November 9, 2007 Sunrise at Kings Canyon & Canyon Rim Walk

The photo just doesn't begin to capture the beauty of this morning's sunrise. We boarded the bus to head to Kings Canyon at 4:00 am so we immediately drifted off back to sleep. We awoke to adjust our pillows when we glanced out onto the horizon to a most spectacular sunrise. I couldn't get to my camera in time to capture the brilliant red that was the first break of dawn.

This was the best we could do - but the day was just beginning and Kings Canyon did not disappoint us in any way. A spectacular canyon of beautiful red sandstone was so gorgeous. So much for our eyes to behold. Around every bend there was another spectacular rock formation. The climb was tough - but definitely worth it. The weather cooperated beautifully and we were sprinkled on a couple of times, but all in all we couldn't have asked for a more wonderful day!

November 8, 2007 Uluru Sunrise & Sunset, Hike around the Rock

Day Two - Same Story.

Once again we had to wake at the lovely hour of 3:00 a.m. It wasn't particularly easy due to the late night at the BBQ and all the free, CHEAP CHAMPAIGNE! We both were suffering from throbbing headaches - but we made it.

To witness the sun rising on Uluru (Ayres Rock) is very special. We know why the Aboriginal people felt this place posessed such special power and also used it as a place of teaching for both men and women.

After witnessing such an awesome event we were off for a nice hike around part of the base of Uluru, then we were back to the resort for a much needed nap!

Around 4:30 p.m. we were back to the rock to witness sunset, and it was as special as we had hoped! No Champaigne tonight! We have another early day tomorrow morning.

November 7, 2007 Kata Tajuta & The Valley of the Winds!

After a 3:00 a.m. wake-up we were met by the AAT Kings Tour Bus to whisk us off to Kata Tajuta and The Valley of the Winds. Ya'll probably know that Alice Springs is in the middle of the Australian Outback and is a central starting point for any activity you want to do in this area. Like Texas, it can sometimes be a far piece to get from one place to another. We drove for approximately 2 hours before we arrived at Kata Tajuta.

Everyone is pretty familiar with photos Uluru (Ayers Rock) when they see them, but Kata Tajuta is visually close to Uluru, but a completely different geological rock formation.

Both sites are culturally and spiritually important to the Aboriginal people and since they are on land still controlled by the Aboriginees, visiting the National Park comes with rules. There are several areas that are so important to the Aboriginal people spiritually that they won't even let them be photographed!

The formations are huge, and beautiful. They look very different during each part of the day as light changes and highlights the variations in the rock, the caves that you cannot see when the sun is shining directly on it and of course, water (or rain) gives it a completely different look.

We particularly enjoyed the cultural stories from our tour guide, looking for wildlife that may be there and of course just being in awe of this magnificient rock! We took so many photos of a rock - yes, a rock, but such a beautiful one!

After our tour through The Valley of the Winds, we watched the sun set on Kata Tajuta. It was a very special thing to witness. Shortly after sunset we were taken to a remote spot for a late-nite BBQ and star gazing. The BBQ was a nice meal where we were able to sample Kangaroo and Camel meat. We passed on the Camel, but the Kangaroo was OK according to Joe. Nancy hated it - it was more mental than the taste, but she still didn't like it.

Once dinner and drinks were over the tour crew said it was time for "Lights Out"! What a spectacular treat - utterly amazing and fantastic. We were so far away from any public lighting, and we were also luck that there was not a cloud in the sky - which made for particularly awesome star gazing. We saw the Astrological formation of Scorpio, Nancy's sign - which made the evening even more special. We soaked the sight into our memories and hope you all get to make it to this special place someday to witness this incredible event that has happened night after night, day after day, year after year since the beginning of time.

November 6, 2007

We arrived in Alice Springs last evening for a brief pit stop at the Crown Plaza Hotel.

We rise early today for Day-1 of a 3-Day tour to the Outback. Over the next 3 days we will stop for breakfast at Mt. Ebenezer Road House and view Mt. Conor. We will arrive at Kata Tajuta and hike the Valley of the Winds. After lunch and a brief rest back at our hotel in Yulara (Ayers Rock Resort) we return to Kata Tajuta to view Sunset there. On day 2 we again rise at 3:00 am to head to Uluru (Ayers Rock) to see sunrise, join a group for a moderate hike around part of the base of the rock, then return for sunset. Later that evening we enjoy an Outback BBQ under the stars. On Day 3 we again rise at 3:00 am as we enjoy sunrise on our way to Kings Canyon and hike the Rim of the Canyon.

We are looking forward to seeing the Outback - so stay tuned!

November 04, 2007 - Another Gorgeous Darwin Sunset

We enjoyed another lovely sunset in Darwin last evening while we walked to the Deckchair Theatre - a great outdoor theatre located on the Harbor.

It was too dark to get any good shots of the theatre, but the pre-movie entertaiment was very funny - 2 opossums running across the top of the movie screen.

They offered beverages of your choice and authentic home-made Indian food before the show.

November 03, 2007 - Back in Darwin

We are back in Darwin for a couple of days to explore the city and all it has to offer. We also need to catch up on the basics - sleeping late, doing laundry - and of course, catching up the Blog and uploading photos to FlickR.

We miss everyone and hope you enjoy reading about what we've been up to. We wish you were here!

We know you're all getting ready for the holidays about now, so keep us in your thoughts and drop us an email when you have time.

Good Nite!

Here is the sunset we enjoyed from our balcony last night.

November 03, 2007 - The Northern Territory - Kakadu, Yellow Waters, Cooinda, Nourlangie Rock and the Bowali Visitor Center

Our tour of the Northern Territory was incredible. We covered over 1,650 kilometers in 4 days - so it is impossible to capture everything in this blog! The Aboriginal culture is fascinating and they have been around for over 20,000 years. Their story is amazing and is a treasure to explore and visit.

Our Travel Agent warned us that visiting the Northern Territory this time of year would be a challenge - it was hot, very hot! There were flies, many flies! Red dust and dirt - a lot of dust. . . . .but we would not have missed it for the world. The fantastic rock formations, gorges, blue skies, clouds, plants and wildlife (wallaby, wallaroo, kangaroo, water buffalo, crocodile (fresh and salt water)lizard, iguana, snake, and bird life) is too vast to even touch upon. It is not to be missed. We saw birds that visit only during migration and those species that make this land their home. They were distinctive and wonderful!

And of course the Aboriginal people and their history - the rock paintings that are over a thousand years old! Their paintings are guide books to their world! They really do tell you how to catch food, what areas to avoid because it would make you sick (we now know there is Uranium - a lot of Uranium in some areas). They knew from experience exposure to this area would make you sick and their pictures depict this for all who would pass through the area. I could go on and on - and would probably misquote much of what I think I know. It is a very interesting culture and we would like to learn more about it.