About the Salt Flats
In northwestern Utah, the Bonneville Salt Flats draw racers and fans from around the world. This surreal white expanse stretches about 12 miles long and 5 miles wide across more than 30,000 acres, giving speed seekers the wide-open runway they need to chase land speed records in the vehicles they choose.
We planned our visit around the Bonneville Speed Week, eager to watch the action, but Mother Nature changed the script. Rain soaked the flats before the event, and organizers canceled the race once the salt turned too wet and soft for safe driving. Oh well—que sera, sera.
Since Salt Lake City had already put us within striking distance, we headed for the Salt Flats anyway. After all, who knows when we’ll find ourselves this close again? As we drove west toward the Nevada border, the landscape quickly opened into a bright, otherworldly sweep of salt. Before long, we passed the Morton Salt processing plant, where heaps of raw salt rose like white dunes and thousands of 50-pound bags stood ready for the road.
Since Salt Lake City had already put us within striking distance, we headed for Bonneville anyway. After all, who knows when we’ll find ourselves this close again?
As we drove west toward the Nevada border, the landscape quickly opened into a bright, otherworldly sweep of salt. Before long, we passed the Morton Salt processing plant, where heaps of raw salt rose like white dunes and thousands of 50-pound bags stood ready for the road.
Soon, salt stretched to the horizon on both sides of I-80, turning the drive into a bright white passage across another world. The red arrow on the left side of the map marks the speedway, though the map makes the trip look shorter than it felt. We drove about two hours from Salt Lake City before the Bonneville Salt Flats finally opened around us.
With the Bonneville Speed Week races canceled, the place offered little action, but curiosity still pulled us forward. We followed the road to its end, right where the speedway begins, and found the Bonneville Salt Flats in their purest form: salt, sky, and silence.
At first, we hesitated to take Romin out onto the salt because the soft surface looked ready to swallow us up. Then we watched a few cars and trucks zip across the flats, and our courage caught up with our curiosity.
Coming from the northern United States, we know the strange feeling of walking across frozen lakes and ponds while keeping one eye on every crack in the ice. The wet salt bed played the same trick on my brain. It gleamed like a frozen lake, cracks and all. I needed a few minutes to convince myself that my feet stood on solid ground instead of thin ice.
We cruised across the Salt Flats for a while, searching for the perfect spot. Then we saw a shallow pool of standing water that mirrored Romin so clearly that the scene looked almost staged. Pete grabbed the camera and took some shots while Lori kept Romin company. Eventually, the salt crust on Romin reminded us that adventure comes with cleanup, so we headed for town and treated Romin to a much-needed car wash.
All-in-all, it was a fun day at Bonneville. Would we have liked to see some racing? Of course, but you make the most of what the universe sends you and have fun in the process.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time – Much love,
Romin, Pete, & Lori
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