Sunday July 2nd 2017

The summer heat is arriving in this area. The temperature made it up to ninety six today and it is only going to get higher. Even the higher elevations are getting ninety degree temperatures. I haven’t been in this level of heat since March in Arizona and April in Las Vegas. During May and June I’ve been in northern states at altitude. There is a desire to stay in air conditioned comfort, but once you get out in the heat it’s tolerable so far.

Salt flats and mountains in the background through the heat rising off the surface.

I hung out in the air conditioning this morning, but in the afternoon I went out to explore the Bonneville Salt flats area. I took Interstate 80 east toward Salt Lake City. The rest areas on each side of the interstate are some of the better places to view the salt flats. The east bound side even has an observation tower to see across the Interstate to the area the speed records are set. The interstate is built straight and flat across the salt flats on two strips of gravel about 4 feet higher than the salt flats. It is over 40 miles across the flats on the Interstate. I know because I had to go that far before I could reverse direction on the Interstate and I hadn’t filled my gas tank before leaving Wendover.

Car and driver out on the salt flat. It was driving fast to get out there.

The wide expanse of white is impressive. The hard flat surface is covered in crystallized salt. There are areas that are covered with water and areas that have been drained by digging drainage canals. The water covering during the wet season helps keep the area flat. People who walk out onto the surface of the salt flat need to rinse off their shoes. It really seems to stick. Similarly, cars out on the salt flat pick up more salt than a car in the north would over an entire winter. They need to be washed well after being driven on the salt flat.

That isn’t sand. It’s salt. 

There were two or three groups of people that had their cars out on the salt flat. I think they were all trying to set their own speed records. I wouldn’t want to risk it. With my luck I’d find the only pot hole on the flat so I could say the flat caused a flat.

At the campground this evening travelers arrived to fill the sites around me. Each new arrival turned their air conditioners on and the electrical system couldn’t take it. We blew the master breakers for the B row of sites twice. The electrician on call indicated that he needed to obtain and replace the master breaker. Hopefully, he will do that soon since the forecast is for the temperature to rise.