This was one of the most awaited rides of the season. There were lots of reasons behind the anticipation. First the rain gods after just smirking on each of our previous trips have started laughing out loudly. Second, since the inception of this rainy season, we have been getting one of the most tempting and inviting mails of Malshej Ghat and last Swap’s new P150 needed to be tested and also welcomed and introduced in the group(which although did not happened as planned).
Swap and the new Bike.
As this was supposed to be a long drive a real early start was most needed but we also had Loki and Manish joining the group for this ride. I have always believed that the driving duration in trip is always inversely proportional to the number of riders involved but still we were hoping to get back before 4-5 in the evening (Though I still wonder by what calculation Swap had informed his rommie that he will be back by 12…. 280-300 kms in 4 hrs.....All HAIL).
We started our journey from a common meeting point Near Shopper’s Stop and headed straight to old Pune Mumbai Highway and took a turn towards Nasik from the Nasik Phata.The 60 degrees inclined trees on railway track at the start on Nasik Highway is always a treat to watch. It was raining heavily in patches and wearing a helmet with no visor was considerably slowing me down. After taking a short wada pav break we took a pit stop at narayangaon to ask for directions. Soon we were on our way towards the famous Shivenri fort where Veer Shivaji was born. As always Sharma ji was again quite tempted to also cover the fort before going ahead and I have to coarse him on a promise that we will cover it on our return leg of journey (trekking a fort on return leg of journey is never possible I knew).
We soon reached a point on the hill which had this entrance being cut out of a huge rock which made it looked like The Two Towers from LOTR. To add to the beauty there was a small Ganesh temple adjacent to the entrance. We spent some time clicking pics there and as it was all the pay down from there I switched off my engine and started gliding smoothly downhill which Swap and Sharma Ji followed. This is actually something which is never recommended. The speeds might touch to 80 at points and as no braking power from the engine is involved in it, if not taken carefully one might skid at a sharp turning point while applying sudden brakes. We all knew this theory but still I am never able to resist it, though this was supposed to be a bit different this time.
Me and Sharma ji were enjoying our petrol less descend on the hill and continued this for about 8-10 kms.At that point we realized that Swap, Loki and Manish were no where to been seen in the rear view for quite some time now. We decided to halt and wait for them. We were enjoying watching a farmer working on paddy field when a couple on a silver colored Unicorn stopped and informed us that one of us had an accident and we need to go back. As phones were out of range Loki had asked them to convey this message to us. We immediately turned and after going for about 5 kms found Swap Manish and Loki.
Place where Swap's bike fell
What happened was another Disc Brake Syndrome. While coming down the hill with engines off, Swap had suddenly applied the front disc brake which resulted in skidding of the bike off the road and dragging and injuring him. We were lucky though that neither the bike nor the rider got any severe damage except some cuts, bruises and scratches. After having a hot tea at a restaurant and taking approval from Swap we finally decided to move on with our journey.
In no time we reached the Malshej Ghat.It was an awesome view having numerous waterfalls amidst heavy rain and fog. It was practically impossible to take out the camera in the heavy rain and even if we would have ,I am sure the beauty can just not be captured in some pics.In a stretch of just 2-3 kms there were around 10-15 waterfalls and all of them were falling right on the busy Nasik-Kalyan highway. We could even ride our bikes under some of the waterfalls. We enjoyed getting wet and drenched under the waterfalls for quite some time and then decided to head back.
Sharma Ji’s bike gave a few hiccups on our way back which made us stop at regular intervals thus slowing us down. I had a perfect excuse for not going to Shivneri as Swap was injured and Sharma Ji’s bike was creating problems. We stopped at some of the pre identified spots and then finally it was straight Pune-Nasik highway. Cruising comfortably on this all so familiar road we finally reached the Nasik Phata and called it a day to a beautiful ride filled with mixed adventures.
