The Outback. Not much here but desert and hot temperatures. And Alice Springs which is practically in the center of Australia. Alice is an outpost for those who want to travel to either King’s Canyon or Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to see Ayers Rock, a 3.6 kilometer long and 350 meter high rock rising from the desert.

I chose to go to King’s Canyon and spent a day with four Aussies from the Melbourne area. We had a great time hiking along the rim of the canyon and taking a dip in a swimming hole. The Canyon reminds me of Zion National Park in Southern Utah, one of favorite places in the world. The greenery against the sandstone and beautiful blue skies brought back some memories of spending a week in Zion six years ago.

It was quite warm during our hike--in the 90s--but it was a dry heat and there was a nice breeze that helped cool us off some and kept some of the pesky flies off of us. Our guide told us that the area received a lot of rain in November and December and that it’s the greenest it’s been in 50 years. King’s Canyon is about 300 miles southwest of Alice Springs.

Next: Tasmania

              Follow your heart and you will fulfill your life’s purpose.

                                  -- Richard A. Singer, Jr.