Uluru or bust

Well, I was only back from Canada a couple of weeks and my riding mates John, Mike and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and ride to Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock to the culturally insensitive) We left Adelaide on September 9.

Mike and me having a hard earned drink on arrival at "Spuds Roadhouse" in Pimba, South Australia. Note! Spuds is Pimba.

John and Mikes rear at the Range Lookout between Port Augusta and Pimba. Note the lush roadside growth, normally this country is pretty barren but the last three years have been quite wet.

Dry salt Lake Gairdner between Port Augusta and Woomera.

Evidence that South Australia is the driest state in the world. 90km south of Coober Pedy.

An old dry blower used to evacuate mining rubble from underground when mining for Opal.

The entrance to the Radeka Underground Motel in Coober Pedy, famous for its Opal. Note the vents in the rock face.

One double bed and four bunks, all we need now is a pick and shovel to find the Opal.

Glendambo, north of Coober Pedy

Mount Connor with bush fire, about 100km east of Uluru in the Northern Territory. The difference in the geology of the three rock formations in this area is like chalk from cheese.

Our campsite at Yulara, the town just outside Uluru National Park.

Yours truly with the mystical Uluru at sunset. Uluru is revered in Aboriginal legend and it is easy to understand why when seen for the first time as the light changes during sunset.

The point from which one can climb the rock although the Aboriginals frown on those who climb and close the climb at any time due to various reasons.

Uluru is formed of red sandstone and rises 348m above the surrounding area.

Approximately 25km west of Uluru lie the Kata Tjuta or Olgas, as was there name in modern times. These strange formations are formed entirely of a conglomerate and rise to a maximum height of 546m above the surrounding area.

Sunset behind Kata Tjuta.

From Uluru we retraced our track back to the junction of the Lasseter Highway and Luritja Road where Mike left us to head back home via the Oodnadata Track. John and I rode north to Watarrka (Kings Canyon)

Cliffs at the entrance to Kings Canyon.

Kings Canyon walls

Creek bed in the Canyon

Dead end of the Canyon

The Old.

and the New

Leaving Kings Canyon

A Port Lincoln Parrot in our camp site at Kings Creek Station.

A road train leaving Alice Springs

Alice Springs from the Lookout.

West MacDonnell Range. We rode 150km west of Alice Springs to visit several of the renowned gaps in the range.

Simpsons Gap

North end of Simpsons Gap

Stanley Chasm

Water hole in Stanley Chasm.

Cycads in the bed of Stanley Chasm.

Glen Helen Gorge


Permanent water hole in Glen Helen Gorge

Ormiston Gorge

Ormiston Gorge with people settling in to hear the Choir sing for the Alice Desert Festival. We came across this gathering quite by accident and stayed to listen for a while. It was a moving experience. We were 138km from alice Springs.

The choir preparing for the concert. The cliffs at the back formed a natural sound shell.

A Rock Wallaby settles in to listen to the concert.

From Alice Springs John and I rode back to Adelaide, 1650km, in three days. We are away ten days.

Beaver Creek and Tofino

For the past few days I have been in Beaver Creek at Lynnes home and also visiting Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Camper Van.

A beautiful Indian Pipe fungus near Beaver Creek, Port Alberni

Moss in the forest on the banks of the Stamp River, Beaver Creek

Marina in Uclulet, West Coast of Vancouver Island

On the second day of our visit to the west coast we signed up for boat trip to the Hot Springs about 2 hours boat ride north of Tofino. This is the wharf on the morning of that trip. Notice the sea fog coming in.

A Sea Lion basking in the sun with a Kelp bed in the foreground.

A Sea Otter with baby hiding in a bed a kelp. In the first few hours after a baby otter is borne it is unable to swim so the mother must stay on the surface with it.

Hot Springs Point Lighthouse, two hours north of Tofino. There is a permanant Indian community just around the point.

The Indian community of Hotsprings Point. The original village was located closer to the water but was wiped out in the Tsunami of 1964.

This is an example of how a new tree will start out on a Host Log (one which has fallen and is rotting away) and develop into a mature tree while the host log rots to nothing. Note the timber walkway. The entire 1.8 km walk to the hot spring was like this.

A Garter Snake basking in the sun alonside the walkway.

The hot spring falls and bathing pool. The water issues from the spring at 50 deg C. The pools were quite small and communal bathing was an intimate affair.

Wild Ginger and moss in a rotting log alongside the walkway to the hot springs.

An Old Growth Cedar tree alongside the walkway.

A Black Bear hunting for limpets on a rocky beach. Her cub had just run back into the forest. We were about 10 metres away in the boat.

We passed a barge loaded with cedar timber cut ready to make roof shingles.

Long Beach near Tofino with the sea fog rolling in on a fine day.

two surfers coming out of the distant surf through the sea fog.

Well this is the last of my blog entries so I will sign off now until I return to Australia. I hope you have enjoyed sharing my adventures over the last two months.