Bangalore Jeep Club’s Lake Trails 2.0 – Jul 2nd, 2022
This was a repeat trail to the BJC Lake upon demand from fellow Jeepers and yet another breakfast on the rocks experience for everyone. All Jeepers reported on time at our BJC start point near Hosakote and the convoy was flagged off a few minutes late. The convoy drove through country roads with lush greenery and awesome pre-monsoon weather for a very comfortable drive.
The convoy drove through the multiple town limits in batches without affecting the normal traffic and prepaid passing through the tolls without any delays. It was a bliss and out of the world experience for all newcomers from the club to join such an unstoppable convoy drive with perfect co-ordination.
We reached the breakfast point on time and wow what a colorful Jeeps show it was, the drones captured this spectacular view of Jeeps parked to perfection. Everyone grabbed their packed full course breakfast and relished the days first meal on the rocks.
After the breakfast we headed to our destination the BJC Lake maneuvering through slush, mild rocks and sneaky gravels. The drive to the lake itself was a good off-roading experience for many and added to it was an additional short off-road natural track near the lake.
This was a picturesque lake view with a dam short away and wondering why this is called BJC lake!! Well, it was the BJC who partially adopted this lake a year ago for its development and to maintain cleanliness surrounding the lake. Almost six to seven visits were made to this lake by admins and other recce teams to execute the plan for development with support from locals. There are a few trees planted by BJC on this lakebed.
The trail ended with a good note by one of our distinguished Jeeper about traffic awareness and everyone dispersed by 12pm.
To mark the 75th Independence Day, we had much more than 75 Jeeps joining from all across Bangalore and also from neighboring states. Everyone reported to the start point much before the scheduled flag off and the convoy started off in multiple batches winding through scenic mountains and country roads.
It was a great show of Jeepocracy and Patriotism on today’s convoy drive for our celebrations in an estate. This great show of 75 plus Jeeps marching together wouldn’t have been possible with utter coordination and mutual understanding. A great thanks to the core team for such an unimaginable drive through the scenic route passing through reserved forests also.
The meet was prearranged at an estate within a hours drive from the start point, it all started with a wonderful parking of our Jeeps to mark the 75th Independence Day. The Jeeps were directly and swiftly guided by the recce team to its assigned position for a quick formation as desired.
The flag hoisting was arranged in a big way near the parked Jeeps and everyone showed their due respect to the nation by singing the national anthem in presence of BJC Jeepers from various defense forces. Everyone enjoyed the local breakfast served by the pool at the estate and later headed to a most beautiful river bank attached to the estate. Whereas some of them headed to a short off-roading inside the estate.
We all assembled back for our lunch and also to collect some goodies by Jeep India and BJC. Citing to so many activities most of them dispersed post lunch to head back to city, while some of them relaxed in the estate chatting and sharing their Jeep experiences. There ends yet another successful BJC trails with a huge number of Jeeps.
Bangalore Jeep Club’s Monsoon Plantation Trail to Sakleshpur – Jun 19th, 2022
A drive compassed collaboratively by Jeepers of Bangalore Jeep Club and Jeep India at the lush and green Sakleshpur. The onset of monsoon and the winds of change had set a great stage for yet another initiative of ‘Mission One Earth’.
The trail from 17th June 2022 to 19th June 2022 was accomplished with a CSR to plant more trees and upkeep the nature’s tranquility. The 2 nights event with 22 Jeeps and 44 members including the support of venue courtesy from Machaan Plantation Resorts, had a CSR to plant 22 trees in the foothills of western ghats.
Our Jeepers covered a total distance of around 600kms including 18kms of constricted off-road experience inside the plantation travelable tracks. The convoy, flagged off from Hotel Dhruvathare on Bangalore-Hassan NH75, passed through the highways and country roads to reach the first stopover at Shettihalli Church. A picturesque place known for the ruins of an ancient church which submerges under water during monsoon.
