Greetings from Salt Lake City
We made it a little farther east, across Nevada on I-80 to Salt Lake City. I-80 turned out to be a more scenic and interesting drive than we expected.
We made a brief stopover in Battle Mountain for lunch/breakfast (Donna's Diner has been closed for a while, but the Owl Club was pretty good) and a fuel/rest stop at Wendover.
As mentioned in the comments, Wendover is the site of a WWII Air Force base where the atomic bomber pilots trained. Now there are a bunch of state-line casinos and the air strip is used for gambling charters. Why they fly here instead of Vegas or Reno is puzzling. Maybe it's less crowded or something. Or maybe its the only way they can get people to come out in the middle of nowhere to gamble.
The drive across I-80 next takes you into Utah across the Bonneville Salt Flats. This is a fascinating place. And yes, it's actually salt (I tasted it). It goes on as far as the eye can see, ringed by beautiful snow covered mountains and dotted with giant evaporation lakes.
It was also, I believe, the longest straight stretch of road we have been on. It was straight as an arrow for about 45 miles, without so much as a dip in the road to break the monotony. You'd think it would be boring, but the scenery held our interest the entire length. Apparently it's a problem for others, though, because there are frequent signs warning against driving while drowsy and a couple of pullouts for taking a break.
As much as we need to get back home, I noticed on the map that we are not too far from the Arches National Park. In our two previous trips out west, this was one place I really wanted to see but missed. I think we will take a detour today down I-15 and U.S. 6/191 over to Moab to visit the park. Not only is it supposed to be an amazing place, it also happens to be the old stomping grounds of Edward Abbey, one of my all-time favorite writers, and the inspiration for his classic "Desert Solitaire".
This detour means we will probably continue our eastward journey across I-70, which as a bonus goes through Colorado. And hopefully I'll get some nice photos at Arches. Say, looking at the map, I see Glen Canyon (the inspiration for Abbey's "The Monkey Wrench Gang") is not too much farther from Moab. Oh, wait. Gotta get back. Quit looking at the map.
A few photos from yesterday...
Presumably, Bill Bennett does not gamble here. (Seen in Winnemucca.)
We'd fit right in. (Seen in Winnemucca while looking for the post office.)
Somewhere on the road from Battle Mountain to Wendover. Ruby Mountains, maybe?
Bonneville Salt Flats, looking eastward
Bonneville Salt Flats
Bonneville Salt Flats, looking to the west
Bonneville Salt Flats, artifact from high speed tennis shoe testing?
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