Uluru Sunrise & Kings Canyon

Sunday June 25th – This morning we were up, packed, ate breakfast, and drove out to Uluru before the sun rose. I have to say Bullfrog is probably the best guide we have had on our trip, not only because he knows the area, geology, plant life, wildlife, and history but because of his easygoing and friendly personality. He is quietly perceptive and thankfully recognized in a flash that I am NOT a morning person and sat quietly next to me at breakfast until I got to functioning level whereupon we began chatting.
Grant, Sue, I, and a few others chose to do the full base walk which is 9.4 k all the way around Uluru and there are a few spots where you can view pictures the native people have painted on the walls. Again, the views were stunning and the sunrise magnificent. It was chilly at first but the brisk walk warmed us up and it was well worth the effort. As we walked we even heard a bunch of dingoes howling and carrying on. Once we all regrouped, Bullfrog took us on another walk to some of the caves used by the Aboriginals and told us some of their folklore. We then had some time to enjoy the cultural centre which had a variety of displays featuring Aboriginal folklore as well as their lifestyle and history of the area.
We had lunch back at camp then began the long drive to Kings Canyon. While Kings Canyon is not really that far (as the crow flies) to Uluru, the shortest route is impassible because of Lake Amadeus which is a dry salt lake. No roads can be built here and it’s kind of like quicksand so you have to go the long way around. We had a couple of stops along the way including a lookout of Mt Conner and Lake Amadeus as well as a stop to pickup firewood. Once we arrived at camp we got a fire going, had another one of Kylie’s yummy dinners and did another session of hanging out by the fire. Tomorrow we will hike King’s Canyon.