Then the convoy drove through countryside which Jeepers love to, rather than taking the highways to reach the resort. Everyone was welcomed by the resort management team with lot of surprises curated for the BJC. The entire resort was prepped up for the BJC Jeep Trails. The evening was well spent by the pool side with a cocktail barbecue and for the first time our Jeepers from BJC introduced distinct Jeep themed cocktails.
The day two started off with a sumptuous traditional breakfast and a drive for first off-road drive experience. The drive was led by Jeep Meridian passing through deserted plantations with steep inclinations. While a few struggled others took it cool uphill. The Jeepers also gave away few sweets and couple of sports goods to the children of plantation workers.
The quick break for lunch was back at resort with lip smacking local cuisine and some delicious deserts to continue our drive. The second part of the drive was to a hilltop with breathtaking views. The path was extremely narrow and return from hilltop was a steep incline. In the third part the drive was into a different plantation maneuvering the twisted paths and crossing the stream with an out of the world experience drive girdled with green plants and trees.
The high tea was hosted in an ethereal estate by a small water stream to conclude the drive experience. New Jeepers were talking about their vehicle’s capability and were astonished by the performance that was delivered by the machine in such tough terrains. The drive back to resort was through pitch dark wilderness roads and all Jeeps’ lights were shining upon the greenery around. The day ended with a gala dinner by few more trail theme-based cocktails served on the house.
On day three the Mission One Earth Trails concluded after the Jeepers planted the saplings in resort vicinity to add more greenery and surge oxygen levels for coming years. Jeepers headed back to their homes with lot of memories and goodies to cherish the moments spent during the Trails.
When we collectively agreed upon celebrating an annual meet for jeepers, we were all excited and tons of preparations happened.
4th Dec 2021, the first Saturday of the last month for the year marks a special day for the Bangalore Jeep Club. The meet was at Discovery Village Resort, Nandi Hills Road, Bangalore
A prelude to the event started 10 days before the D-Day. Excitement kept building everyday amongst the participants. Jeep themed social media contests kept jeepers busy rifling through their galleries for contest appropriate pictures and videos.
And the most awaited day arrived. 48 Jeeps, 81 jeepers, 27 kids… this was a treat to watch jeeps rolling into the resort’s exclusive parking lot. The organizing team was already on ground to welcome fellow Jeepers. Banners and posters were erected. The Resort Manager took the organizing team around the property to brief about the place and venue so we could assist our members and their family / friends at every step.
Jeepers greeting one another, exchanging pleasantries was a sight to behold. The community is connected to each other on online platforms, but when we finally met each other in person is an excitement that knew no bounds.
Amidst the lush greenery, tucked away in the woods was the Glass Room overlooking the beautiful adventure camp site, was our food point for the day. Breakfast table was buzzing with chitter chatter, selfies, distribution of BJC clips all while also relishing the wholesome breakfast spread.
We later gathered at Ground 1 where the day’s activities were planned. A welcome note followed by a formal self-introduction from every Jeeper, helped us have a face to our fellow members and families. Our volunteers took over and started with games for children. Games themed on the recent famous squid game and blending it to #Jeeplife like word scrambler for little ones; green light – red light (changed to headlight – taillight); the Jeep Star honeycomb for adults; a tug of war with Jeep and finally the seven-slot marble golf concluded with a few fillers before the resort team took over to conduct their games. The winners were awarded with BJC merchandise and vouchers for Jeep merchandise.
Meanwhile, a few jeepers went to explore the resort with some adventures on ropeway, swimming, tennis, board games etc…
The resort team started with some indoor energizing and team building fun games for all, after a quick 5 minutes juice break.
Before heading to lunch, BJC rolled out the “Duck Duck Jeep’ custom, which is a new custom started globally by Jeepers. The ducks are often left with a note, telling the owner they’ve been ducked and they have to pass the duck along with a message -to join the Bangalore Jeep Club or follow us on Instagram for more Jeep adventures.
The ducks were distributed amongst our BJC members to start this custom in our region.
