The "real" outback

Oh where, oh where did I leave off? Oh yes. . .Alice Springs and Martin.

From Alice Springs, our plan was to head straight to Ayers Rock, known by the Aborigines as Uluru. But since Eric and I ran into Martin, we found out about a little side road that we should take as well. It only added about 300 kilometers of driving, and when you are in the outback, 300 km is nothing! It's all in a days drive! So, Eric and I decided to head to a place called Kings Canyon first.

Kings Canyon is a fascinating area. Here we are in the middle of nowhere with nothing but high gas prices all around us. As we near kings canyon, you notice the increase in tourist hustle bustle. Then you arrive in the parking lot and start your hike. The hike is a short 6 or 7 kilometers around the rim of a canyon that has been formed in the middle of nowhere. The landscape for 360 degrees around you is as flat as a pancake, yet there is a 600 foot canyon right there! Of course, all Eric and I could think about is climbing those fantastic wall, but alas, climbing apparently doesn't exist here in Australia. So we were confined to walk around the outside rim of the canyon. But that is O.K. anyway. We came across this pool of water near the top of the canyon that we couldn't resist taking some interesting pictures of. So we spent about 45 minutes looking at reflections and playing with the cold water.

Kings Canyon was indeed very cool, however our next site was far and away more amazing then Kings Canyon could ever dream of being! We headed another 300 kilometeres to what is called the Heart of Australia. Uluru. Uluru is unfortunately something that is not nearly as exciting when you read about it as when you see it in person. But that's why I've posted pictures! So, as you're driving along, you see nothing for hours upon hours. Every now and then a car will pass going the other way, but not often. Then all of a sudden you come around a bend and there is a rock that stands 300 or so meters above the ground! It is the oddest site. (A little like Devils tower in a way) But once again, we knew that Uluru was going to be the best site to see, so we passed that road to see something else in the area first!

Only 50 extra kilometers down the road, we came to a place called The Olgas. Like Uluru, the Olgas are a set of rocks that have withstood the weathering of time and stand out above the surrounding plains by a couple hundred meters. Eric and I went here first and did a couple walks around the boulders, and were very impressed. (I felt I should put this paragraph in more or less to explain these two pictures. They are of the Olgas, and not Uluru. Notice the little dot/blurry smudge in the first picture? That's Eric! But regardless, the Olgas are very impressive from up close as well as from far away. They are actually made of what looks like river rocks cemented together and then upheaved for 100's of meters. And yes, they were fun to climb around on!

Now, the real reason to see Uluru is to see it during sunrise and sunset. During these two times the rock changes colors. Now, I obviously can't post every one of the hundred or so odd photos I got of this rock during the sunset, but I think you'd like to know that not one of them is of the same rock! You literally take a picture every 10 seconds, and to the eye it appears that the rock is the same. But then as I am looking at the pictures here on the computer, every one is a different color. It starts as a red, goes to a bright red, it passes through orange and blue and purple! It is absolutely amazing! And was it worth driving over 3000 kilometers to see it? ABSOLUTELY!

Not only is this rock impressive from far away, it is stunning from up close! Luckily for Eric and I, the climb to the top of it was open. Albeit an easy climb with a chain to assist you going up, it allowed us to get "in touch" with the rock. And of course I had to do a handstand on top of the rock. I even got an applause for doing it! (Also, those are the Olgas in the background of the handstand picture) It's so incredible because every angle you look at Uluru, you see a different rock. Sometimes it appears HUGE, sometimes tiny. It has caves, and big blank faces. It has flakes, and trees growing out of it in places. It has water holes and ancient Aborginee paintings. Needless to say, a day at this rock was not enough! But we did get to watch the Sunset on it twice, and the Sunrise once! So with that said, I'm happy!

From there Eric and I b-lined it to a small little town called Coober Pedy. We didn't spend too much time here due to the overwhelming prices of everything in town. However this little town has an incredible history to it. It was founded on a giant opal deposit. But it is absolutely smack dead center in an area with absolutely no water. So, they ship their water in along with everything else. It also gets so hot here that more than half its residents live underground! In fact, Eric and I ate at an Underground cafe, then checked out the tourist office which is also underground! It's quite a life style. Plus, surrounding the town there is over 200,000 mine shafts! Hence, the amusing warning sign!

Only about 100 kms outside Coober Pedy, Eric and I hit the big red. This is the part of the desert that you think about when you think of Australia. Funny that it only lasts for about 200 kilometers! But regardless, it is a mind trip. You can literally see to every horizon, completly unobstructed! If you wanted, you could drive your car out here, and probably wouldn't even know you were off the pavement! It was a pleasure to see, and I'm kind of sad that I've already left it behind! I've decided I like the desert!

And finally, on route to Adelaide (where I am typing this now) we happened across this lake. What a pleasant surprise that was! The lake looks like a mirage. You can't actually tell that it isn't a mirage until you are about 15 feet away from it! Then you decide to go swimming in it and find that it is only ankle deep. Plus it is a salt lake! So you get to walk around for miles if you'd like in ankle deep salt water in the middle of the desert. It was a surprisingly pleasant experiance! Once again, the little dot is Eric.

So, now I'm here in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. (Did you know Australia has states? South Australia is a state!) I haven't had much time to do anything here but blog and shower (which I desperatly needed after all that outback travel, and swimming in salt lakes). With that said, I'm going to sign off now! Till next time!

P.S. Eric is also taking a lot of time on his blog today too, so be sure to check his out, for all the stories that I've already forgotten about! :)