Bonneville Salt Flats

  Shadows in the Salt.

Don's next new hobby is racing. He wants to take his new/old car out to the Salt Flats and get it up to 130 mph. We spent the night in Wendover last night and went to the races first thing in the morning. We stayed at Peppermill Casino hotel because weeknights are cheap and they have a buffet. Casino's aren't exactly overflowing with children. I think we had the only child in the hotel. I felt like we were in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang walking the streets with a child in a land where children are banned. At the buffet we got Sean's food first and I was sitting at the table with him while Don went to get his. Sean wanted to eat but then remembered he hadn't said "the blessing". I said "go ahead and say it." He said "no, we have to wait for daddy." He then bellows to Don over at the carving station, "we have to pray." Don came back and sat down. Sean bowed his head and in his loud voice said "God is great, God is good, let us thank him for this food. AMEN." It was cuteness amongst the gamblers at the buffet. We went across the street to the park and then went to bed early so we could get up early.

We made a little camp under someones shade. The salt is cold and wet.  Next time I am bringing chairs, shade, plastic to put under a blanket and a cooler. (and Sean's bike so he can ride it)

The first thing we did was taste the salt. Guess what, it taste like salt!

When Sean first saw the flats he asked "is that snow?" I said "nope, it's salt." That of course started a series of why questions. Here's a salt ball.

We walked up the rows of cars in line to race. All the drivers were so friendly and offered to let Sean sit in their cars and get his picture taken. They all told us how fast their cars raced. That red car went over 290 mph. There was a cool yellow vehicle made out of the fuselage of a rocket. It was kind of like middle aged men gone crazy with their soap box derbies. There were people there from all over the country. We met a driver named Shawn and his wife. They were from Arkansas and their car went 150 mph. It was a Mustang.

It's really hard to show how vast these flats are. They go for as far as you can see.

Motorcycles raced too. Again, they let us take pictures on their bikes. Everyone was so friendly. People aren't racing against each other they are racing against their own times so there isn't really even competition.

A salt pedicure. To say there was salt everywhere would be an understatement. The cars had salt underneath that looked just like snow needing to be kicked off. The salt was cold even in the hot sun.

We ate at a hot dog stand called Enola Gay. The chili hot dog was delicious.

Just another shot trying to show how huge this place was. Today's races were called "the world of speed." It's kind of like a huge parking lot. You get off the road and pay to get in. Then they tell you to follow the orange cones and you just drive until you see the cars. There's a couple of tents and that is the starting line.

After watching the cars take off we drove aways to a new bunch of cars, got out and walked to "the pit." That's where the food was and where people worked on their cars. At about 11:30 Sean was getting tired and wanted to go home. He was asleep before we got off the flats. It was a fun adventure.