Day 2 - Outback

Parachilna to Rawnsley Park

Happy Valentine's Day!!! Mine started out great because I got to wake up with my true love - running! This morning was the only morning we got to sleep in, so I decided to get up early and go for a run. It wa s so peaceful running in the outback. I saw a fox and dead emu! I also got to see the sunrise over the Flinder's Ranges. So wonderful to be that close with nature. I needed it after yesterday. I thought Phoenix was flat...my run this morning was the longest, flat and straight road I have ever seen! I think only 6 cars passed in the hour I ran, so it must have been rush hour.

Our first stop of the day took 2.5 hours to get to and it was all on dirt roads, so it was very bumpy and rough. The good part about driving on the back roads were all the wild animals we saw (alive!) - kangaroos, emus, eagles, wallabies and sheep (those weren't wild). FACT: Difference between wallaby and kangaroo is that wallabies are under 20kg and kangas are over 20kg. It was a very scenic route, but there wasn't much other than dry sand and half dead brush. We stopped at one lookout along the way to get a view of the rangers, but then headed to Wilipena Pound in the Flinder's Ranges. It is weird to see these mountains in the middle of the outback. The hike we did was 4km up (8 total). Luckily, Scooter let everyone do it at their own pace because it was quite steep. The mountain was only 900m and we only had to hike up 400m. I ended up pairing of with Andy (from Seattle) and we took off up the mountain. It is nice to find someone the same speed as you and we had some great conversations going up - made the climb easier. Once at the top, it was a beautiful view. The mountain range is only 17km long and 8km wide with a valley (Wilipena Pound) in the middle. It was awesome up top seeing all the other mountains surrounding the area. Apparently, when flying over it looks as if a crater hit the area (because of its shape).

After the hike, we had lunch. I feel bad for Scooter because people are starting to complain about the food and it is only the 2nd day. This is an outback tour, what do they expect!!!

Our accomodation tonight is at a sheep station - Rawnsley Park - that turned the old ranch hand barracks into a caravan park. It is in the middle of no where and it hot! It seems as if the mornings are windy and a bit cool, but the hottest part of the day is from 1-6pm. When we got here, some people went swimming. I explored the area and walked some more. It was great because I saw some kangaroos along the way - I was just glad they didn't attack since I was alone.