Postcard sent from Australia, from me to my family, 1991.
Transcription: Hi everybody! I'm in the middle of nowhere, looking at this big, red rock! It's a bit over a mile long! I climbed up half-way - gave up! Too steep! Of course, all four of the guys I'm currently traveling with made it - they're not teasing me too badly about quitting! It's HOT, DRY and RED here - never thought I'd actually WISH for humidity again! "Hi" to all - love and miss you - Laura
Commentary, 2nd January 2012: Postcard sent to my family from me from Ayers Rock, Australia, in late 1991. Not sure of exact date, and the postmark is faded too much to read. This might have been sent in early 1992, actually - but posting it with date of 1st December 1991 for now.
What I don't mention in the postcard is why I gave up half-way up the rock. As I was slowly slogging my way up the rock, a group of drunk tourists came racing and barreling up the rock, and two of them accidentally knocked me over. I slid about 30 feet down the rock, causing some pretty severe road-rash (well, in this case, rock-rash!) along the outside of my left leg. I was so pissed because the drunks just kept on racing up the rock; they didn't stop and help me up, or even just wave at me and say oops, sorry about that! or anything! I slowly limped my way back down the rock, bleeding all along the left side of my leg, with some more blood oozing out of the outer upper left arm where I had some minor road rash. The guys I was traveling with had our very limited and precious water, so I had no water to try to clean my wounds out with me. I painfully made my way back to the base of the rock, where an elderly couple in a camper helped me clean the dust, dirt, and gravel out of my wounds. The lady was so nice, she even gave me a clean pair of socks and insisted I throw away the ones I had on, which were now quite bloody.
