Birds Eye View

As I looked out the tiny window I was surprised to see lush, green hills surrounding Adelaide. In less than a month the rains had worked their magic and brought the land back to life.  As the airplane traveled northward I tried to settle back into my seat, but I couldn't resist an occasional peek out the window.  It was easy to visualize the land that passed thousands of feet below us--the green wheat fields, the undulating hills of the Flinders Ranges, and the wide open spaces.  It didn't take long for me to spot what I was looking for--Lake Eyre.  The great salt bed glistened in the sunlight.  As we followed its western lakeshore towards the northern lake the sparkling white sands slowly turned blue.  I knew that this was not a mirage.  The summer rains of the north had been plentiful and the normally dry lake bed was slowly filling with water.  Oh how I wished that the plane could swoop lower and allow us a closer view of this spectacular sight.  But even from my distant seat I was able to catch a glimpse of some of the great inland rivers that were bringing water and life to the normally dry and barren landscape--a sight to behold.
As we left the lake behind us I marveled at the multi-hued land below us.  The browns, yellows, whites, greens and reds indicated we were passing over the painted desert.  I searched the horizon for Coober Pedy, but was unable to spot the Opal Capital of the world.  As we continued to cross the continent Mother Nature changed her kaleidoscopic pallet for the vibrant red that defines Australia.  It was here that I had to turn from personal knowledge to imagination.  I was unfamiliar with what lay beyond the red center.  I had read about and heard stories of the top end, but I had yet to experience the tropics of Australia.  As I closed my eyes for the remainder of the trip visions of our visits to Costa Rica and Puerto Rico filled my mind.   I couldn't help but wonder how they would compare to what Northern Australia has to offer.