Heat, dust, flies and clear blue skies greeted us as we arrived in Alice after a very bumpy and demanding crossing from Boulia on the Plenty. I must admit to being surprised when Vinnie suggested we get a cabin for our four night stay, but I didn't protest! The plan was for each of our fellow travellers to do their own thing whilst here because this was our second visit and we needed to see a few different sights.

The Harrisons took off towards the West MacDonnell ranges on day 2, and in their usual holiday style, filled every moment, even managing a gourmet dinner at Glen Helen Resort although they assured us they slept in their camper! Rob and Jan caught up with friends and organised for one of their mates to give us some training in crossing sand dunes, more about that later.

We explored the East MacDonnell Ranges and the next day went to the Santa Teresa Mission to meet with some of the residents and get some sense of what happens in a religious-run dry community. It was interesting to say the least. Sister Liz, a Good Samaritan nun, has been a resident for five years and is very proud of the efforts of the women there who produce the most beautiful silk scarves, crosses and other items. The women were very shy and were deep in concentration when we visited. Each artist receives all the income from her work, keeping 25% to buy paints and materials. The parish provides the venue and electricity. I could have spent hundreds but space in the car is at a premium!

We then travelled the 80km back to Alice to meet up with Jim who was going to instruct us in the intricacies of sand dune climbing. Aaahh, what a buzz! "Go on Jul, you go first you can do it!" encourages Vinnie. Well I thought my heart would jump out of my chest, talk about take me out of my comfort zone, but yes, I did it, oh the adrenolin rush! We learned about tyre pressure, yes, tyres again, and steering. It made us all think about our planned crossing of the Simpson and how tricky it could be. Vince was worried about fuel consumption because when we checked it on the car computer it registered 40L/100km!! Holy Dooley, at that rate we wouldn't have enough fuel to get to Birdsville! He spent the next night tossing and turning thinking up alternative plans until good old Steve offered to carry an extra 20L. That's what friends are for (someone wrote a song about that once).

Steve & Steph, Rob & Jan then headed off to Chamber's Pillars and a bush camp. To Steph's dismay we discovered we couldn't take fruit & vegetables into South Australia after she had done the shopping!

Our last day was spent stocking up on food & fuel and examining some sacred sights with rock carvings. I suspect we won't have signal for quite some time now, perhaps a week, until we get to Birdsville but I'm sure I'll have some stories to tell about camping in the desert. 33C during the day at present and about 5C at night, huge variations. Ah well, I did marry an adventurer....Looking forward to the Birdsville races and catching up with Dave & Leonie.