Headed Down a Dirt Road, With No Road Maps
In "Everybody Has a Story," every two weeks someone threw a dart at a map of America. CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman then went wherever it stuck, flipped through the local phone book, and picked a name at random. He then did a story on someone at that house. With the help of space-age technology, Hartman goes global as he continues - "Everybody in the World has a Story."
Day 7: AYERS ROCK, Australia
After more than 3 days of air travel and layovers, we have finally arrived in Ayers Rock. Unfortunately, getting this far was relatively easy compared to what lies ahead.
We still have to get to the exact location astronaut Jeff Williams pointed to on the globe - that spot is roughly 320 kilometers southwest of Ayers Rock. There are no road maps of the area -- presumably because there are no roads in the area.
Read Steve Hartman's Travel Blogs:
Halfway Around the World in Four Days
Looking for a Story in Cordoba, Argentina
Everybody in the World Has a Story, Round 2
In hindsight, I guess we've been lucky until now. Until now, every place Commander Williams pointed to was at least accessible. Until now, every place he pointed to was at least populated.
But now, neither is certain. I don't know if I can get to this location and, even if I do, I don't know if I'll be able to find anyone there to interview. We've heard there's a dirt road that goes west into the outback. About 280 kilometers down that road there is supposedly an Aboriginal community of about 300 people
If true, it would be the closest town to where Commander Williams pointed. Our plan is to travel down that dirt road tomorrow and see what we find.
Check back with Couric and Co. for Steve's travel blogs. The rest of Steve's stories are on his "Assignment America" page.
