We slept fine and got up later than we should have for a hike at Kata Tjuta (also called the Olgas), which is a rock formation in the same vicinity of Ayers Rock. We ate our yogurt and granola bars, finally heading out around 9:30. The heat was already unbearable, but we went for it anyway.
There were a couple cars in the parking lot, and we saw there were a few hiking options. We did two short ones – one on each end. They were pretty flat walks with no shade, but we did have the highest vantage point to date to look out across the desert and see other rock formations.
The first jaunt was about 30 minutes round trip, and at the farthest point we captured one of my very favorite photos from the trip:
The second walk wasn’t quite as long, but we got a better look at the rock composition. It was more like a lot of large red pebbles held together with red grout.
We arrived back at camp around lunchtime, and we decided to just grab something from the snack bar – especially a cold drink. Mmmm, Diet Coke! The guys spent a good while drooling over the BMW bikes ridden by a French group making their way across the whole continent, from Perth to Sydney. Hot and crazy, if you ask me.
Meanwhile Mom and I went to sit by the pool, where the French men in bikini bottoms ultimately came to cool off. I was giving Mom a neck massage to cure her headache, and they jokingly tried to get in line.
That evening we ventured over to the shopping area of the resort to have an early dinner and get a few supplies at IGA. (The next morning we had breakfast at the coffee shop across the way, where we caught sight of a dog loping through the grounds, and our Asian waitress confirmed that it was indeed a wild Dingo.)
Back at camp, we left Dad in the cabin to finish Tipping Point, and the three of us hiked up a very short trail to a lookout point for sunset.
gallopingnelly
