car, my camera, and the amazingly pretty landscape. This solo trip too was going to be memorable, after all.

The road that took me to this dreamy location:



And this was the view that made me stop the car and get out:



Now with all the conditions set right, it was finally the time for me to practice my photography!

A three quarter rear view of my "model" for the day:



With the road in the frame:



My most memorable shot of the day:



A bit zoomed-in framing of the view of the left:



The frame on the right with green paddy fields and coconut trees all the way till where my eyes could reach:



A parting shot at that location:



After spending a good amount of time there, I finally got back in the car and started driving again.

Final shot on SH121 just to show how scenic the road was, before I joined NH75 for my return leg:


And soon after that, I joined NH75 again and started driving back to Bangalore. I have had a great time and was thoroughly satisfied with my drive and "day out in the field". I had actually forgotten that I needed food too, and was feeling a bit hungry after all the "hard work in the field" :-)

Luckily, NH75 has plenty of options for food. I stopped at one of the places I like, "Paakshaala".

In the parking of Paakshaala. What a lovely drive we had! Now it was time for a good South Indian meal:



And then, without any further stops, I reached home.

Final stats for the drive (Just a bit over 400km of driving, just a bit over 7 hours of driving time, with few challenging moments in the morning that were soon forgotten thanks to the lovely time I had through the rest of the day, and plenty of memories and photos that I will cherish for a long time):



Well, that is all folks. That was my story of a simple Saturday drive with no plans and no destination. Thank you for reading and Keep Revving!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Nice thread IMHO - a lovely car, nice two lane roads, beautiful weather and a camera - the simple pleasures of life that we now have learned to appreciate a lot more after all these lockdowns.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Nice thread IMHO - a lovely car, nice two lane roads, beautiful weather and a camera - the simple pleasures of life that we now have learned to appreciate a lot more after all these lockdowns.

Thank you very much. Yes, totally agree. Simple pleasures of life is something we have now learned to appreciate.

I never took day drives this seriously in the past. But now given that long multi-day interstate drives are going to be harder to do, I have to learn to appreciate the day drives more and be thankful to these simple pleasures of life. This travelogue was one such attempt. To prove to myself that I can enjoy what I have within the situational constraints :-)

[sbalagru6]

Beautiful thread & gorgeous pics Do let us know where this windmill is located.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I was on a mud track with a bullock cart blocking my way and nowhere to go. Amazing inequalities of life! All one has to do is to respect both scenarios, smile and move on :-)

Ended up in a similar situation the first time I was headed for the windmills + temple. There is an easier route to get here from SH121, do check maps. Also looks like you missed the small check dam that is a beautiful pitstop.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I was thrilled to find myself on SH121. I knew I was going to have some great time there as well.

Good to know that SH121 contiues to be a great road to drive on. Need to take my new car for a spin on SH121 and maybe head to Bisle from there.
OT: Dr. AD - Do check out this pic of a red car at Bisle


Pic credits - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...ml#post5100068

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Simple pleasures of life is something we have now learned to appreciate.

+1 to that. Even a small drive or a ride is something to cherish now.

But now given that long multi-day interstate drives are going to be harder to do

Thankfully our state is made up of many worlds and once can easily do an overnighter.

[TrackDay]

Always enjoyed read your travelogues Dr.AD and this one is no different. I can echo on the point you made about driving solo, especially when one has ideas about taking pictures and commenting about the car and road. Something only an enthusiast or filming crew will have the patience to understand. Not everyone is going to tolerate repeating a section of the road because that particular corner/stretch was a joy to drive Looked up that place 'Dhruvathare'. Seems like that parking lot has played host to a great many legendary cars and bikes.

[megazoid]

As the BMW and its owner get along like a house on fire, the landscapes stand a witness to this humdinger pair. Great going AD! Office hat, I-Pace review hat, explorer hat and any other hat i might have missed.

