"BABY GOT outBACK"

Did I ever have a very special experience in the outback thanks to Brad, who had the blessings of his co-worker Sam and boss Andy, for me to come along with him to a Great Artesian Basin group meeting in Glen Helen and subsequent drive south to Adelaide.

Following are ten key highlights of the trip.

First, as a geography geek, I must provide you with a map of a few of the places we stopped along the way:

View Outback Trip - May 2009 in a larger map

Second, I have to tell you -- the rainbow we saw at Uluru was speccy!! (spectacular!!) I wish the otherwise great tour bus driver would have stopped for me to get a better shot but since he didn't, when the bus stopped I ran around the corner to get this shot of at least part of the rainbow -- the bus driver almost left without me -- but c'mon, how many times you gonna see a rainbow at this giant rock? Third, I got to sleep in a SWAG! This is like a zip up canvas coffin perched on a cot. It's quite a rig considering the lightweight tents that exist nowadays:

Fourth, we did something I love to do: swim. We swam in two springs: freezing cold Ellery Big Hole and hot and steamy Dalhousie Springs. At Ellery Big Hole, Brad inspired a guy who was chickening out of diving in. Brad just strips to his swim suit and runs right into the freezing water (I walked) and the guy was like, "Hey, if that guy can do it..." and goes in. His wife was the one who took this picture in the Big Hole:

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture at Dalhousie main spring because I was too busy floating around and not ever, ever wanting to get out of the warm spring. But I did get this picture of a nearby spring. You can see the steam rising off the water into the cold, damp air:

Brad turned the experience into a spa treatment by rubbing the mud from the pool bottom all over his chest and arms. We saw pink chested galah's, Brad's favorite bird here, sitting on low hanging branches to drink from the water. It started to drizzle (there was a constant drizzle all day the first day at Dalhousie, in fact) and we saw the individual rain drops perch on the water and then look as if they were sucked into the surface of the pool. It was very interesting to watch. Did I mention I did not want to get out?

In fact we almost didn't get out of Dalhousie because the ranger came by just as we had loaded everything up and were getting in the truck to leave and told us to stay put. Apparently if you drive on wet track (graded dirt road along much of which is appropriately named stuff called "clay pan") you will really tear up the road and may even get stuck. Brad is really good at driving on this stuff and knows all the tricks of the trade, but we stayed put and swam for another day. Oh, twist my arm!

Fifth, we saw mound springs. They get pretty high and are created by the accumulation of minerals from artesian spring water (springs that flow out of the ground all by themselves). These are probably special sites for the Aboriginal people of yesteryear (and maybe of this year) and we learned some of the symbols for springs (we saw a piece of art called "water dreaming") and sacred sights by looking through a lot of Aboriginal art for sale at Glen Helen and other places. I noticed that the symbol for water looks a lot like the symbol for sacred site, at least in the art we saw at Glen Helen. This is me, standing on a mound spring:

Sixth, we saw a crater created by a meteorite impact at Tnorala Conversation Reserve in the West MacDonnell National Park. Here is a picture of it from the side, but an aerial view on the Google map (above) is probably the best way to look at it.

The crater, 5 km across, is an Aboriginal sacred site. According to the sign at the reserve look-out, "Western Arrernte Aboriginal people believe that Tnorala was formed when a group of women danced across the sky as the Milky Way. During this dance a mother put her baby to rest in its wooden baby carrier (turna). The turna toppled over the edge of the dancing area and crashed to earth where it became the circular rock walls of Tnorala."

Seventh, speaking of Milky Way, I saw a shooting star when we were at Glen Helen. I love seeing shooting stars. I see them all the time and there is just something about them that I never get tired of. Glen Helen Resort is where the GAB meeting was held and is right along the Finke River, an impressive sandstone outcrop, and cold spring-fed pool. Brad and I were laying on the sand near the river one night when I saw it. This is what it looks like at Glen Helen: Eighth, speaking of dancing, I got to dance with Brad a couple of times and that always makes my day! The first time was at Glen Helen. The singer asked for requests and this one guy kept asking for John Denver songs but the singer didn't know any. So I asked for a waltz. He obliged on the condition, "only if you dance." So he starts playing and I go outside where Brad is talking to his boss and I don't want to bother them so I go back inside and do this exaggerated "Oh darn" snap of my fingers and sit back down to listen to the rest of the waltz. This guy in the audience who I do not know from Adam gets up a minute later and walks outside and then returns a second later... with Brad in tow!!! Can you believe it? Brad told me this guy (we both do not know him but somehow he knew which guy to get) walks up and TAKES BRAD'S BEER AWAY, sets the beer down, and says, "Come on." Brad was about to punch him before he realized what was happening. Brad ended up buying him a beer for his effort. So Brad and I got to waltz after all! Yay. The singer really liked it and thanked us for it.

The second time we got to dance was at Erldunda Road House, our first night's stop after leaving Glen Helen. They had a big juke box and I immediately asked Brad for some change so we could pick out some songs. Brad ordered a "burger with the lot" and "chips" (french fries) while I fired up the juke box. We played some country western music - like "The River" by Garth Brooks which I have liked since a 7th grade San Marcos River canoe trip and "Give a little love" by the Judds which I always karaoke - and Brad played "Just a Gigolo" by David Lee Roth which although not as danceable, had a very funny video and catchy lyrics. We also played "Starry Eyed Surprise" by Paul Oakenfold which reminded me of our wedding when our beloved friends and family were dancing in a big circle around us; I felt all warm and fuzzy inside remembering that. The jukebox music was a comforting piece of Americana:

Ninth, I saw a real live honest-to-God Australian cowboy and horse! Here, a novice cowboy is called a "jackaroo" and an experienced one is called a "ringer." Here is one we met at a cattle station on the drive from Erldunda to Dalhousie: This jackaroo, originally from England, told us that he was trained at a school in Brisbane and had been working on this cattle station about 4 weeks. He said the other jackaroos are from Scotland, Wales, and England. Instead of riding a horse, they ride dirt bikes! (You can see the bikes loaded on a "ute" or flatbed truck behind us). Hence, their cowboy boots are motorcycle boots:

At least the cowboy hat looks the same as in Texas:

The cattle station owner invited us into his home to sit down with him for tea even though this is a really busy time of year when the extreme heat subsides and they can muster the cattle. His hospitality reminded me a lot of Texas. He seemed like an exceptionally nice person, and asked Brad questions about his research and seemed genuinely interested in and, understandably, knowledgeable about the topic of groundwater. We really appreciated the time he took to sit and shoot the bull with us, so to speak.

Finally, my favorite part of the trip was getting to spend so much time discovering new people and places with my wonderful, dear husband, Dr. B. David "Dirtball" Wolaver. Brad told me about the mound springs, the cattle stations, his gravity surveying sites along the Finke River, and everything he knew from his two previous trips to the outback. He always stopped so I could collect red sand along the side of the road or take pictures. He was a great tour guide for me and I really appreciate all of the love and care he put into showing me around and taking good care of me. Thank you, love of my life, Brad!