Going along for a ride....

I'm writing from Alice Springs with what seems to be a bruised bottom. We spent today on bicycles riding all over from the town centre up to the old telegraph building, back into town to Anzac hill, the Reptile Centre and Olive Pink Botanical Gardens. It was a really good day out -- despite my bruises (Tanya seems to have picked up some of Michelle's spectacular abilities with two wheeled things). I particularly liked the reptile centre, we got to hold this huge Olive Python named Zeus who was 8 years old and only 6kg!! I had a great time probably cause I used to have fun at O'Reilly's with the scaly creatures but Ben... well Zeus just wanted a kiss and a photo tells a thousand words.... and you'll have to wait for that because I can't find the right cable to upload it, damn.
The trip over was great though we were diverted by the rain so couldn't go through Birdsville. We ended up travelling from Quilpie up to Longreach through Stonehenge (Qld. not U.K.) then on upwards and across to Winton and Boulia. Since we'd already done the Longreach thing and it was a Sunday we had a leisurly trip up to Winton and spent the afternoon having drinks with smoked oysters and crackers, watching the sun sink below the horizon. Monday morning we spent going through the Waltzing Matilda museum, which was awesome! They had heaps of backround about the times that waltzing matilda really carried us as a nation, to drive people to "waltz matilda" and to become our unofficial anthem. We then drove through Boulia and set up camp at Georgina River on Monday night, crossing over towards the Plenty Hwy. Once over the border we stayed at Jervois Station before coming down to Alice Springs.
Jervois Station was a great little stopover- hot shower until someone turns off the heat and you have to spend the remainder trying to remind yourself how nice hot water was.... but more fun was the very inquisitive cattle that invaded the campsite as everyone was eating, cooking or washing up around the campsite. First the campsite behind us had them as visitors, next the one to the north where the steer got right in to the hot plate trying to lick the pot of goodies on the stove and so on and so forth. We had just set up our swag with the thought of doing to washing up in the morning when we were visited, right into the washing up bucket that had been put under the the back of the ute. Well our swag was almost trampled in the process but Ben managed to get them out of it.
The rest of the drive into Alice was pretty uneventful, although Ben did manage to get bingo on the way (we've made our own car bingo up), and we're stocked with some more fresh fruit and vege for the next part of our journey. We've been staying at the Macdonnel Range Holiday Park (part of the Big4 chain) and the first night's shower here was BLISS!!!! so so clean, while it lasts.
We're off to Glen Helen today and then down to King's Canyon after that :)
Enjoying our time in the red centre, love to all xoxo