Rolling the bike out of the garage, I glance up and do a double-take at the heavily overcast sky that threatens rain.  Hmmm, I wasn't expecting that this morning in the desert.

 Riding through the still quiet streets of Alice Springs, I suddenly realize why I feel so comfortable here - it's just like Moab, Utah.  Both Moab and Alice are welcome oasises in the middle of the desert.  Both have the same red clay and red sandstone cliffs surrounding the towns, and both are jumping off spots for desert recreation.  Unlike Moab however, Alice has a pleasant pedestrian mall that provides a respite from the bustle and noise of the traffic.

 I pull my thoughts back from how I can single-handedly improve Moab to the task at hand.  I have to cover the 460 kms from Alice to Ayer's Rock (Uluru) quickly enough so that I have enough time to do some hiking around "the Rock" this afternoon.

 What's this on my left?!  Why, it's the sun, peeking over the red cliffs, between the clouds.  "Good morning, world!" it seems to say to me.

 But the sun isn't my companion for long on this morning.  Soon it's drizzling, now it's a steady rain.  I laugh inside my damp helmet.  Is this the same sweltering desert through which I was riding just a few days ago?  How quickly things change in Australia! 

 I would have expected the dry desert to quickly soak up the moisture.  Instead, the rain is puddling on the ground, forming smaller and larger pools all around me.  Even the dry sandy creek beds which I would have sworn never see water are beginning to flow.

 Amidst shivers and furtive glances at the sky, I decide this isn't just a passing shower.  I pull over to put on my rain jacket and gloves.  Now properly attired, I pull back onto the open two lane road, and see the familiar Northern Territory street sign - a 0 with a slash through it.  What a foreign but welcome concept to have no speed limits on these open roads!  However, today's weather and the unpredictable 'roos act as a natural speed limiter.  I set my speed and 110 km/hour and continue south. 

 I think to myself that if I continue south I'll soon reach the Indian Ocean, and then with my paddle tires I could continue across the water to Antarctica!

 But I don't continue south today.  Soon I reach the turn for the Lasseter Highway and turn west towards Ayer's Rock.  A quick gas stop at the intersection and I grimace at the cost for petrol - $1.28 - per liter!  I'm glad I'm not traveling in a gas-guzzling caravan, like the countless ones I pass each day!

 Happily the rain has lessened and stopped, and the sun has rejoined me.  And to make things even brighter, the wind, which has been buffeting me all morning, is now at my back - a tailwind resulting in one of those smooth, quiet rides that I dream about!

 The twisty road leads towards the horizon, with views of occasional huge red mesas.  Soon I catch glimpses of Ayer's Rock through the scrub and hills.  Ayer's is supposed to be the largest monolith in the world, and it looks oddly out of place as it thrusts up from the bush.  It looks huge, all alone on the horizon!

 All too soon I pull into Yulara - the unnatural resort built to service the hoards of tourists that come to visit Uluru and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas).  I inquire about a campsite and am happily surprised to find that they're only $12 per night.  I pitch my tent on a grassy lawn and change from my riding gear into my hiking gear.  It's shortly after noon, and I have just enough time to climb the Rock before sunset!

 Next - Story's aborted, then successful assault on the Rock!