comes a new day on this trip so fascinating, what in store for me today? I start the day with sunrise, from the viewpoint of Namatjira, the same as the sunset yesterday. This time the place is deserted, and the valley is shown in front, surrounded by low mountains. The ceiling, without a single cloud is dominated by a quarter moon. Gradually, the colors of the sky change from blue to pink, and the sun makes its formal appearance. From this viewpoint you can clearly see how the golden rays sun's light, first the top of the mountain, then the rest, followed by the tips of the trees in the valley, and finally the entire valley. The day was officially declared open.
I return to the hostel, where I took the first trip hotel breakfast. So far I had prepared me for breakfast, but in recent days I could not buy any food, and no shops in the area. I order a full breakfast with eggs, bacon, tomato and other stuff. With this and the leftovers of what I bought at Yulara, at the beginning of this journey, I have to spend the day.
The master plan for the day will travel the route "Pound walk", in Ormiston Gorge, the guide says tourism is the best in the area. That brings me to the throat Ormiston sooner rather, to walk before the sun too hot.
The path takes me around the bed of a dry river, a river where there is water instead of eucalyptus. They are the "red eucalyptus river," my liberal translation of "red river gums," and only look at the beds of rivers in the area where the roots drink groundwater. They are majestic trees, twisted arms and reddish bark.
Leaving the river starts climbing the hill on the left, through semi-desert vegetation, and under a sun that warms up. The windy day is presented, and as they ascend the wind becomes the protagonist. As they approached the summit the wind begins to subside, and at the top the wind turns into a nice breeze. The summit is crowned by a ghost eucalyptus, my free translation of "ghost gum." The eucalyptus has a white crust as if it had been whitewashed, and they say (or says the guidebook) at night the trunk reflects the moonlight like a ghost. In front there is a small valley surrounded by hills, with a dry river running through it like a giant tree snake in a place devoid of vegetation. The valley is going to go. Walking downhill
took a little detour to find a geocache treasure. Chance makes just ten yards from the treasury has a couple of kids playing guitar and singing. May be looking for inspiration, bringing the guitar up the hill in the desert, do not know, but it seems surreal to me to be looking for a treasure in a remote area with background music. And just when I find what I want, the music stops. Is it a mirage, or maybe I'm in a movie? Young people go, guitar in tow, and I leave the place to enjoy it without music or distractions.
The road continues downhill until you reach the valley of the tree snake. The hour of noon and the sun squeezes. The lack of vegetation makes rocks that reflect the sun's heat, and now that there is no breeze, the place looks like an oven. Now I understand why they recommend doing this early morning walk. No shadows, no animals, no breeze, no noise. Just a rocky terrain with just a few trees in the riverbed, and the sun overhead. The only movement you see is the lizard that, after observing my walk from a rock in the road, hurried away and hides under another rock.
The road leads me back to the dry riverbed, which now cuts through the hills forming the Ormiston Gorge. Eucalyptus twisted ghost clinging to rock walls, with its lime trees standing in the ocher rocks. Finally no shadows where you can relax, and soon the river begins to show ponds of water where I discover my first marsupial of this trip, a wallaby, a kangaroo species that placidly chewing grass and scratching his belly on the edge of the pond.
with water and wallabies tourists come with their picnic and their voices, breaking the magic of the place and taking me to another reality. I return to the parking lot, where just the leftovers of bread and jam which I serve as food today.
The next destination is the Redbank Gorge, another oasis in this zone. Is a less known to tourists, and its attraction is the pond in the oasis, which must be traversed in mat to get to the upper area of \u200b\u200bthe throat. It seems to me a wonderful adventure, and there I go. But I discover that the pillowcase have to carry you and the water is too cold to try to swim across the pond. Plans change and I turn to the viewpoint near where the majestic valley shown with a red eucalyptus broad river that makes the place look like an orchard of fruit rather than a dry riverbed. And accompanied, as always, solitude and silence.
Back to the hostel / motel / camping / gas station food stuffs me to dinner, that eating bread with jam after walking both very hungry. The restaurant shows Aboriginal paintings, and in my room, the room Namatjira, displayed pictures of this famous painter. Today I saw the models that inspired the artist, and have experienced some of the heat, the solitude and silence I guess I also accompanied him and inspired.
After dinner, and finish the day, I go to where I started the day, the viewpoint of Namatjira. The night is closed. There are mountains and trees, and I have not come to see the earthly landscape. At the top are shown the stars in all their splendor, no lights for miles round or moon to eclipse the subtle combinations of stars, galaxies and nebulae in the southern hemisphere. Hail to the Milky Way, and I'll hunt for distant galaxies, galaxies, where, who knows, maybe there is someone like me looking at the stars. His gaze meets mine, but we never know. Salute the mysterious alien, and I retreat to my room.
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