Uluru and Kata Tjuta, FULL experience

This is day three from leaving home. Read Day One in Adelaide here. Read Day Two in Alice Springs here. (And if you prefer a shortened version than this lengthy post, find it here.)

Before dawn we check out of our room and wait outside for our bus to pick us up. It's not one of the fancy big buses. It's smaller and only seats 22 people. Comfortable enough, but still looks rugged. Perfect.

Uluru and Kata Tjuta, speed trip version

This is day three from leaving home. Read Day One in Adelaide here. Read Day Two in Alice Springs here. (And this is the shortened version of my post about this. Read the Full Experience here if you like.)

Here is some scenery along our way from Alice Springs to Uluru.

We got to stop at a service station for 15 minutes and we enjoyed the emu while we waited. 

Alice Springs

After our crazy night and day in Adelaide, we boarded the plane to Alice Springs, right in the middle of Australia. The flight crew chief is tall, bald, and wearing a black suit and red tie. A bit intimidating. But if I can handle the outback, I can handle him. 

I was excited to see the Red Center terrain. The books and movies make it sound so harsh and unlivable. This was the view from the plane.

This is now the screen saver on my computer. It got even better from here. 

Bonus trip: Adelaide!

Because we didn't want to take Henry to the intense heat of Uluru, we sent Allen and the girls first, and then Leo and I went two weeks later. Leo and I were more interested in a full "outback" experience with camping. I booked a tour that would drive us to the sights, and we'd get to campout under the stars.

Melbourne Star

The Melbourne Star is a 120 meter high observation ferris wheel. It has 21 pods that are completely enclosed. Henry has been wanting to ride in it for awhile. It is normally about $39 per person, but I scored a coupon for $15 per person.

Feeling grateful

I've got a lot to do and we are very busy and it's going to take some time to finish all the posts I've started. But I have just felt so grateful for all of these experiences. 

Saturday is a special day--at the Fitzroy Gardens and Altona Beach

Allen went in to work on Saturday to make up for lost days while he was in Uluru. We decided to meet at the Fitzroy Gardens afterward to see Cook's Cottage and walk around the park a bit.