Members were treated to a lavish cake spread, two of our Jeeper couples celebrated their wedding anniversaries with cakes they got for us and BJC’s Annual Day cake along with distributing beautiful and sporty jeep caps for our kiddo jeepers…….. what a better way to head for lunch. A lavish lunch spread was awaiting us. Lunch was served in 2 different, open restaurants overlooking the lush greenery around.
While some jeepers went for a short drive around the resort, some were seen exploring the property, adventure games, a few others were seen taking a quick nap after a sumptuous meal, and some were networking, while some Jeepers chugged down the winding, hilly roads leading to the Resort for a content shoot with a convoy of colorful Jeeps.
We all gathered back at Ground 1 for the star event of the day…
Ben Carson said “Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give”
Rakshana Charitable Trust is an NGO working for child development for the underprivileged. Children from the Trust joined in our celebrations and treated us to some melodious prayers and songs. It was a treat to watch these kids display their talents. The Jeep community contributed generously to support the Trust in taking care of these enterprising children. A cheque of Rs. 60,001/- was handed over to them. Some Jeepers distributed gifts, sweets, and stationary too. Their Manager was ever grateful to the support rendered. It was a touching moment for all of us.
A smallest act of kindness can make the biggest impact.
All good things come to an end, and we too got ready to wind up for the day with tea and snacks for the kids from the Trust and us.
As the day came to an end, we were already planning the next Jeep trail.
No Jeep Trail is complete without expressing our love and gratitude for the support received from Jeep India.
When I buy new pair of shoes, there is an itch to wear them immediately and run a cross country.
Similar was the case when I got hold of new AT tires (Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus 235/65/17) for my Jeep Compass TrailHawk. Got them delivered day before yesterday at home thru courier service. I couldn’t step out for fixing the same day as I got late from work. Next morning, lowered the back seat, loaded all 5 tires inside the extended boot and took along to work.
Had to wait till the clock turned and ticked EOD bells. Immediately rushed to my favourite tire shop, Tyre Empire for change.
Looks gigantic on TrailHawk.
Drove a bit (100 kms) before I returned back home. So far haven’t faced any issues.
What next?
when can I be able to drive on highway
when can I take them off the road
where will I find rocks
And opportunity knocked the door, unexpectedly. I had to plan a trip to Chennai for some urgent work engagement. No better timing than this, I was literally happy to drive.
After a good 600+ kms behind the wheel in almost 11 hours of journey time, sharing my observations with you all.
PS: My comparison will be with Michelin as last 30k kms I drove on them and they were an upsize as well (235/60/17).
1st impressions from my journey and a short review for fellow enthusiasts. Drove 630 kms on highway with a lot of undulations, Unpaved Road, mud / slush, rain & water fording. (Chennai highway and factory visits offered all what I could ask for).
Tire Looks: Gigantic and robust, adds an umph factor to the Beast.
Mileage: Remained unchanged, or may be minor impact, not noticeable. Speedometer error definitely will be approx. 6-7%, so servicing will be done earlier than what ODO will reflect.
Braking: Quite accurate and shorter, stopping quicker than stock tires.
Wet Handling: Better than Michelin (HT Tires), especially in rainy slippery road and in Mud puddle. Not right to compare HT with AT, but from user prospective, just to have an idea for HT users that breaking will improve.
Road Noise: Higher than Michelin, even higher than stock tires (Falken) – but then ATs are known to be noisy. Especially around 50-60 kmph noisier than at 90+ speeds.
Tire Touching / Hitting: Didn’t find any mark on tire or body line for touching / hitting any fender lining, due to an upsize. It was clear in TrailHawk.
Speed Error: 100 on ODO is 106 in actual, so need to learn new ways of maintaining accurate speed.
Noticeable change: Minutely bumpier drive, noticeable as ground clearance increases by 18mm over stock. Tires are much smoother over undulations, pot holes and speed breakers. Some of the speed breaker especially the small white line one/s are not even felt inside the cabin.Conclusion: I found it worth an upgrade. I am more than happy to share my tires to try on their JCs for a 1st hand experience.
For all with a flair of driving in the night, our next drive is aptly named as Drive in the Dark, though our HID’s will help us see clearly.. Follow the fellow Jeeper and let’s meet up for a night drive to the Raasta Cafe on Mysore road.
