Doon and the avent of winters.

...thus come along the winters and consequently the craving for some more of adventure and sightseeing and vistas to be witnessed ! As we get the quilts over ourselves maybe its time and has been so lately too that we've been kicking them off riding off to the nearest mountain tops watching those golden hours of dawn and dusk unfold in awe!

So marking the advent of winters and in comes, the urge to witness the glory of winters in Doon, the urge to watch the winterlines, pervasive horizons at sunsets, slurping maggi at maggi points (maggi is back afterall), tea at bhataghat, snow at Mussoorie and Dhanaulti !...and we've been already heading out making the best and soaking the best of the winters in Doon.

[MOTO TRAVEL] Chanshal Pass

Chanshal Pass

When we found the thrill over the hill at Chanshal last week. It was magnificent and surreal finding ourselves at the untouched Chanshal. Through treacherous terrains and mere 250 odd kilometers away from Dehradun and experiencing vistas and landscapes equivalent to Rohtang is surely is a thrilling excursion one can accomplish overnight.

Sharing few stills of what we witnessed up top.

Enduro uphill

Roads to freedom.

Enroute Chanshal pass

Chanshal Pass

Scouting/Exploring Dehradun

8 Less explored and Beautiful Roads, Routes and Places in and around Dehradun.

1)      Mussoorie to Clouds End

Clouds End

Beautiful road leading from Mussoorie to Clouds end which goes down to Chhas Khet. The road running along the Fortune Hotel straight from library chowk Mussoorie leads to the place. Monsoons are best witnessed from the place with clouds being beneath you. Clouds tend to play a lot with the uprising winds from the valley which tends to ffog up the place from bright sunny in a flip second.

2)      Suakholi to Thatyur

Thatyur Road

Theres no introduction to Doonites acquainted with the doon-dhanaulti route. But a slight detour from Suakholi (midway between Mussorie and Dhanaulti) may lead one to small villages tucked away calm into the the Tehri section with Chir Pines and beautiful vistas around. This route (taking Left from Suakholi) will lead one to villages as Thatyur,  Almas, Moriana Top  and Devalsari .

3)       Dehradun to Rikholi via Purukul

Road to Rikholi

                                      

Well…probably the closest among the all in case one wishes to visit the place and explore around. A office return detour in the evening might be pretty relaxing. With driving across the Bijapur dam road entering purukul and going along the road it might lead on to Pundeer Gaon (as the locals say it) Going along the road further on enquiry with the locals about a village named Rikholi anyone may guide through the route. Lush greenery the area possesses with the sunsets that may leave you awe struck. With a slight trek to the hill top where the Nag Devta temple is located you find yourself surrounded by a small meadow a Mini-bugyal very green in monsoons and with Nag Devta Temple that receives mass gathering accompanied by an annual fair in the month of May every year it’s a place that deserves a visit.

4)      From Raipur and Thano to Haldwadi and Danda

Hill tops at Haldwadi

I guess everyone is acquainted with the Thano route beautiful as it is (until now) with forests and paved roads all the way. From Thano Chowk to left leads a village named Haldwadi. Situated deep into the jungles uphill with a steep climb on a two wheeler (not accessible by a four wheeler though), its beautiful with few chir pines and lots of jungle trails. Its located at a good height so again the monsoons and clouds and sunsets are what I may call the vibrant patterns across the nature portrays across the horizon. Visit the place I say. Very untouched and lies unexplored.

5)      Raipur To Dwara Hill top via Maldevta

Lots of hill tops and one more that goes by the local village named Dwara. Getting across the Maldevta village leading to a T-section and consequently a right turn to Green Coloured bridge and a road ascends to a hill that runs parallel to the Theva-Maldevta road. Keep the momentum going along the twists and turns until you reach the village. Ask a local if theres an area where army resides very often and theres a particular area of Chir Pinr trees conserved by army, that is the place. One has to explore around a little bit. Anyways the pic might help. Beautiful place up top for trekking, night outs, campfires etc. Well we`ve been riding always to the hilltops but we would love the diversity sometimes. Oh Wait ! No we wont.

6)      Thano to Itharna

Itharna

Yet another location very very unexplored and roads leading to the place are dangerous and treacherous. Always broken and succumbed to landslides they are in a bad shape most of the time of the year. But the location and the following liberation is no worth if the path is easy. That’s what has been driving us across these vistas and routes we`ve witnessed. Again a vast meadow in midst of mountains only 40kms away from doon, taking a left after the next crossroads after Thano.

