To continue our Dam Run for the monsoon of 2016, we head out to two dams on the Gwalior Shivpuri Road. The Kaketo Dam and the Pehsari Dam. As with the first Dam Run, which covered Madikhera, Mohini and Harsi Dam along with Sultangarh waterdall, this ride took us to the two dams following routes which in parts go along the canal which connect the dams.
The ride thus not only shows us the dam, but also gives the experience of the world they are set in. There are forests, fields, rivers, canals, villages, people, temples along the way making for an experience that is beyond just destination tourism.
We started from Gwalior are around 6am, reaching Mohana by 7:30 am. Mohana is out staple breakfast break on the Shivpuri route. Poha and tea is available on the bus stop in Mohana early in the morning. From Mohana, we took the turn towards Kaketo. The turn in just after crossing Mohana, going along the local police station. Kaketo dam is 8km from the highway.
Upon reaching Kaketo Dam, we realized that we were on one side of the wall where as the water overflow was on the other side. So, we were quite far from the overflow point, the river and the waterfall. So, we decided to explore our options. We took a trail starting opposite to the Dam Bunglow and going inwards. The trail was maybe 3-4 km long, ending at a temple built on a cliff alongside the river. So, we were at the river, but we were still far off from the points of interest. So, we walked.
Walking towards the dam wall, we reached a point from where we had a clear view of the waterfall, but no way to reach it. We sat there for a while, took pictures and then head back up the trail to the dam wall. Once there, we walked across the wall, to the overflow point.
The overflow on this dam is quite similar to the one on the Harsi Dam. Its actually quite a sight to behold and its much more approachable than on Harsi, being built right along the main wall.
Once done with spending time on the point, we set out to reach Pehsari Dam. Pehsari is just a few kilometers off Kaketo and we had to navigate along the canal to get to it. The route turned out to be longer than expected, maybe because we had to find our way, a lot. But the dam turned out to be a great spot to spend time at. The water was clear, the wall was broad and rideable, canal and streams flowing through a thick cover of mango trees made for a soothing atmosphere. There is also small fort perched on a hill nearby, although we did not visit it.
After that we took the highway to head back to gwalior and were back home by 1:30 PM. A good breakfast ride adding two new destinations to our breakfast ride list.
Kaketo and Pehsari Dam To continue our Dam Run for the monsoon of 2016, we head out to two dams on the Gwalior Shivpuri Road.