Flight out of Adelaide was delayed +2hrs - first for catering, and then after starting to taxi, because the field crew had damaged a part - the flight was quick after that (2 hrs). In Alice Springs we chose to take the airport shuttle ($34 for both) rather than taxi - saved $9 but added 45min. Got a spot at the Alice Springs Tourist Park ($35) - crammed in amongst trailers, but fortunate since the following day it was booked solid for a desert race *whew*.
Rough night sleeping, mostly from being sore from camping. In the morning we got up early to catch the public bus back to city ($3 each) to pick up rental car (Thrifty). While waiting for Thrifty to open we went into the mall and ate light breakfast at a cafe + charge phones.
After picking up the car (4x4) we grocery shopped at Woolworths then to the visitor center (learned we MUST book the Uluru site in advance) and then back to pack up the campsite, after which we headed out for the Red Center road.
Stopped at several sites on the way out of town - Simpson’s Gap, Standley Chasm (didn’t pay to go in - had nap/lunch there instead), Ellery Creek Big Hole, Serpentine Gorge (too long of a hike), Ochre Pits and Ormiston Gorge. At Ormiston Gorge we planned to hike a bit and to get change, so had coffee and a scone with strawberry jam and cream (whipped cream) in their “kiosk”.
After talking through potential stops in the coming days, we decided to stay ($20) to hike some trails and not end up driving at night (rental companies won’t insure for that).
We hiked up the gorge (flies are terrible here) which had really unique rock formations, then came back to put up camp and make dinner (one of the first nights we did this in the light).
We made dinner at the central shelter with a group of sort of locals who were backpacking on The Larapinta Trail (long trail in the area).
The group mentioned that they were hanging up their shoes because there were dingos in the area (they’ll apparently take anything left outside). Shortly after, a dingo ran right through the campground! The story about the dingo eating a baby is a true story!
Another lady at the table warned us about little green snake in the log in our campsite area (more for Tammy to worry about).
After cleaning up, we got the tent ready and ate cookies (Tammy loves that we can eat in the tent here).
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