Monday, 10/29 Curtain Springs Roadhouse to Kings Canyon Resort

     That morning at the roadhouse I recognized a man and his son we had seen twice before in Oz. The first time was at the Wilpena Pound campground in the Flinders Range in the middle of October, then again at Coober Pedy on the 24^th. Not that surprising I suppose since there are only so many ways to get around the sights of the outback, but still. We talked for awhile, then we left, headed to Kings Canyon.

     It was late enough in the afternoon that we didn't want to do the 3 hour rim walk around the top of the canyon, so we chose two shorter walks instead. The first took us to Katherine Springs, a green oasis in the arid land.

Katherine Springs

We haven't seen this much green in awhile

     Then we walked into Kings Canyon itself. The Aussie definition of canyon is different than ours. In the US you expect a long winding river cutting a deep groove through the land, with towering cliffs along the river's banks. Kings Canyon is more like a gorge that cuts through a mountain, draining from the higher side to the lower. KC isn't any more than 10 km long. That's long for a gorge, but in canyon terms, quite a shorty.

Kings Canyon from the inside

     We checked into the Kings Canyon resort and made lamb curry in the camp kitchen. We shared the facilities with a young German couple, Jorg and Britta, and we immediately hit it off. We ate dinner at a table near the kitchen, and another couple came over to chat, Paul, an American architect, and his German wife Christa. The six of us talked until 11 pm, quite late for us.