Utah to Wyoming
We continued traveling on I-80 into Utah. The Bonneville Salt Flats are near the western entrance into Utah. This is an amazing site.
The actual Bonneville Raceway is located far off the highway back closer to the mountains. We did not go there. There is an observation area at the rest area near the beginning of the approximate 50 mile long section of the highway that passes through the salt flats. Here is a photo of the salt flats taken from that observation tower. All of the white area in front of the mountains is salt.
This is our trailer at the rest area. The salt is everywhere that is not covered with asphalt.
This gives you an idea of what that 50 +/- miles looked like. Pretty boring and white, huh?
There were a couple things, to break the monotony, that you won't see anywhere else.
How many times have you seen an 80 MPH speed limit? The tree with Christmas balls on it are actually microwave and communication antennas in disguise.
As we neared the eastern side of the salt flats, we saw several salt processing plants. The salt is piled so high that it towers over trucks and buildings. THAT'S A LOT OF SALT!!!
Next along our route was the Great Salt Lake. It is difficult to see because we had a very cloudy day, so everything had a blue hew, and the road is just about level with the lake, but the bluish color at the base of the mountains is the salt water lake with some areas of salt where the water has evaporated along the shore.
There is a copper smelting company along the highway west of Salt Lake City. It is so huge that it took two photos to show how big it is. The stack in each picture is the same one, just to give you a perspective.
We do not like to take I-80 through Salt Lake City because there is a very long steep hill going out to the east. Instead, we go around on the western side and north of the city to get to I-84 east then meet up with I-80 after that hill. There was a rock formation along side of I-84 that was called Devil's Slide. I think it looked like a child's slide only made of rock and very long.
Not far past this formation, on I-84, there was a dramatic change in the terrain. First there were these outcroppings. Then we went around a curve.
After we got back on I-80, we completed traversing Utah and entered Wyoming. When we got into the Green River area, the terrain changed again. Now we saw very definite layers of sediment which were white on the bottom and brown on top.
There were more tunnels to go through with many layers of rock above the tunnels.
Then, on the other side of the tunnel, we saw these formations.
Shortly after this, We arrived at our campsite for the night. We will continue traveling tomorrow.
I remember some of these sights. I was glad to have passed through there during the daylight hours. I love to wonder and speculate how things became what they are today. That "devil's slide"... don't you just wonder if it could have been used or even created by some ancient Indian civilization for something that got logs or rocks from the top of the mountain to the bottom? It looks to perfectly straight to have just been made from running water. Just makes me wonder, but not enough to pursue it. I'll check the next blog. I'm trying to catch up on your postings, because up until yesterday when I got the email, I didn't realize you had started posting.
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