Day 6...

Day 6 An early night for our 5th on the road saw us stopping at a place called Curtin Springs. Camp was up just before sunset and the rain was falling. Dinner for the night turned into a mish-mash of things cooked on the fire I'd started - somehow we'd managed to run out of gas! We were both in bed early after saying hello for fellow campers from Holland over for 4 months of touring. It was time for our 4am start to get to Uluru to see the sunrise. Sleeping didn't go as planned. The campsite was a chunk of red dirt covered in ants and stones and no matter where we looked we knew it was going to be uncomfortable. As the ground was so stony I gave up trying to put the pegs in - what a mistake. I placed the beers inside my tent to hold it there and I could use it later if I got thirsty. The tent blew over almost instantly, I eventually propped it back up, and it promptly blew over again so I left it. I later discovered, when trying to sleep, that the effect of this had been that my tent was now full of water and my pillow soaked. After much moaning and complaining I eventually dried it out and tried to sleep. The heat from the ground and from my head slowly dried the pillow however it made it exceptionally muggy. Neither if us slept well. Rob nearly boiled alive in his swag bag while I tossed and turned on a collection of stones, which surprisingly didn't get comfortable no matter what I tried. We made our way down to Uluru very groggy from the lack of sleep and stupid time we were up in the dark with Rob managing to avoid most of the animals that were out and about. We made Uluru at what we thought to have been on time. We were early - very early. Nearly an hour early. Rob believed, and had managed to convince me that all of the states except SA we were travelling through were on the same time zone. So we made our way to the viewing platform and waited, unknown to us at this time that we were an hour early. Eventually the sun came up and gave us a spectacular sunrise with the colours and views of Uluru changing every all time time. After a wonder round the area once the sun had risen we dragged ourselves away to set out on he road again. Next stop - Kings Canyon. We arrived in the heat of day and cleverly decided we'd do the 6km walk which was listed as 3-4 hours. We both scoffed asking how hard could a walk be? So off we set with water in hand. The first part of the walk was a somewhat steep set of stairs going up over 100 meters to the top of the canyon. Still refusing to believe the walk would be that long we carried on. Some 4 or so hours later and some 8.5km of rock face walked we arrived at the end, exhausted, sunburn and very thirsty. The walk, it turned out, was not what we'd expected. The "path" was just some arrows pointing you in a rough direction over the top of some rocks, or between rock faces, out over bottomless cracks in the rock face. It was incredible. The views from all round were spectacular though with sheer drops off the cliff face down into the valley below and over to the opposite valley face. We both found it became very samey by the time we'd got over halfway round though. With kings canyon checkbox ticked we set on, planning to get to palm valley for the night. My exhaustion had fully kicked in from a sleepless night and the long drive to kings canyon. I tried to sleep as Rob took the next leg but it was unsealed road with some sealed road in the middle consisting of sharp corners which my pilot had chosen to take corners somewhat faster than anyone else and had the car rolling from side to side. Seems it was to be sleepless. Just as I nodded off I felt the car lurch in a strange way and woke abruptly to the sound of a flat tyre. Rob pulled over and we set about trying to change it in the 38degree heat the desert was happily making us endure. Still exhausted I managed to find the energy to help Rob change the tyre but what am ordeal that was. We jacked the car up to find the jack isn't enough to lift the rear tyre off its suspension, let alone the road. Rob grabbed the shovel and we set about digging a big enough hole around the tyre so we could change it. About 1.5hours later, both exceptionally exhausted we decided to head back. We'd only made about 50km from kings canyon. Tired and hungry we arrived in kings canyon resort for the night. Threw up my tent and chucked out Rob's swag and we were done. A quick swim in the pool to cool off, a quick shower and off to find food. On returning from food there was a very heavy dark cloud looming. It was going to be one hell if a thunderstorm. With lightning cracking down over the entire horizon in an 180 degree arc we decided it was time to sleep. The storm had other ideas for me. As the lighting shot from one side to the other of the horizon the wind picked up, a lot and my tent wasn't happy. The entire back of the tent was folding in on me, and I knew when the rain started I'd get soaked. I eventually decided to hastily pack the tent down before any damage was done - I was too late. Two of the fittings from the tent that the poles slot into has ripped entirely off and they were diagonal opposites. One pole of the two pole tent down, hopefully it can be repaired in some sunlight. The thunderstorm is the most impressive I've ever seen, blowing me around as I frantically scuttled back and forth trying to take the tent down. Evicted to the hot and stuffy car, for now at least, watching the storm passing and keep getting hopeful calm patches which nearly tempt me out to put the tent up again however so far my laziness has prevailed as just about when I'd have finished the wind picks up again. Rob is tucked up in his swag, entirely unaware of anything going on around him despite my loud swearing at the fact I needed to take the tent down and that the wind was too strong. The swag is seeming to have more advantages the longer we are out in the desert, not tall enough to be effected by wine, quick and easy to get out and out away and slightly more immune to flooding when not pegged down. Here's to another sleepless night I guess... While finishing the above and watching the storm it appears to have moved past, I braved putting the tent up again. With one diagonal pole gone I grabbed a knife and cut a new smaller slot in a hope it would hold and keep the tent upright - it did. Tent re-positioned with the smaller, guide roped side into the wind and my fingers crossed. Maybe ill get some sleep after all.