Circles of force
Day: 197 Stage three / total expedition days 588
Sunrise:
05:24
Sunset:
18:49
As the crow flies:
20,4
Daily kilometers:
26
Total kilometers:
5935 km
Temperature - Day (maximum):
42.3° degrees, sun approx. 66°
Temperature - Night:
23° degrees
Pelican Creek Camp – 11/29/2002
It’s a terribly hot night. It’s 35 degrees in the small hut until 1:00 am. For just a few moments, the thermometer drops to a low of 23° degrees, until another hot wind warms it up again to just under 30° degrees. While Tanja rests soundly, I toss and turn sleeplessly in the monkey heat. Tired, I get up and stagger into the bathroom to hold my towel under the tap. Then I lie back down on the hot mattress, which immediately sticks uncomfortably to my sweating body, and put the wet towel over my chest and stomach. At least it gives me enough cooling and relief to fall into a restless sleep for a few hours.
We say goodbye to our generous hosts shortly after 6:00 in the morning. “If the camel sale works out, we’ll be back. We can’t leave your dinosaur sleeping in the creek bed forever,” I say to Terry and give the command to set off.
After about 10 kilometers we reach the narrow asphalt strip that leads us to the small village of Aramac. It’s a hot day, far too hot to be out here walking with six camels. Nevertheless, we make good progress and are in high spirits. Although the coast is still around 600 kilometers away, we have the feeling that we are close to our destination. On the other hand, we are aware that there are other unforeseen hurdles that we have to overcome. It would be a mistake to take the next six weeks lightly, but it is also a mistake to worry about events that we don’t even know yet.
On the outskirts of Aramac, a few people wave to us. We stop briefly to talk to them. Then continue in a north-easterly direction. A driver stops his jeep next to us. Like many others we meet, he speaks to us as if he has known us for a long time. Thanks to the many radio interviews over the last few months, we meet people here who have heard about our trip for a long time. “You know you’ll be crossing Heart Leaf Land in a few kilometers? When I come back later, I’ll bring you a plant. Then you’ll have a chance to see it and be better prepared. However, you should be safe near this track for the next few days. Before I go, I’d like to tell you that there are some camels within a few kilometers. I heard that wild camels can be dangerous for you?” “Thank you for the information, but wild bulls are only a danger during the rutting season. Now they are most likely to run away at the sight of us,” I reply.
It doesn’t take long before two cars stop again. These passengers also already know a lot about the Red Earth Expedition, so we don’t have to tell them much. “We’re going to the power circles. Are you going to look for them too?” one of the corpulent ladies asks us. “Circles of power? What circles of power?” I ask. “There are a few man-made stone circles nearby. If you enter them, they are said to give you strength and energy.” “Sounds interesting. Who built these power circles? Was it the Aborigines?” I would like to know. “No, they were Americans. They are only about 15 years old. As far as we know, there is one of these stone circles in America, one in Japan and this one here. They are supposed to form a triangle of power and are erected in very special places. I’ll put a few twigs on the side of the road for you to mark them. Then you can find them too,’ the woman offers.
