Okay! So I finally have a computer and can update on the hundreds of things I've done and seen since the last update...

During mid-semester break/Easter Break some friends (Caitlin, Ayla, Matt, Maxine) and I planned an extensive 10 day road trip to the middle of the outback. Sounds like a semi-long trip....but no. It was a massively intense loooooong trip. 2500 km in 10 days. Or... the equivalent of driving from NYC to LA and back to Chicago. We didn't do the math until we got back. It was long. We really didn't plan anything except for where we needed to be each day. So impromptu stops were the theme. In the end it worked out beautifully..

On Day 1 we left at about 10 am and headed towards Torquay which is a beautiful beach town near Bells Beach. We had all been there before during orientation. But this time, it was better. We stopped at Bells Beach again to watch the world-renowned Rip Curl Pro surfing competition. So exciting! Although we didn't get to see the big names like Kelly Slater, we did see the under 15's best in the world, which was really cool. We chilled out for the early afternoon, enjoyed the sun and laughed at the hilarious Aussie commentary that was happening. Before it started to get dark, we wanted to find a place to stay so we drove into Lorne which we'd stayed in during orientation as well. I was so glad to be back there because I'd loved it sooo much! We found a free campsite deep in the jungle and camped our first night under the stars.

On Day 2 we woke up early with Adelaide in mind. Little did we know, we were definitely not going to make it to Adelaide. But on the way, we spotted another koala on the Great Ocean Road at almost the same exact spot as last time. This time, it was much closer and very sleepy. It yawned a couple times, but in pictures it looked like it was ready to attack. Pretty funny. After a couple more hours of driving we saw a sign for a treetop walk, which sounded really amazing. So we went a little out of our way to see it. We found the tiny place which had WAY more people than we'd expected. We walked the trail, which had sometimes life-sized models of dinosaurs - my worst nightmare. After the freaky dinos, we made our way up to the treetops on ramps and stairs. It was sooooo high. I never realized exactly how high Eucalyptus trees grow until I was right next to the top branch. The ramps were swaying in the wind so it was time to go down. I grabbed an absolutely incredible blueberry ice cream cone and we headed toward Adelaide. We didn't quite make it though as we needed more daylight. So, we stopped in a small town, Naracoorte - Australia's tidiest town 1994. How exciting.

For Day 3 we finally made it Adelaide for Easter Sunday. We headed straight for the beach which was one of the most beautiful places I will probably ever be. We spent a couple hours watching the waves and searching for shells. It was nice to relax and take in the moment. That night we found the downtown area which was really lovely and a lot smaller than expected. We'd heard about Rundle Street so we parked our van near a park and walked. We found the street just in time for dinner. We split up because we wanted different food. So Ayla and I went for Thai and the others went for Kebabs. We met up later and found a bar to hang out at while we waited for Maxine's friend, Mike. He met us around 8 pm and we sat for about an hour, enjoying the scene. Mike heard of our lack of place to sleep so he graciously offered to let us stay at his house with his flat-mate Bridgette. We didn't want to go over empty-handed so we went on a search for a slab of beer, which was really hard to find on Easter Sunday. Matt asked a creepy guy with a ponytail at a convience store if he could sell us some and with a wink he said, "I can get you anything." It was a strange yet nice gesture so we accepted a half-slab. The whole ordeal was slightly shady but made for a good inside joke. After we were able to find Mike's house, we made our beds and hung out in the living room, watching a bizarre Japanese Animated movie and episodes of The Mighty Boosh, which is now my favorite show. We were really tired so we headed to bed around 11.

Day 4 was upon us! We left around 9 am with Flinders Ranges in mind. After several hours of driving, we finally found ourselves in the much-anticipated desert. We stopped at a stationmaster's residence which was falling apart. It made for a breath-taking photo though. We walked around inside and took in the beginning of the desert landscape. In another few hours, we made our way into the Flinders Ranges National Park where we saw kangaroos by the dozens. They didn't even twitch as we drove by and came close to the road when we got out to look at signs. We were somewhat lost as we tried to find a place to camp. But as the sun went down we had to get out to see the most amazing sunset EVER. The clouds were every color. So by the time we found our campsite it was dark, so we set up camp and boiled some lamb soup followed by S'mores. We then laid our blankets down under the stars and listened to nature for a couple hours. Then a creepy man wandered over to our site and stood up on a hill for what felt like forever. Did he not notice us?? Oh wait....he had long wavey hair and pajamas. It was Caitlin! We laughed hysterically at our ridiculousness after figuring out the stalker was our own friend. We then played some tunes on our ipods and watched the stars until it was time to go to bed. This night was our favorite night!

