This week turned out to be adventurous for me since I went for a bike ride with the bike riders of RTMC. It was a thrilling experience, a mixture of fun and fear.Our destination was Bheemeswari, which is about 100 kms. from Bangalore. We all gathered near Town Hall before the journey. All the bikies were ogling at one another’s’ bikes and comparing them! After a few Hi’s and Hello’s, we could manage to break the ice. A few smiles here and there turned to grins after a while.

The riders got ready with all the gears in place – helmets (even for the pillion rider), jackets, gloves, et al. When all the 14 bikes were started and when the engines roared, that’s when the name came alive – Rolling Thunder. One has to be there to understand how it feels to hear 14 bikes roaring! That’s one of the best sounds I’ve ever heard.

We set off for our journey at 7 and had a halt at Kanakapura to have our first meal of the day. We all stuffed ourselves with whatever we liked and we headed towards our destination.

The ride itself was smooth, errr.. mean to say my husband rode well. Sid had asked us to ride at our own speed, irrespective of what others do. We maintained a comfortable speed of 60-65 all the time, enjoying the country side and the greenery around us.

We reached a river bank at Muttatti and spent some time there. Shutterbugs clicked away and big mouths yapped away. Jude spent that time judiciously by sleeping! PP had a flat on the way because of which Karthik and Inder stayed back with him. They joined us later and we headed off to a nearby place which Ajeet promised us to be good.

This place was off the main road by around 2 kms, and people decided to take the bikes there. We were pretty confident initially and we started climbing up the muddy terrain. Little did we know that the road is not that easy to master. We lost control and had a fall. Nobody was hurt, but that did dampen our confidence. I decided to take a hike (literally) and my husband gave his riding skills one more try. He was successful this time and he managed to reach the top without much effort! I walked my way up and it wasn’t bad at all.

Once we reached the top, the view took our breath away. One could see the mighty Cauvery river with all her gushing splendor – we could actually see a long stretch of the river. The river flows between dense forest on either side and it looks like a white (or rather brown) line between two dark green lines. It was a magnificent view.

The place itself was very secluded, devoid of any living soul. Just one watch tower and a LOT of wind. It was so windy that it looked as if the watch tower would blow away.

After we satisfied ourselves with the visual treat, it was time to satisfy our tummies. So, off we went to a popular dosa joint. Apparently, that dosa joint didn’t have lunch facility and we settled for a small restaurant. The guy didn’t have anything vegetarian and he had to outsource it from some other restaurant. Savages feasted on the chicken and what-not and we veggies had to console ourselves with the tasteless meal.

Started our journey back after the lunch and without stopping anywhere, we reached Bangalore. The whole experience was awesome. The ride was very well organized and well led. Sid made a great leader. All the experienced members gave tremendous support to all the newbies and that really boosted our confidence.

At this time, PP’s quote fits in perfectly. ‘It’s the journey that matters, not the destination.’ The destination, Bheemeswari, was no doubt splendid, but the journey was much better. The bike roaring away, the beautiful country side view, the serenity and a great company – it’s the perfect get away from the daily life.

Many thanks to all the members of RTMC for organizing this trip. We look forward to our next trip.