Thursday morning we rose about 5:15, had breakfast, and packed up before leaving for Kings Canyon. Ben blasted The Beatles’ raucous “Good Morning” at us and followed it with Willy Nelson’s “On the Road Again”. We needed an early start in order to walk the entire rim walk at the canyon. It was to be a strenuous, long walk. One couple stayed behind knowing her knees simply wouldn’t make it. The rest of us took off climbing. We wound up and down and over skirting along the rim of the canyon. The area is known for its silcrete formations which have a beehive look and have been titled the lost city. Half way around was a pocket of lush plant growth and consistent water so completely different from the rest of the canyon that it is called the Garden of Eden. We even saw a beautiful holly plant. It was an exhilarating 6 mile hike.
From Kings Canyon, we headed towards Alice Springs taking a dirt road called the Merenee Loop Road that winds through underground unseen natural gas fields. The road is used primarily by the road trains. Ben drove the 4WD truck fast at up to 50mph and swerved from side to side to avoid getting hung up in the sand. We all took turns sitting up front to get the full experience. In the middle of nowhere, we stopped for a picnic lunch and examined the surrounding termite mounds, ant hills, and grass trees.
Continuing on after lunch, we saw wild horses (called brumbies) and wild donkeys but, sadly, no feral camels. At our last stop to switch buses (some folks were going on for a third night of camping), we dashed into the store and bought a can of soup to have for dinner. A fabulous trip but we were ready for a simple “at home” supper and a comfortable, warm bed! There was laundry to do, too! We had covered nearly 900 miles in three days.
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