On the road to Uluru. Raining. It feels like the Big Sky Country of Australia.
Directions from Alice Springs to Uluru (Ayers Rock): take the Stuart Highway south and straight for 150 miles. Turn right at the Lasseter Highway. Don't miss the turn (or your next stop is Darwin)! Go 150 miles.
I rocked out on my ear buds to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Live at the Fillmore. Great road trip music.
Stop: Stuarts Well Roadhouse. We had coffee, comfort stop, and a keg stretch. Lee told us to look for the pictures of a dingo on a piano. Back on the bus, he told us the great story about Dinky the singing dingo (RIP).
Stop: Erldunda Roadhouse. We had scone and coffee/tea. Big pen with several emus.
Stop: Mount Connor. Big, flat-topped mountain. The nearby salt lake, would have been a stark white, except the recent rains melted it. Kids on cattle stations get the best education (School of the Air) and life experiences. Then go to boarding school in Adelaide. Then university. Kids often don't want to take over the business. Mount Connor is the "family headstone".
We were upgraded to the Desert Gardens Hotel. We had lunch at the new hotel. It was to be at the original hotel. Everyone got fish and chips, which was fine. Lovely room.
On the bus, to Uluru/Ayers Rock. We first stopped at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre. The artwork was beautiful. We got to see several women creating intricate pieces.
The sun came out! With a vengeance. Hot, humid, and buggy. Thank goodness for the mozzie nets! We circled the entire rock and stopped several times. We saw Aboriginal rock art, a waterhole (filled to the brim), caves. You can't take photos in certain spots that are sacred. We respected this request. We walked back to the bus in silence in order to appreciate the power of the mountain. I definitely felt something.
We came back to the hotel and checked in. This property is huge. It's a bit of a hike to our rooms. But our luggage was waiting for us in our rooms. I had just enough time to take a shower and get organized for the evening.
We drove back out to Uluru right before sunset. There were other buses there, but it didn't feel crowded. Harry, Lee, and Phil had camp chairs for us to sit on while watching. They also brought champagne and nibbles for us. It was a very nice touch. Lee suggested that we take photos every couple of minutes (almost like a time lapse) so we could see the changing colors. It was absolutely magnificent! I'll never forget this. We drive back with big smiles on our faces (the champagne helped).
We went right to the restaurant for a late dinner. What an amazing day, shared with me new friends. Life is good!
Photo: Me and my champagne at Uluru/Ayers Rock.
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