7)      Dehradun to Lakhwar via Yamuna bridge.

Lakhwar

Somewhere between Lakhwar and Yamuna Bridge

Probably the best place around doon and rpobanly the most adventure-ish ride Dehradun Motorheads has ever been to. With jungles and long 6 feet wild grass we rode through in and across of literal no-where one end up witness one of the most majestically sound places of all around Doon. Any local might guide you Lakhwar upon enquiry around Yamuna Bridge.

8)      Bidholi via Nanda ki Chowki Prem Nagar

UPES university as known to all and the road leading beyond it to twists and turns across the mountains and a crossroad and an immediate right after to cross road  and going somewhat 7-8 kms of pure single laned treacherous offroads what the place has to offer is wide open landcapes and picture perfect vistas with rivulets along the way.

Thats few of the places in and around Doon we`ve been to. For more of the places and pictures check out our album Scouting/Exploring Dehradun at Dehradun MotorHeads. 

Seven Reasons To Explore Uttarakhand First.

There are lots of reasons why overstate travel might not be appropriate for your next trip — maybe you’re limited by time and a long bike/car  trip will eat up too many of your precious hours. Maybe that same plane trip is prohibitively expensive. Or maybe you’re just not in the mood. But staying in your home country or state doesn’t have to be your  second-best option. Its never Ladakh always eh ! Well its never been for me.  Thousands or millions of tourists probably visit  Uttarakhand every year — why shouldn’t you be one of them, even if you are a local? Here`s a little what one might probably love to do within a one day radius of your home: Go and Explore your Uttarakhand. 

The Himalayan Experience

You always have the Himlayas to be witnessed in all their glory anytime of the year. With few odd 150- 200kms from Dehradun, one can reach the foothills of the mighty Himalayas in a day. With the all time snow capped peaks and the grandeur of the Himalayas will always leave you wanting. Witnessing the Himalayas is mildly strenuous in Uttarakhand and the breathtaking vistas always gets your heart pumping. With the mighty Himalayas only an overnight journey away..it’s an easy weekend retreat for the people.

The Diverse Uttarakhand

Home to the Kumaon and Garhwal mandals inscribing the whole pahadi culture into itself, dwelling in the mountains, higher Shivaliks and the Himalayas …a small but diversely vast in itself the pahadis the two vast sections of Uttarakhand the Kumaonis and the Garhwalis  are the roots of the culture and the habitat of Uttarakhand. With over several tribes form Jaunsari to Tharu to Bhotiyas to Buksa tribes ..the state comprises of very diverse people and living the culture is and has always been very home and vivid. 

The Most Earned Cup Of Tea 

The Last Tea Shop of India situated at Mana Uttarakhand aka the last Village of India and thus a cup of tea at this last village nestled close to the Indo-China border amid all year snow capped peaks surely is on hell of a cup to sip off. 

From the fables

School time flashback and the sunday mornings that went past watching Ramayana and Mahabharata on television come right back to you visiting the abode of gods and visiting the places which have been home to the incidents from the epic times. From the Bhimpul at Mana to Topvan in Chamoli one gets to dive deeper into the very anxiety of witnessing the things/places in person. 

Economic travelling 

The best aspect of travelling across Uttarakhand is if you are a budget traveller (like me) who relishes calculating money saved at the end of the trip and pushing the limits of your adventure at the same time. With the cheapest modes of transport and being the abode of god the Devbhoomi packed with all dharmshalas provide very cheap transportation and accommodation. 

2nd Highest Motorable Road Of World

Mana pass aka The Second Highest Motorable Road in the world is considered as a milestone for the bikers form all over the country. Yet unkown to many and misconcepted by the Khardung La at Ladakh as the highest of all (being the third in the world), Mana Pass comes under ITBP surveillance . Special permisiions are required to access it form the SDM joshimath. People who have rode this pass have stories to tell and certainly a milestone under their belt. A must go for Uttarakhandi. 

The Pristine Valleys

The V-shaped intersections drenched in mist and clouds and a walk among one of these amid pebbles, boulders, small streams, cobbled paths, shepherds trails, rickety bridges and lush greenery around, with wide open diverse surroundings and skyline bordered with mountains and valley widespread intersecting tiny glaciers and colorful meadows peppered with elements of grandeur and gentlenessis so that it tends to make you fell in love with the place and people around. 

The place lets you mature more gracefully. With getting to  know your Uttarakhand better you`ll learn the art of managing and understanding the beauty of a simple life. And on top of all you won’t just read stories you`ll create one the next time you wander across Uttarakhand.