Outback Adventure - Part 5
P O P Q U I Z !
As mentioned at the beginning of my journey, when was the last time it rained in Alice Springs?
a) October
b) August
c) June
d) April
If you guessed April, you win a prize!
It is a desert-ish place, so rain is not a common thing. Thus, the river beds full of nothing but sand.
So, imagine our surprise and delight at seeing the the distant sky polka dotted with clumps of black clouds trailing vertical tendrils of rain and spitting lightning. We were driving toward our next hiking destination, Kings Canyon. At first, the clouds seemed quite far off, then water droplets pinged the van window and we stopped to pull a hole-dotted tarp over our swags. We also gathered some fire wood for a camp fire. Yes, we were optimists with a holy tarp (not religious).
(Sorry. Bad pun, couldn't help myself.)
At the camp we had a swim and set up camp. We were just picking out our swag spots around the campfire when the sky changed. A black wall enveloped the distant mountain range and rolled toward us, growling and shaking the earth.
As you can see in the photos here, one minute kinda cloudy, the next... uh oh.
In "Uh Oh" camping moments, everyone jumps to action. The swags were tossed into the shed, towels and clothes were stripped off the trees where they were drying, the barbecue pulled under the tarp.
None of this activity ceased the enjoyment of a beer, as you can see Ian (from Taiwan) doing above right. A camel wandering around nearby seemed to be smiling as he continued his grazing.
As if on cue, when all was put away, the rain began to fall. But "rain" and "fall" are too mild for what we were experiencing. All around us machine gun bullets of water blasted from the sky, one minute from the north, then the south, then the west. We stood laughing as we watched the show.
Rivers began to flow between our feet, so shovels re-arranged the sand and directed the streams around us.
After a good 30-minute downpour, the clouds moved off and we re-commenced making dinner. The fire was built up, our potatoes were wrapped in foil and tossed in, kangaroo sausages and emu burgers were thrown on the barbie, and our evening returned to normal.
Just as we were bedding down, another downpour commenced. Some moved into the van, others into the shed, several of us moved under the tarp and I fell asleep to the insistent howls of wind, the swag hood flipped over my head as ants bit my right hand.
Well, at least it was ants and not red-back spiders.
Next up, our hike at Kings Canyon.
P O P Q U I Z !
As mentioned at the beginning of my journey, when was the last time it rained in Alice Springs?
a) October
b) August
c) June
d) April
If you guessed April, you win a prize!
It is a desert-ish place, so rain is not a common thing. Thus, the river beds full of nothing but sand.
So, imagine our surprise and delight at seeing the the distant sky polka dotted with clumps of black clouds trailing vertical tendrils of rain and spitting lightning. We were driving toward our next hiking destination, Kings Canyon. At first, the clouds seemed quite far off, then water droplets pinged the van window and we stopped to pull a hole-dotted tarp over our swags. We also gathered some fire wood for a camp fire. Yes, we were optimists with a holy tarp (not religious).
(Sorry. Bad pun, couldn't help myself.)
At the camp we had a swim and set up camp. We were just picking out our swag spots around the campfire when the sky changed. A black wall enveloped the distant mountain range and rolled toward us, growling and shaking the earth.
As you can see in the photos here, one minute kinda cloudy, the next... uh oh.
In "Uh Oh" camping moments, everyone jumps to action. The swags were tossed into the shed, towels and clothes were stripped off the trees where they were drying, the barbecue pulled under the tarp.
None of this activity ceased the enjoyment of a beer, as you can see Ian (from Taiwan) doing above right. A camel wandering around nearby seemed to be smiling as he continued his grazing.
As if on cue, when all was put away, the rain began to fall. But "rain" and "fall" are too mild for what we were experiencing. All around us machine gun bullets of water blasted from the sky, one minute from the north, then the south, then the west. We stood laughing as we watched the show. Rivers began to flow between our feet, so shovels re-arranged the sand and directed the streams around us.
After a good 30-minute downpour, the clouds moved off and we re-commenced making dinner. The fire was built up, our potatoes were wrapped in foil and tossed in, kangaroo sausages and emu burgers were thrown on the barbie, and our evening returned to normal.
Just as we were bedding down, another downpour commenced. Some moved into the van, others into the shed, several of us moved under the tarp and I fell asleep to the insistent howls of wind, the swag hood flipped over my head as ants bit my right hand.
Well, at least it was ants and not red-back spiders.
Next up, our hike at Kings Canyon.
It sounds like a great trip Colleen. I look forward to your next entry.
ReplyDelete