We woke up on Day 5 for a short hike to a lookout where we could see all of the ranges and kangaroos hopping around for miles. It was a good start to the day! After packing up yet again, we headed towards the Oodnadatta Track which is, as we later found out, renowned for eating people's tires. We saw dozens of blown tires on the side of the road but didn't think twice about it for whatever reason. We stopped to have lunch at Lake Eyre which we'd heard had water in it for the first time in years. Although that was completely untrue, the mirages made it look like it had water anyway. It was here that we also discovered the viciousness and great multitude of flies that occupy the outback. I've never seen anything like it. It's hilarious watching the videos back as the flies swarm all over the lens. After lunch we drove more of the track and made it to a 'town' called William Creek, population 2. The bar in the town is known for attracting travelers and most people that come through will leave something of theirs...driver's licenses, hats, shirts, cards, whatever. So, of course we wanted to leave something. But as Ayla came back out to get something to leave, we saw a dust storm headed for us. The bartender told us that if we didn't make it out now, it might be a whole day before it settled. We were not staying there overnight! So, we sped off, just missing the storm. We spent another 5 or so hours driving until we found an opal mining town called Coober Pedy, which was straight out of a horror movie. It's so hot and fly-infested there that a lot of people live underground. We'd heard about an underground hotel so of course we wanted to stay there. We unloaded our van, set up camp down in the cave and went on a search for food. There was one restaurant that looked okay so we stopped. Caitlin and I shared a giant pepperoni pizza which made leftovers for the next couple days. We went back to our cave (haha), and got ready for bed. I had a great night sleep because it stayed the perfect temperature and the flies were no where in sight.

On Day 6 we woke up in our caves, packed up, and left Coober Pedy for Yulara, 733 kilometers away. We passed through Marla, and Erldunda which we had to stop in for gas. At Erldunda we headed west. When we made it to Yulara we were surprised to find a full-on resort with the reddest dirt I'd ever seen. We camped out after going grocery shopping and driving out to Uluru (Ayers Rock). It was cloudy but still really amazing. It rained a little that night and we had to get up at 5 am to see the Uluru sunrise which was cloudy again.

Day 7 started out with our 'sunrise' view of Uluru. We had hoped it would be clear so we could see the famous sunrise but we really couldn't even see the sun, so we were a little disappointed. But we headed back through Erldunda and then North towards Alice Springs, which we found in just 5 short hours. After we set up camp, we ventured off towards the MacDonnell Ranges which were supposedly really cool. We found Emily's Gap, took some photos and drove a little further to a rock called Corrobborree Rock which is millions of years old. There was a pink sunset so we considered this place our Uluru. In Alice Springs we also went on a manhunt to find an ipod cord. We had been listening to the same cd's for hours and hours and were getting pretty irritated. So for 8 bucks we were saved. Here we also saw Aborigines for the first time. It was a sad situation as we could tell they were being forced into a modern existence, which they were resisting. For dinner in Alice Springs we cooked up some chicken and had baked beans. The kitchen at the site was really nice so we got to enjoy a stove for our last night before we headed back.

On Day 8 we drove 10 hours from Alice Springs, through Erldunda for the 3rd time and onward. This stop in Erldunda was very bizarre though. I first went to charge by ipod in the bathroom when I saw a large pool of water. I dropped by ipod and in taking another step, kicked it into the water. ARG! I was able to save it, but it's never been the same. But what was really strange was that there were dozens of frogs coming up the drain, and hopping around. With every flush, water came up with more frogs. Supposedly this is normal. But anyway, we kept driving until it was dark and stopped in Woomera which was a little off the highway. Right before the turn off I was looking at the map, trying to find where to stop. Ayla was driving for the first time. It was hard to see the road with the lights on. Coincidentally, for the first time the whole trip a wandering cow decided to cross the road nonchalantly. It was a close one... Signs are everywhere for wandering cattle but we'd never had a problem until now. But we found Woomera, ate, showered, camped and woke up at 5 am accidentally. The time zones had been changing by the half hour at weird times and we had no idea what time it really was.

Day 9 was another day of a ton of driving. We stopped in random towns, and finally saw water again for the first time in days. One stop we made was extra fun because there was a park with some strange swings which we took advantage of. I also saw a GIANT spider in the bathroom. Just as I was standing up, I turned and the 8-legged perpetrator was inches from my face!! It was about the size of my palm... ICK. We continued driving, passing through orchards and small towns. That night we stopped at the famous "Giant Koala" which we were expecting to be fun. But it was freaky and had red eyes. Not friendly at all. We made it to our final destination for the evening - the Grampians. We found a creepy caravan park and set up camp for the last time! For dinner we were able to get into the kitchen and cook the last of our left overs while watching some footy on tv. It was a great last night.

Our last day, Day 10 was a fun day! We drove to a town called Hall's Gap which is at the base of the Grampians, which are ranges. We found a 4.2 km hike through crevices and rock formations. The view at the pinnacle was amazing!! We made it back down quickly and had lunch as we watched a group of bees become infatuated with our van. We then left, and drove for a few hours, stopping and getting lost in Ballarat - a town that is much larger than we had anticipated. I was able to navigate us out and toward Melbourne eventually. Seeing the city was bittersweet. We were all ready to be done camping, but we had so much fun living on the road, knowing that no one knew where we were. It was a good feeling and probably the one of the best times I'll ever have.

We saw hundreds of breathtaking sights, wild animals that can only be seen in the outback, and lived several strange stores and inside jokes. It was the mother of all roadtrips..........

Hopefully you made it through that LONG tale. More to come about what's been happening lately! And pictures coming as soon as I get them from my roommates!