12 Good Samaritans 6 June 2011

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On our last day in Alice we visited the Old Gaol and the Pioneer Women’s Exhibition. Then we went to Desert Dwellers which is a great camping shop and equipment. Back to Overlanders for another large steak dinner.
We moved the next day to Glen Helen Resort 130km west of Alice Springs. Its quite low standard. Not well organized, and not that clean. But we have our own fireplace. Which we need as its still very cold 0 deg at night. The west MacDonnell ranges are split by about 5 gorges or chasms. The most impressive of these is Standley and Ormiston. There is also the Ochre Pits which are geologically amazing. Layers & layers of red, white and yellow ochre sediment laid down over millions of years and then tipped up 90 deg. Had dinner out of our new frying pan again, and then some Sth Africans borrowed it for theirs! Next day took a helicopter flight which showed the upheavals that created the MacDonnell ranges. Well worth the money.
That night we went to dinner at the “resort” and a guitar/fiddle/mandolin player/singer afterwards.
4 June Saturday – Good Samaritan Day. Left Glen Helen at 10.15 the next morning to go to Kings Canyon, 232km mostly gravel around the Mereenie Loop Road. (Otherwise over 600km on the seal!). All Ok for 100km, then a puncture. Rock right through the tread. Then couldn’t access the spare. Needed a special tool, which we couldn’t find. See page 230 of the manual. So we tried with two plugs in the split (helped by our 1st Samaritans), and followed up with a can of tyre weld. Success! But we had munted the sidewall by running flat on the gravel, so couldn’t put much more than 20 psi in. So try 20kmh – OK. Up it to 30 – 35 kmh. Ok. Off we went, through road works and corrugations and arrived at Kings Canyon at 6.45pm. In the meantime, our 2nd Samaritans had gone on to KC, borrowed a spare tyre and brought it out. But it was 6 stud and we have 5. Anyway arrived in the dark, set up, baked beans & cheese on toast, red wine and bed.
Next morning, Don and about 6 more Toyota Samaritans tried to remove the spare wheel. It’s hung under the back of the car on a chain which is normally wound up and down by the jack handle. In our case we needed a special doofer (tool) to do it. We didn’t have one. 3 other Toyota Sahara’s had the tool, but it wouldn’t fit anyway. Security coded! One had owned his for 6 years and always wondered what it was for. Finally – deflate the spare, jack up the rim hard against the chassis and turn the cross bar and success.
The camp custodian, Travis, Samaritan no 9, had some tyres, but couldn’t match the Dunlop Grantreks 285 we had on. But the spare was a new Bridgestone 275, and he could match that. So we now have 285’s on the front and 275’s on the back. The consensus of the 7 Samaritans was that provided the circumference of the tyres was the same, we’d be Ok. The crowd dispersed to check their own cars and so did the Nissan owners who had gathered around. Finally, with the spare off, Travis and I went underneath and worked out we could remove the security doofer receiver and then the jack handle would fit. Wonderful!! We had dinner with no 2 Louise & John, but they absolutely refused to let us pay for them, so we are looking to pass the good turn on.
Next morning, Monday we fitted the new tyre and the spare and went for a bike ride. Rode 10km to the actual Canyon, and did the valley walk and cycled back. Good for us. Fielded questions all afternoon about Toyota spare tyres and the condition of the Mereenie Loop Road. After dinner, the dingoes arrived and strolled casually through the park. They didn’t seem nervous unlike us. It started to rain just as we went to bed.

P n D
7 June 2011

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Photos

Glen Helen Fireplace
Note the warm sunny desert clothing

Standley Chasm
The sun only shines at midday

Ochre pits
Good for drawing and painting, but "sacred"

Testing day
Puncture, plus "pumpo it up"

Kings Canyon Dingo
Not in the brochure, unafraid at any time

Comments

[Craig]

Camping in style
Sounds like a real adventure! I also noticed the stylish boiling jug on the camp fire and a (no doubt fantastic) bottle of red nicely placed on the rock.... trust you two!