Be my valentine

I am in love with a rock. A massive, ancient, red rock. It’s presence, it’s soft folds and it’s crumbled edges. It’s perches for flora and fauna. It’s generosity and it’s dominance. It’s otherworldliness, it’s stillness.

We drove back to our red centre starting point, heading west after a Kings Canyon 2 day excursion. We hadn’t seen Uluru before. Well, not in real life. Every good Aussie kid grows up with a visual of the shape of the monolith imprinted in our brains from all kinds of sources. We hear stories, we have one degree of separation from someone who has been there, we know the colours from stills and moving pictures. But, oh my, the experience of seeing Uluru come into view as we reached a crest, took my breath away. My heart was touched, my hands gripped the steering wheel, exhilaration flooded my limbs and my eyes filled. I believe this is called “awe”.

We had planned to drive to our accommodation and then drive on to Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park. Huh! Not now! Drawn like moths to a flame we entered through the national park gates and with mouths agape we approached stopping now and then for an “ooh” and an “aah” or a silent moment of disbelief.

I am so grateful that we are able to travel in these times. It also means we are some of the few tourists out here. What a privilege. As we circled the rock we were one of only half a dozen cars on the road or parked. Amazing! Tomorrow we will walk around the base after a sunrise. In the meantime I had to get up close and personal with my objet d’amour, even if just for a little while.

For the past two days we have been without contact to check in with the rest of the world, so there are some lively stories and shots to share. I’ll save them for another episode. Right now I will find a glass of bubbles and toast to the magnificence of this exceptional phenomenon and an affair to remember.