Back at Alice Springs, didn't blog at Uluru because I was on the go, on tour, sleeping or something or other.  Had a good time, except for the expense I could have stayed a week there to see and do all there is available.  Got there Monday afternoon about three, got quickly settled, registered for the Outback Southern Skies experience after dark, ate, walked around, and really liked the astronomer he really knew his stars, planets, and and was so interesting!  Saw the rings of Saturn, the moon's of Jupiter, Mars, double stars orbiting one another, and he showed the effects of too much atmosphere by aiming one telescope at a star just above the horizon.  The atmosphere distorted the light waves from the star into multicolored flickering, blinking light, pretty, interesting.  Also saw the southern cross, and the false southern cross.  Saw more but that's what impressed me, and what I remember most.  Up at 4:45 am to get on the bus for the sunrise viewing of Uluru....  was pretty, after a little while, the 10 or so busses full of tourists spread out and I got some nice pics.  It glows red-orange.  We learned a lot of geology, Aboriginal lore about their beliefs about the rock Uluru, history of tourism here...  walked a gorge in (tarki .....) all pamphlets in luggage so can't spit out the name properly but  it is another holy site to the native folks, some miles away, again with a lot of lore...  all the way the guide is telling us stories, and some of the aboriginal beliefs...  the Australian government after a century of protests... gave back ownership of Uluru, and related areas to that clan of the aboriginal folks, and they signed a ninty nine year lease with the government to allow tourism, but under the rules established with compromises made by both sides by a board of directors of twelve people, four Aboriginal women, four Aboriginal men, the government parks minister, a tourism expert, and a geologist.  So the aboriginal folks really control what goes on in the park.  One main contentious item is the continuing practice of allowing tourists to climb the rock.  But the numbers are declining year by year and they hope that soon they can prohibit the climbing of their sacred site.  Saw the climbers strung along the ridge line, a long thin line of ant sized people snaking up the rock, and a good number on their butts, carefully trying to not slide down the steep ridge line uncontrollably, for these folks the climb proved to be too steep for them.  Some parts of the ridge line are pretty steep.  Had less than three hours before my sunset tour began, so grabbed a sandwich, changed some USA dollars for Aussie dollars, and mailed a bunch of pamphlets and books home, then had to hussel for the sunset tour which included another walk on the other side of Uluru to see more ancient cliff wall paintings,and under a cliff over hang, a water hole at the base of the rock wall.  Went to the cultural center viewed their displays, much of which the guides had relayed to us already.  Then to a tourist bus restricted location in front of the west side of Uluru for the sunset display.  While waiting for that the tour company had wines, beers, pop, and Aussie lemonade which in America we call sprite, plus cheese, crackers, and dips.  Nice end to the tour.  And like the sunrise on Uluru the sunset made the orange.reds more dramatic.  Was surprised how quickly the sun move from full light to twilight to pitch dark.  bet it wasn't fifteen minutes.  got back to the resort about 7:30 or 8 pm, and was still too stuffed to have dinner from the canapes.  So just got my luggage together for the two plane trips to Melbourne in the morning.

sky just at sunrise, Uluru, the other spiritual site for the aboriginal folks, and one of the walks we took at the second site (when I get to the pamphlets I'll fill in the proper name for the second site.).  It and uluru are the only high rocks, or hills in the flat Outback of central Australia, with the exception of some basically east. west ridges in the outbacks flatland.