Salt update

[jdincau]

     Back in the olden days we entered the salt flats off the old state highway (now the frontage road) at the sign with Cobb's car on it. This was inside the Saldero loop. We got out onto the area where the "hot rod" and "international" courses were via a wooden bridge accros the canal. I think you can see the remanants of this if you zoom in on Sumner's Google map about 2/3 of the way up the west side of the loop.

 

[dwarner]

I remember the bridge fondly Jim.

We were following a guy in one morning who had a trailer with an old style, laydown Coke cooler attached. A big one. The trailer slipped off the bridge dumping almost the entire contents of Coors into the water. Darn near pulled his truck in too.

DW

[Glen]

Dan was scuba diving trying to save the coors, It had salt and all he needed was a lime, Dan never passed up a cold beer except for the Side Winder club beer that they couldn't even give away at their club picnic. 

[Sumner]

     Back in the olden days we entered the salt flats off the old state highway (now the frontage road) at the sign with Cobb's car on it. This was inside the Saldero loop. We got out onto the area where the "hot rod" and "international" courses were via a wooden bridge accros the canal. I think you can see the remanants of this if you zoom in on Sumner's Google map about 2/3 of the way up the west side of the loop.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=bonneville+salts+flats&t=h&ll=40.764653,-113.874144&spn=0.003705,0.006609&z=17

Is That it?

Sum

[jdincau]

I think so

[Glen]

I just got my 2008 speedweek Straightaway news letter in the mail. There is a lot of detailed information in it.
The schedule, the general rules in the pits, on the course, the roads etc. The one thing stated is there will be maps given out once the courses are firm and this will happen at the event.
If you are a BNI member you should get this info any day.

[Wester]

goes back to the days before WW I and is a reminder of the original mining operations on the salt flats.  There have been breaches in it before now but they usually just filled with water.  A BMW streamliner ended up in a breach in the mid 1990's when the driver got flustered, stayed on it too long, missed going to the catch net, blew by the starting area and was stopped in a big spray of brine.  The car was on display at the US, BMW factory the last time I heard about it.  After that the breach and other parts of the dike were repaired.  Lucky for the driver it was the open shallow pond rather than a big hump of dirt in his line of sight.  He cut his leg while scrambling out of the car and ended up in a SLC hospital having the cut disinfected.

[SPARKY]

never had to Scuba dive for Coors light---they floated even in fresh water---that why I took the Silver Bullets canoeing---Coors was more floating and less sinking---lol

[dwarner]

Sparky,

We all know that anything dumped in the canal will float. I didn't have to dive for supplies. Glen has never thrown his bottle of Scotch
in the brine.

DW

[Glen]

Not even an empty one.  .........I almost threw Cagle in it a few times

[Larry C]

Looks like Wendover is getting some showers, a little rain could be the iceing on the cake for some great salt.

[Larry C]

Got the Kal Gard motor home parked at the bend in the road for the evening and as stated on the SCTA web site the salt is wet. I spoke to the BUB course prep crew who have been working on the international course for a couple of days and prior to the rain the salt looks excellent. Educated guess is the water is good and the salt looks very promising.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

I'll get it right yet!  Here's something that I got in the overnight email from Mike Waters.  Larry Volk was on the Salt yesterday (31 July) and took some photos.  Let's see if I can get them and their descriptions in the right order.

Here's his Datsun at about the 8 Mile on the long course:


This one's easy to figure out -- one of the drags, all ready for being towed for hours and hours:


Access point at Land's End:


I'm not sure which of these is at the 3 mile of the long course, which is the 4 mile, the starting line of the #2 course -- so just look and pay attention to the condition of the salt:








Here's the text that accompanied the photos:


Salt Up Date July 31st, 2008  9 pm Pacific Coast time.
 
This just in from Larry Volk (Our very reliable source) :
Today, Thursday he took a trip out onto the salt. He reports the salt to be dry, hard and mostly smooth. The water that hit during our last trip in mid July is gone and additional dragging will be needed to fine tune our courses prior to SpeedWeek. Larry drove out to the 8 mile and reports that the courses look good for their entire length, that's all three courses, one long and three short. The water that stood on the salt for the past week or so has improved conditions over and above what they were during mid July before the storm hit us while we were there working. There were two film companies on the salt shooting commercials today. Our work force will arrive, in mass, a week before SpeedWeek and begin the final touches to not only our race courses but all the other things necessary to stage your event. On behalf of the entire SCTA and BNI Board, we look forward to seeing you all at "The Greatest land Speed Event Of The Year", SpeedWeek 08.  Mike Waters Chairman BNI

There you have it, folks.  Look forward to some fine days on the Salt in only a couple of weeks.

[CTRon]

excellent news!!!

[jb2]

goes back to the days before WW I and is a reminder of the original mining operations on the salt flats.  There have been breaches in it before now but they usually just filled with water.  A BMW streamliner ended up in a breach in the mid 1990's when the driver got flustered, stayed on it too long, missed going to the catch net, blew by the starting area and was stopped in a big spray of brine.  The car was on display at the US, BMW factory the last time I heard about it.  After that the breach and other parts of the dike were repaired.  Lucky for the driver it was the open shallow pond rather than a big hump of dirt in his line of sight.  He cut his leg while scrambling out of the car and ended up in a SLC hospital having the cut disinfected.

If I remember, it was on a return run that is why it was headed towards the dike.  It was a nice liner, with M power and painted to match.  Too bad the bright white and morning sun did not allow the clocks to pick him up.  A trip to the hospital and no record.