Long Ride - Days 9 & 10 - Uluru

Days 9 & 10 of the Long Ride 2014 were more or less rest days, especially after the night of the final dinner at Uluru (meeting place, in indigenous language).

The dinner was a fantastic affair with around 350 riders all getting together to celebrate the ride and what it achieved.

Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, National Chairman, David Sandoe OAM made a passionate speech around men's health and prostate cancer which gave some indication to how important it is that events like the Long Ride take place.

This speech was then followed by Warren Snowdon MP, who again made an impassioned plea for men to take better care of themselves.  Unfortunately, a number of riders felt his speech spent to much time talking about the role the Australian Defence Force plays in the Long Ride.  I too felt that their efforts were over stated, especially considering they are paid to do the event and as a combined effort do very little to address men's health amongst the civilian community.

Regardless, the night was a rounding success and highlighted what the ride had achieved.  At the time almost $300,000 had been raised, of which over $11,000 came from the support you have given me.

This was recognised by Chris Dunne, founder of the Long Ride, who made mention of the effort put in fore us to get to the end of the ride after my accident.  This was extremely humbling, but was really a team effort.

The night continued at the Outback Pioneer pub with a few more drinks and laughs.

I think the night and the effort to get there took it's toll on me as the next day was pretty much spent asleep.  I'd wake in a little pain, take some pain killers and then go straight back to sleep.  All of the plans to explore the region had gone along with my bike on some dirt track in Queensland.

Kata Tjuta, first thing in the morning.

The great news was that the Long Ride again got decent coverage on Channel Seven's Sunrise Programme.  It featured a number of riders and got a great reception with most riders.  A few criticised Channel Seven and the media manager of Yulara, mostly because they weren't able to get on TV.  It's a little disappointing that they have taken the attitude they have, as this is the best media coverage the Long Ride has ever received.

Day 10 was much better.  The days started at 5am to see the sun rise over Kata Tjuta (The Olgas).  It was an inspiring site and in many ways one that I thought was better than Uluru (Ayers Rock).  This lead to a walk into a gorge which was equally as inspiring.

Just one of the dones.

Kata Tjuta are a collection of 36 domes that are made of a composite of different rock cemented by sandstone.  The formation is amazing, and even more so when you realise that the highest dome is almost 200 metres higher than Uluru.  

After Kata Tjuta we drove to the Uluru Cultural Centre and learnt the local history of Ayers Rock.  The indigenous history is fascinating and you can actually see how the legends have come about.

Love Bus enroute to the 'rock'

From here we drove around the rock and visited some of the more famous areas. I remember some of these from a school trip in the mid-1980's but didn't realise how steep the rock was when we climbed it back then - no wonder it is closed on hot days now, and besides the local custodians of the area prefer tourists not to climb it, I wouldn't have out of respect.

OMG that climb is steep.

The funny thing with Uluru is that it creates a very strange optical illusion.  From a distance is looks massive, and then as you get closer it seems to become surprisingly small.  Then as you approach close enough to touch it becomes a giant amongst the insignificant.  Many people say they have a spiritual experience when visiting Uluru, I wouldn't go that far but can understand why people feel that way.

One of the many views at Uluru.

The day finished with a dinner at the Sounds of Silence.  An experience I would recommend too anyone.  We watched the sun set behind Kata Tjuta and cast it's glow over Uluru, as a train of camels stopped nearby.  The grunts and groans of the animals added a great atmosphere to the show.

Sunset over Kata Tjuta

The dinner was just as impressive with a meal consisting of a number of local food sources as we listened to stories of aboriginal culture and then that of the night sky.  It was a great way to finish the stay at Uluru.