Day : Saturday Date : 6th Apr Time : 9:30 pm Assembly Location : Nice Road Exit near Kangeri
Myself the JEEP, rolled on wheels first in 1941. Hope you all know that Go anywhere, Do anything is what people say once they tame me. I played an important role to roll out the soldiers to un-motorable locations during World War II. There is much more to my stories, but now I would like to highlight something about my community.
Today I am narrating my experience with the most captivating Jeepers from Bangalore Jeep Club. I have been taken to the extreme possible terrains by these Jeepers and today was a short enchanting drive.
I was lined up with my kith and kin on the NH48 in Bangalore – while the Jeepers greeted each other for the day. We Jeeps were flagged off for a convoy drive on the highway and veered off to SH3 narrower roads.
It was a scenic drive through few villages and most of the by-passers staring at us, without any difficulty we cruised up the peak of mountain for a breathtaking view from the Hills.
We descended the hill at ease and reached a location where our masters planned for their breakfast. We were parked the way we are meant to be parked on an uneven rough terrain.
I on behalf of my team of Jeeps, admire the punctuality of these Jeepers from BJC – who were on dot of their schedules.
Later we were headed through muddy paths to reach the banks of a small lake. All of us enjoyed the ride, but were sad to see the lake area contaminated by plastic and abandoned clothes etc.,.
Jeepers manoeuvred us in different ways on the rocks of the small mountain, they patted us by the performance that we delivered. JeepKids were enjoying in their own world beside us.
I love those Jeepers who might have overheard our cry about the contaminated lake area, it was great that all of them joined hands together to clear up the polluting waste. We also observed that all the Jeepers were using Bio-hazard / plastic free tools like gloves, pickup tools, aprons etc., to clean up the mess.
Leaving behind a cleaner lake bed, we headed back to the highway after another short off-roading deviation and thus all Jeepers greeting a goodbye to each-other. Late afternoon I was back to my regular parking lot in my master’s home after a memorable day.
I love my master who takes utmost care of me and at the same time employ me to demonstrate my capabilities.
Original Agenda
Date: March 17th, 2019
Itinerary
6.30AM: Assemble and convoy start from Nelamangala toll.
7.30 AM: Reach Devarayanadurga view point.
8.30 AM: Breakfast at Viva Fernleaf Resort.
9.30 AM: Convoy starts to Off-road / Rock climb location.
12.00 PM: Disperse.
Those who signed up for breakfast drive only, can head back after breakfast if they don’t have time.
Please bring sufficient drinking water, snacks, hat/umbrella, sun block creams etc as the weather will be hotter and unshaded.
The second major event by GOJ in association with BJC was scheduled in 3rd week of January.The trails was structured by the organisers from GOJ with a couple of recce to purpose the best experience for all Jeepers. The main event was organized at the famous Vagamon Heights and the off-roading was also in a controlled path inside their property.
Jeepers were thrilled at the preliminary approach to the reception of this resort itself with great off-road path and not to remark – only the resort’s private vehicles with their expert drivers were only allowed to ferry guests from parking place to reception area – but the path was exclusively open for all JEEPS.
A welcome drink to all Jeepers followed by lunch and exchanging of experiences amongst Jeepers was a pleasurable beginning to the event.The off-roading drive kicked off by 15:00hours and was scheduled to conclude at mountain top sunset point for a helicam shot.The drive’s first pit stop within 800mtrs was for a briefing of the off-roading pattern and advises to new comers by an experienced fellow Jeeper.
From there the drive through rough terrain was for the first steep ascend wherein every Jeeper was again briefed about approach procedure and maintaining the momentum.All Jeepers were able to climb the hill with ease and were delighted by the performance of their beast. The convoy lined up in same sequence as they started and proceeded to the next level off-roading with another hairpin ascend followed by downhill crawling on the stones. The path was barricaded with caution tapes on the edges of the boundaries of the mountain by the resort team – so that the Jeepers can maneuver swiftly.