[mugen_pinaki27]

Thank you Dr.AD for such a crisp and engaging read. I also wish to go out to the barren deserts or the cold mountains for a retreat and spend some time in the midst of nature. Your short travel is making my urge greater.. Lovely BMW too! Keep revving and writing

[kiran_aithal]

WoW!... that was a good drive and Photography too.... The red beast with the lush green background looks amazing. Thanks Dr.AD.. And good to know that all COVID norms were followed in crowded places...

Now that it has rained/been raining so much in and around Bangalore, this inspires me to go out on a long drive. May be towards a hill fort ...

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by sbalagru6

Beautiful thread & gorgeous pics Do let us know where this windmill is located.

Thank you very much.

There is no single spot for windmills. They are located all over a large area. Let me share a map screenshot below.


This is the general area near Channarayapattana on Bangalore-Mangalore highway (NH75).

Th yellow circle shows the temple I was thinking of driving to. That temple has some great windmills views. The windmills are located all around that area. However, as you can judge from the map, there is no big road (at least I could not find one) that goes to the temple. All those small roads are the ones I tried (and Google asked me take) and they turned out to be the narrow village roads where I got stuck.

Then eventually the best driving loop that I found is the one marked in blue, which is about 17km of loop drive. All the photos I posted are on this loop. This is really nice and I would recommend this loop to anyone who just wants to have a nice relaxed drive.

Originally Posted by procrj

Ended up in a similar situation the first time I was headed for the windmills + temple. There is an easier route to get here from SH121, do check maps. Also looks like you missed the small check dam that is a beautiful pitstop.

Thank you. Actually I had seen the temple photos in your TUV thread. Yes, I missed that dam too. I will check with you and get some more information from you before I head out in that area again.

Good to know that SH121 contiues to be a great road to drive on. Need to take my new car for a spin on SH121 and maybe head to Bisle from there.
OT: Dr. AD - Do check out this pic of a red car at Bisle

Oh wow! This is an amazing picture of the red Compass. I am a huge fan of that thread. That thread has some great pictures and travel stories. Really inspirational thread.

Originally Posted by TrackDay

Always enjoyed read your travelogues Dr.AD and this one is no different.

Thank you very much for your kind words.

Looked up that place 'Dhruvathare'. Seems like that parking lot has played host to a great many legendary cars and bikes.

Yes, that place is very popular with car and bike guys. It gets very crowded in the peak breakfast hour (like when I reached this time). But in general it is nice place. Good parking space, clean restrooms, and good food (typical South Indian vegetarian food). That is my usual place for a break on this route.

Originally Posted by megazoid

As the BMW and its owner get along like a house on fire, the landscapes stand a witness to this humdinger pair. Great going AD! Office hat, I-Pace review hat, explorer hat and any other hat i might have missed.

Thank you very much! Looking forward to doing some drives together with your White 330i. The White and Red on the green background is a great combination for color contrast in photos :-)

Originally Posted by mugen_pinaki27

Thank you Dr.AD for such a crisp and engaging read. I also wish to go out to the barren deserts or the cold mountains for a retreat and spend some time in the midst of nature. Your short travel is making my urge greater.. Lovely BMW too! Keep revving and writing

Thank you very much!

[OffRoadFun]

Beautiful pictures and scenic trip.
I will add this to my wishlist.
I have not driven much on this highway. Seems so lush green and you have captured excellent shots.
Also, was amazed to see 320d returning 15.9kmpl.
It seems to be an extremely refined engine, powerful (190HP if I am not wrong) and yet so efficient.
Engines have come a long way!

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

That was my story of a simple Saturday drive with no plans and no destination. Thank you for reading and Keep Revving!

Amazing travelogue Doc, you, your car and camera are made for each other. When are we doing our red and blue photoshoot and when are you taking me on that monsoon trip?

[Stribog]

I loved that pic over your lunch spot, the dark grey clouds looked like something was cooking in Mordor!

Also you are Don Quixote...except the windmills are real.