We left Alice Springs on the 14th after doing much shopping and washing and headed for Glen Helen in the West MacDonnell ranges.  We camped at the resort which is in a rather picturesque spot looking across water at an amazing red cliff face.  After dinner we went over to the resort and listened to the singer.  He is also a photographer for Australian Geographic and has beautiful photos of the centre playing on the TV behind him.  Worth going just to see the photos although we enjoyed  the music as well.  The next day our first port of call was Red Bank Gorge.  About a half hour rocky walk into this spectacular chasm. Next stop, Roma Gorge.  This required an 81/2 km drive along the Davenport river bed.  Very slow over river stones but attractive with lots ghost gums growing in the river bed.  Roma Gorge is a very special place, a beautiful gorge with an aura of peace and history.  We found many ancient (6,800 years old) aboriginal petroglyphs.   Well worth the trip in.  Later we visited Tylers Lookout which has 360 deg. views of the surrounding countryside.  Our last destination was Gosse Bluff Reserve.  140 million years ago a 1km wide comet crashed into the earth and caused huge devastation for hundreds af years.  A fascinating place.  The circular crater is surrounded by rugged rocky hills that are the remains of the enormous amounts of debris thrown up by the impact. 
Today was our 51st wedding anniversary and tonight we had a lovely dinner in the resort.  The equal of any restaurant in Melbourne.  During the day we went first to Serpentine Gorge, another stunning gorge with lovely refections in the pool at the entrance to the gorge.  The remainder of the day we spent at Ormiston Gorge, a truly spectacular place.  After lunch we did the Ghost Gum walk which finishes by coming back along the gorge floor where there are lots of large boulders to clambered over.  Boulders in an array of unusual colours, mauves, purples, pinks, cream, smooth and shiny.  Such a contrast to the sheer deep red rocky walls of the gorge.. One gets a real feel for how ancient Australia is. 
We had an enormous stroke of luck.  When we left Alice the last thing Bill did was fill a water tank.  Unfortunately, without realising it, he left the cap and bunch of keys on the back bumper of the van.  We drove into Serpentine Gorge on our way to Glen Helen but didn't stop as there was nowhere to park our big rig.  Two days later, when we returned to Serpentine Gorge, as we began the walk we noticed a water cap and keys on a picnic table.  Thought "oh, the poor peoople, they will be upset to lose those". A couple of hundred metres down the track Bill suddenly said, "I have an awful feeling those keys look familiar", so he ran back and sure enough they were ours!  We didn't even know they were missing! as we hadn't needed those particular keys.. It turns out that a ranger had found them and put them on the table hoping someone would claim them.  Can't believe they sat on the bumper for more than 100 kms or that no one else had acquired them for two days. We made a speccial trip back to the ranger station to thank him. Decided that was the best 51st anniversary present we could have had.  Back in Alice now having the truck serviced etc. before the next leg of our trip.  Planning on going back east via the Plenty Hwy.  so should be in Boulia about Friday.

Sunset on the cliff at Glen H

Rocks, Ormiston Gorge

Water on the way to Newhaven