With a few more rough terrain experience of stones, sand, mud the convoy descended on the lake area one by one.The trails proceeded to the last and exhilarating water / slush crossing – every Jeeper was guided cautiously with the speed to be maintained while crossing the muddy slush.The off-roading for the day was thus concluded by everyone lining up for the spectacular photo shoot at the sunset point.
All Jeepers with their family later assembled for the special cocktail dinner with lot of entertainment by fellow Jeepers and their family members. A little chilling weather later heated up by the activities on the floor and churning the cocktails. Karaoke, camp fire ballets and few more indoor activities kept everyone busy on their toes – till all restored back to their respective rooms.
DAY 2 started off with a group breakfast and the convoy lined up for yet another exciting drive through the narrow and secluded roads of Vagamon.The drive later moved through the town of Vagamon to reach one more hill top for yet another stunning photo shoot.The peak at the hill top was exclusively for the local extreme 4×4 tour operators, but a couple of our Jeepers tried to tame their beast on this stretch too and was successful with assistance from the fellow Jeepers.
This was also the dissolving point for other Jeepers who were supposed to head back to their respective cities.The rest of the Jeepers thus proceeded to the lunch point at the resort with added off-road drive to the reception area.
There comes the curtain down for yet an amazing trail.
Happy Jeeping…
Original Agenda:
Our main event and the off-road trail will be organized within the properties of Vagamon Heights Resorts. This includes Jan 19th Barbeque Dinner and Cocktail Party, Jan 20th Breakfast, Off roading trail sessions with in their property and Jan 20th Lunch.
For accommodation, since the rooms are limited in Vagamon Heights, the Jan19th night stay we are getting arranged at nearby hotels to Vagamon Heights. Since the night stay is going to be in different hotels, please don’t expect the same standards across these places. We are working with Vagamon Heights to confirm on the near by resorts and will update soon.
Tentative Itinerary
Jan 19th
12:00 PM: Lunch place to be decided. It will be near Kattapana. People driving from different parts of Kerala is requested to reach here before 12:00 PM. BJC/MJC will be reaching here via Dindigul after overnight stay.
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM: Lunch.
1:30 PM: Start of the Drive through the Scenic Routes in Kuttikanam and Vagamon. Route to be finalized soon.
5:30 PM: Reach Vagamon. Each of you will go to the respective resorts where the room is allocated. Get Refresh.
7:00 PM: Reach Vagamon Heights Resorts for the Barbeque Dinner and Cocktail Party
11:00 PM: Back to Respective Resorts
Jan 20th
6:00 AM: Those who wants to participate in the Off-road trails needs to reach Vagamon Heights by 6:00 AM.
6:00 AM to 9:00 AM: Off-road Trails.
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Back to respective resorts to get refreshed
1:00 PM: Reach Vagamon Heights for the Lunch
2:00 PM: End of Trail and the group will disperse
South Mountain Trails at Vagamon
The second major event by GOJ in association with BJC was scheduled in 3rd week of January.The trails was structured by the organisers from GOJ with a couple of recce to purpose the best experience for all Jeepers. The main event was organized at the famous Vagamon Heights and the off-roading was also in a controlled path inside their property.
Jeepers were thrilled at the preliminary approach to the reception of this resort itself with great off-road path and not to remark – only the resort’s private vehicles with their expert drivers were only allowed to ferry guests from parking place to reception area – but the path was exclusively open for all JEEPS.
The much awaited day trail was organized on 16th December 2018 after quite a long gap, a trail especially to welcome new enthusiastic Jeepers. The drive was flagged off from Embassy Public School with 30 colorful JCs marching towards the off-road destination Tippagondanahalli via the picturesque pipeline road.
The Jeeps including the big brother Willys and Wrangler marched along with the colorful JCs on the narrow stretch, it was a feast for the villagers and urban onlookers. The oncoming traffic gave way respectfully to the Jeeps and were glancing at every passing Jeeps without a blink of an eye.
