COLORADO TRIP - 2001

9/1/01 (Saturday) - Salt Lake City, Utah to Elko Nevada

We left Salt Lake City this morning at about 9 am.  After driving a few miles we stopped to look at the Great Salt Lake.  We stopped at a beach/casino area that is now just a ghost town.  Maybe 50 years ago it was at its prime, but with the recession of the lake there is no activity there anymore and the place is completely shut down.  Took a few pictures and then left, and drove about 15 to 20 miles along the edge of the Great Salt Lake.

 
Yoshiko is gazing out at the great salt lake. The waters have receeded from the beach in the last 50 years. The paddle wheel gift shop was closed, like a ghost of the past.

Later on we came to the salt flats. Over 30 minutes of driving and it was all flat sea bed.  Finally we came to the famous Bonneville Salt Flats.  It was really neat.  We saw a marker sign posted there in 1972 that indicated the current speed record of 622+ mph.  The first speed record set there in 1934 (I think) by Malcomb Campbell was about 322 mph (I think).  Please don't hold me to these numbers.

 
The Bonnevile Salt Flats were an impressive site. The famous measured mile used for the world record speed runs is 7 miles off in the distance

I don't know what the current speed record is now, but I know there has been efforts to reach over 800 mph.  Impressive.

We had a rather boring (& therefore, tiring) drive to Elko, NV where we stopped for the day.  Tomorrow we will drive 300 miles to Boomtown, NV, gas up with the last cheap gas before California, maybe pig out on the lobster buffet, and empty all our holding tanks before heading down the home stretch on Monday.