Kings Canyon

Yesterday we had a leisurely start, not leaving for Kings Canyon until about noon. That let us catch up a bit after all the walking around Uluru and Kata Tjuta. On the bus ride up to Kings Canyon, we stopped for a break, and I couldn't resist the "Shielas and Blokes" signage.

For this part of our tour, we had chosen to stay at a more rustic location. Each cabin was actually a fancy tent. Thank goodness there was an AC unit in each one, because temperatures yesterday and today were nothing but hot.

The office, lounge, dining, and bar areas were in this building. Graham, the manager, posed there for me with Kathie.

Dinner was served outside, at a time when the flies finally stopped for the day. Those pesky flies that have forced us to use headsets just seem to go away entirely shortly after sunset. The group of us was very fun–couples from each of Italy, Germany and France and another US couple from Georgia. The hostess was a riot with all kinds of stories and banter. The menu consisted of a soft-shell crab appetizer/salad (way out here in the outback!), grilled vegetables, kangaroo steak, baramundi fish, and a chocolate cake for desert. Lots of wine, beer, and post-dinner port wine too.

Then this morning, we hiked the floor of Kings Canyon. An alternative is the rim walk which takes you around the top edge of the cliffs you can see below. However, this is a 3-hour hike, with an initial climb up a set of steps to the top of the rim, and we didn't feel quite up to that. Walking through the canyon was pretty enough for us.

It isn't at all the size of our Grand Canyon, but given the surrounding desert, it was quite unexpected and impressive.

There are lots of interesting birds in the desert. We didn't see any of the lime-colored budgies (like parakeets) that are supposed to be so numerous that swarms of them create the impression of green mists in the sky (according to our guide). However, we did see some nice flowers. I liked this one's show of strength against the rock.

Kathie posed for me by this boulder that they said came down in the 1930s. We couldn't help but look up at the sides of the canyon walls and hope that others were not preparing to come loose. Seeing one tumble down would be impressive, I'm sure, but I bet it would feel like a bomb blast if you were anywhere close.

A strong January rain created a watering hole near the deepest part of the canyon. The guide said it had not been there at all for many, many months prior to that. Yet, now it has tadpoles in it–quite advanced ones–almost frogs. In a few more months, this is likely to be all dried up again, and the frogs will have buried themselves down in what little soil exists, waiting for months or even years for the next rain.

We have known for a long time that AU has plenty of creatures that can be unpleasant. Most of the snakes here are poisonous, and we did have one cross our path when with our guide at Uluru. All of us respected it from a distance until it continued on its way. Several plants we have seen are not to be touched, mostly because they are very sharp and needle-like. One of the common ones, which looks like nice grass but is not, is called spinifex. Then there are the insects. When we were swimming at the hotel pool a few nights ago, I saw an insect struggling in the water. So, being kind-hearted, I lifted my hand under it with the intention of flicking it up onto dry land. Of course, it was some kind of bee and immediately stung me right near my wedding ring. Hurt like the dickens and by morning my finger was so swollen, I couldn't bend it. That has all cleared up, though. Today, I saw this interesting and colorful mud wasp, which is about three times bigger than the ones at home. I am no longer attempting any insect relocations.

Tomorrow we fly to Brisbane to meet Margaret and Murray for our last three fun-filled weeks here! I hope these planes have brakes, unlike the last one we were on.