Picture of the Moment - Uluru as it Normally Is

Okay, it's not normally cloudy at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and I didn't capture the brilliant hues of sunrise or sunset, when the big monolith lights up like fire. But that's why I like this pedestrian picture of one of the world's iconic places, it's my memory.

So what if it's not calendar-worthy? This is my Uluru. And, it's hard to find commercial photography of the place that captures the typical terra cotta palette like this. Everyone is looking for the money shot. But even on an overcast day it rises from the vast desert plain like a supernatural sentinel.

Do you cherish an equally humdrum photo of a special place you visited?

Photo Essay - Valley of the Winds Walk at Kata Tjuta

There's another whole aspect of the Red Centre in central Australia besides the iconic Ayer's Rock. The name Kata Tjuta may not have the musical quality of Uluru, and even the English designation, "Olgas," is suggestive of an ugly stepmother. The Pitjantjatjara phrase Kata Tjuta means "many heads," and there are 36 of these steep domes of bald rock an hour's drive west of Uluru, in Australia's Northern Territory.

But the Valley of the Winds loop walk (7.4 km) at Kata Tjuta is an equally spectacular alternative to Uluru, without the crowds. It should not be missed by any visitor to this jewel of Australia blessed with the physical capability. We went on one of only a handful of overcast days in any given year, but the site of monolithic domes shrouded in morning mist is its own unique experience.