Once the first hurdle was cleared with ease the Jeepers were heart-throbbed about their beast and were excited to take up further challenges. The local dealer’s representatives were also present during this trail to guide the Jeepers on various aspects like clutch usage, manoeuvring hurdles etc.,
This seemed to be a new experience even for the regular participants apart from the new enthusiasts. The core team’s preparation for this trial was extremely commendable and the teaser video was a dream come true for every Jeeper. The Wrangler and the Willys were able to accomplish these stretches with ease. As usual every Jeeper was eager to have their hands on the big brother and maximum clicks were with the Willys.
Atop hill all Jeeps in groups lined up for the spectacular photo shoot and a breathtaking view of the Tippagondanahalli back waters. The convoy further proceeded for the next levels of challenge which included drive on rocks and narrow bushes.
Even though we were in a NO mobile network region – the event was well synchronized using walkie talkie radios. The drive thus concluded with all the Jeeps lined up at the exit point for the final photo shoot and departed with a great experience to share with friends and family.
A great applause to the recce team for such deemed enjoyment and also thanks to the local villagers who assisted in reforming this off-road path for such wonderful experience.
This may be the first ever JEEPAG’s all regional groups meet with Jeepers of WW, BJC, IJ, GoJ and DJ driving down to the factory together. The Jeepers kicked off with a group partying a day prior to the plant visit, a night rather midnight well spent sharing skills of our JCs and other club activities.
An early morning assembly and timely co-ordination by WW team, JCs lined up in batches for flag off to the factory. As usual the predicted traffic slugged the time taken to reach factory. A warm welcome with breakfast was waiting for everyone and the checkin was so quick as it was well organized by the FCA team.
A brief introduction about the plant and their management team, the Jeepers were escorted in batches to various sections. As usual WW had arranged for an enlightening cake with milestones of the trails.
The factory produces around 40 different variants of Jeep Compass catering to the 13 countries. Almost with 65% localization including the diesel engines, the facility is gearing up for more localization.
They manufacturer 40000 diesel engines presently in this facility catering for all brands like Fiat, Tata, Jeep and Suzuki. The production capacity will be expanded soon to 1 lakh plus engines with rotational shifts for the staff. The doors of JC was laser welded – this was first time in India.
The petrol automatic variant engine and transmission is completely imported and they do not have the facility to manufacture here in India as of now.
There was a display of the diesel engine and transmission in transparent enclosures and everyone had hands on experience on the technology inside these machines.
A break for delicious lunch which no one expected to be organized with such great hospitality inside a factory, and the journey continued for further sections of plant.
We were also able to have glimpse of the test tract in their facility, wherein the Jeeps were tested for up to 120kmph and along side a track to test the suspension and ground force tests. A tests are also carried out to ascertain the performance of the vehicle with speed breakers, kickers and maneuvering cones circuit. We did not get any clarity about where the crash tests were performed.
It was a breath taking view through the safety goggles as how the state of the art robots perform their job with a thread thickness accuracy.
The assembly is fully automated that it can produce any variant, any brand and any model car at the same time, as we witnessed there were competitors cars running along with different variants of JCs.
Every Jeeper were thrilled to have a glimpse of the trail hawk variant (even though none of us were allowed even to open the doors), it was a masterpiece of all standing next to it. Few of us also had a sneak peak to the remotely parked Renegade.
Everyone’s curiosity about the sun roof addition to their existing JCs was self-explanatory, once they saw as how the sun roof plate was built by the robot lines. Hey Jeepers please DON’T ever think of cutting your roofs – this will have major safety concern. Only FIAPL at Ranjagoan is certified for such high standard production of safe structures for your Jeeps, and be proud that your JC is manufactured in the south Asia’s best and unsurpassed factory.
There was a discounted counter for accessories and a send off note with high tea which concluded the journey to plant. As a customary by FCA team, a refreshments / snacks kit was provided for everyone at exit. Thanking the FCA team and WWs for such a wonderful experience and promising a greater safety in our JCs everyone departed to their respective locations.
Happy Jeeping Jeepers, after the witnessing the built process we have more confidence on our beasts.
