Cycling narrow mountain roads

Date: June 21, 2009
Accomplishments: We cycled 50 miles uphill from Madikeri to Ponnampet
Date: June 22, 2009 Ponnampet to Sultan Bathany Estimated 50 miles

Imagine the celery flats trail or a narrow paved trail like you would see in a park for walkers. It has more potholes than pavement. Rather than only walkers and joggers, buses, jeeps, motorcycles, cars, carts, cows, rickshaws and two crazy Americans on bicycles ind up and down through the jungle from town to town on the narrow road. Each side of the trail/road is hugged by bamboo shoots. An occasional monkey howls and swings on a branch. Occasionally, the road branches off like two narrow roots of a tree, each winding its way through the jungle. We follow one south, miles and miles when we finally ask a man for directions. He points behind us. We are lost in the Indian jungle, 15 miles out of the way!

Spicy curries,
towering bamboo
potholes strung together
wild buses that race around corners
horns that belong in a circus
women in bright beautiful sarees
This is my flavor of India

I am safe now. I have found my way to a comfy bed, bucket shower in the Regency Hotel, Sultan Bathany. The bicycles are relaxing. The legs are resting, until tomorrow when we will work together bicycle and body to crawl up and fly down the hills.

Date: June 23, 2009
Location: Hotel on a bustling crazy street in Gudalur, India
Accomplishments: We cycled 25 miles mostly up hill! from Sultan Bathani to Gudalur

Beautiful views, through the valley,
rising hills,
ascends without end that twist up the mountain,
coffee on my right and tea on my left,
surrounded by my favorite beverages,
cycling through green balanced by the blue skies