My Big Escapade - Destination Unknown...: Day 145 - July 31

July31 at EveryTrail

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122 KMs Trip meter 18834 KMs

Just when i was thinking that i am done with Nala crossings, i had been enlightened about a Big one near koksar by Yogesh, the previous day. So All morning i was just thinking about it. It was a pleasant morning and hoped it the the rest of the day over rothang also as i have heard of very bad roads on the other side of rothang, thanks to the ppl i met who were on the way to Leh. But no choice but to go through it. Head out of town and the valley looked very pretty in the bright warm morning sunshine. Pass Tandi and ride towards koksar as the valley opens up.

Ran into a cyclist with a board and was easy to recognize him as a tourer and stopped for a chat. He had just the normal cycle and carried his stuff in a big cement bag on the carrier. This was his second trip and this would last for years he says as he has managed only uttaranchal in the last 5 months. He would be covering J&K then heading to Nepal and then Northeast india and then south! Pretty simple stuff he had with him as he was taking a few things across the town! How to ppl do such things... he wanted to contact Limca book of records about his trip. And asked i should have by now. But mine's aint such unique thing to contact them and i am afraid his trip as well. But i took his number so that i could let him know the contact info. Hope things work out for him.

Road ahead towards koksar and lucky me there was a bridge on the scary looking nala! So guess i am done with Nalas for quite some time :d Start the ascent to Rothang taking my own time. stopping at will for pix and taking break when i want. Nearing the top the mist seemed to be pouring out from the other side kinda giving the hint of the weather the other side. Soon its rain drops and i am forced to crawl into my rain gear. The road seems to have vanished under the widening process and its all misty getting to the top. There were a parked vehicles this side, belonged to visitors. Guess they had come here as rothang top was completely misted out and hardly 10-15 feet visibility. Reach the top and it was very unlike the last time i visited it. hardly any people, the board is gone to be replaced by new one i guess. Nothing can be seen and i ride ahead to find the dhabas and all empty. No snow near the road side. I was told that to get to snow one has to go up on ponies. Ride across and start the descent. The road was progressively getting worse. Out of the mist and into the rain. The rained out slush paths were taxing. Have to cope with the impatient cars who honk expecting me to just fly out of the path! Plus have to catch one of the tire tracks to ride slowly hoping not to drop the bike and a long line of impatient vehicles behind. Lot of slush monsters to deal with and it went on for more than a hour. Got me real tired i must say. Glad that i did this trip counter clock wise else Manali Leh strech would have taken the wind out of me.

Manage to get my self to tarmac with rubber side down and its still raining only to let go near solan. Then places get familiar to my last ride near rothang and how far down from rothang we were stopped by ice! It was drizzling all the way and first went to vashisht to check out the rooms. There were available, but wanted to take a spin of manali town before i could settle. Rode onto manali via a bridge and the main road is now blocked for vehicles. Rode to the top till Hadimba devi temple. But since my bike was loaded did not go in. Found a hotel with parking on the way down and settled in hotel devlok. Nice bargain for a offseason price. The evening i took a stroll in the manali bazar area and wasted some time trying to get my wireless modem get going again. Tomm is a long ride to Delhi.

Mountain view from the room in the Hotel Tashi Deleg...

Get to see this walking out of the room...

The room...

The bike parking place...

Riding out of Keylong...

Valley leading to Rothang...

Bike at the famous bilboard... Just teasing the board here as i am riding the opposite direction and did not fell any fuel ;)

Rothong looks cloudy...

Pretty places enroute...

Purple flowers bring color to the dull boring browns...

The pretty valley with rothang to the left ridge...

Mountain top glaciers...

Houses looking tiny on the Hillside...

Some rough path...

Glacier giving out a water fall!

More Glaciers...

Pretty road for a change...

Then i meet the All india cycle tourer... This is his second trip...

The board says it all....

The two tourers intending to do all india ride....Couldnt be more different i guess...

Carries his stuff in there...

Road ahead...

Nice place to live...

Riding up...

Last couple of poses of the bike with the mountains...

A three step water fall which you can ride on!

At the deviation to Spiti, had stopped here 3 years back looking at the now missing board which said, Leh 565 Kms! Then i thought some day and a bigger machine :) And here i am...