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Hi All,
This article is in continuation to my earlier article on road trip from Delhi to Mori via Panipat - Karnal - Yamuna Nagar – Paonta Sahib – Sataun & Tiuni. For the return trip we took the route via Mori – Purola – Nainbag – Vikasnagar – Saharanpur – Baghpat – Shamli – Panipat – Delhi. Needless to say, the return route was much better – good roads as well as more scenic. Here I present the details of the route :
On the day of departure in the morning, we went for a rafting trip under thick, dark cloud cover. The cloud cover didn’t dampen our spirit and to our good fortune, it didn’t rain though it was quite cold. But we wanted to soak down the environs and the thrills during our short stay once more, so we decided to take the morning rafting trip and leave after an early lunch. We were back at the MHE camp by 11:30 AM and were ready to leave the camp by 1:00 PM after having bath and lunch. We start from the MHE campsite after inspecting and cleaning our car – Maruti Swift VDI. I must mention that this is one of the best small car engines I have driven having excellent mileage and torque. Overtaking other vehicles on highways is no pain at all. It simply zooms ahead of all other cars - if the driver is willing. Here are the details of the trip. About the destination - Mori, I would write in my next travelogue :
Jun 01, 2008
1:03 PM; 0.0 KM; MHE CAMP, MORI - We drive towards the MORI village. At the entrance to the village, there is a fork. We turn right for PUROLA and WHAT A DRIVE !!!!!!!!! The road was built new and the drive through the forest made for one of the best drives you can have. The PINE FOREST here is among one of the best you will find in India. Add to that – your best friend as company and songs like “Neela Aasmaan”, “Yeh Kaha Aa Gaye Hum” etc. from Silsila and other Kishore/ Lata melodies and u are in heaven from where you never want to return. This 37 km drive to Purola is to be thoroughly enjoyed in a leisurely manner. But since we were short on time as we started late, we sped up after a while…….
2:01 PM; 37 KM; PUROLA TOWN – This is a bigger village than you would expect with a petrol pump (We didn’t find a mention of this petrol pump anywhere) and various shops. All the main supplies for Mori and other villages are sourced from here. We move on towards Naugaon through the bustling market place.
2:33 PM; 54.2 KM; NAUGAON - This is the junction where we enter the YAMUNA valley from the TONS valley. The two valleys are separated by a ridge. The hills turn from green to brownish in the Yamuna valley which is not that beautiful. From the junction, if you turn left, you will go to Yamunotri and the right goes to Mussoorie/ Dehradun/Delhi. Of course, we turned right.
3:46 PM; 95.5 KM; NAINBAG - This is another small village down the road. The road has a fair share of traffic as it’s the “season” time for the Char Dham Yatra. So a lot of part time shops have sprung up along the road serving refreshments etc. The road is decent although quite a big stretch is prone to landslides. We could see a lot of small stones lying on the road enroute which must have been due to the small landslides.
4:09 PM; 108.5 KM; MUSSOORIE MOD – There is a fork. Left goes to Mussoorie and the right goes to Vikasnagar/ Herbertpur through Yamuna Bridge. We turned right to avoid the mad rush encountered in Mussoorie on weekends during holiday season.
4:36 PM; 122.6; JUDDO VILLAGE – Turn left to continue on the highway. There was a turning for Chakrata just before Juddo. A bit ahead is the Kalsi town where the river Yamuna enters the plains. We would locate some rafts on the Yamuna some distance ahead of the Yamuna Bridge. The Yamuna river meets its biggest tributary - the Tons near Kalsi. Contradicting, it is the Tons which carries more water than the Yamuna.
5:18 PM; 155.5 KM; DEHRADUN HIGHWAY CROSSING – We cross the highway which goes from Dehradun to Chandigarh and continue straight towards. We now enter the Shivalik hills which separate the DOON valley from the plains. The drive is through a beautiful forest and the road condition is excellent. The road is also quite wide considering that it meanders through a hilly forest.
6:32 PM; 227 KM; SAHARANPUR – We reach Saharanpur where we had to ask our way as the highway is disrupted before the town. You have to travel through a part of the town to cross it. Turn left from the highway, then turn right after some distance and after crossing an overbridge, you come back on the highway to Shamli. The road condition again is very good and although it’s a single road, its sufficiently wide.
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