Landracing Forum
Bonneville Salt Flats Discussion => 2017 and before: SW & WF => SpeedWeek 2017 => Topic started by: RichFox on June 17, 2017, 11:28:26 AM
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Did you guys see this picture from the web cam at about 9:15? You gotta love it. Well it was a really cool picture with a cloud stuck on a mountain top and a black truck in the distance. Since this site will not load the picture, if you want to see it I posted in on the HAMB under TROG at Bonneville or something like that. Oh wait. It worked that time.
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Looks great, Rich!
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Sid, oh Sid, where art thou?
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Got back last night then went on a road service call to a Tour Bus, sorry I'm late Sparky. :-P
Well it has good coverage but it's really thin. Right off the ramp at Lands End there is brown showing through for about 1/8 mile then it starts getting thicker. There's been enough public traffic going out there it has actually tracked & packed an entry road for about 1/2 mile towards the dyke. There was at least 25 Joe Public vehicles out there on Saturday & most of them were making passes & three of them were stuck in the $hit over on the north side.
I did basically the same thing I did last time, started between Lands End & the dyke & made a straight line to the right side of Floating Mt, stopping every 1/2 mile until I was 8 miles out. This time I just drilled the top with a hole saw since I know there's nothing under the dirt/mud to a depth of 4ft & found variations from 1" to just a thin skin of salt. Most of the surface is pretty ruff from water movement & has settled out small high's & low's leaving more salt in the low spots & less salt (1/8") on the high spots. If you touch those thin high spots with your finger they collapse leaving you with dirt that is still higher than the salt. There was a about a 1 1/2 mile area of that 2yrs ago when I tested out there, now it covers 2/3 of the whole salt flats. The line I take puts me roughly between the combo course & the Cook course.
The short course area was still pretty wet due to being closer to the Mining drain so I didn't go very far out there to avoid doing damage but the thickness seemed more consistent for obvious reasons, $hit flows down hill. I came back down the mountain side of the long course & it was about the same as the trip out.
There's no standing water, it's all gone over to the mine ponds which look really good from a mining standpoint right up to the plant. :x
Sid.
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Sid, at this point do you make it to be better or worse or same-o than last year? :-D :x :-(
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Sid, thank you for your efforts. Very much appreciated!
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From what Sid has seen sounds like the salt is not any better than what we had last year. Only an inch for thickness at the best and not everywhere how depressing. :-( Thanks Sid for your efforts :cheers:
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Sid, at this point do you make it to be better or worse or same-o than last year? :-D :x :-(
There's an old saying, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The ear ain't getting any prettier.
Sid.
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In 2012 Ron Main said the salt was phenominal (in the video).
So in 4 years the mining wrecked it!!!!! :cry:
Not good news. Hey Sid, what you is special and although
I'm too far away to be affected I want to thank you. :cheers:
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Thanks for the update Sid. That is a fair old drive and we thank you for your time and effort. Your return journey is about the same mileage as me travelling from home in Kent, England, right up to Inverness in Scotland.
:cheers:
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RR pls reread the BEST was 1" --the worst was salt colored with mud pimples.
If the mining were to stop today, and tons and tons of the South Side salt were returned during the Winter, it would take several years for things to return to any semblance of what we had in 2008 which has been described to me as the best track in the last 10-15-years.--
-I have never been to the bombing range but I would be willing to help with the process of getting to run there.
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RR pls reread the BEST was 1" --the worst was salt colored with mud pimples.
If the mining were to stop today, and tons and tons of the South Side salt were returned during the Winter, it would take several years for things to return to any semblance of what we had in 2008 which has been described to me as the best track in the last 10-15-years.--
-I have never been to the bombing range but I would be willing to help with the process of getting to run there.
Well to make you happy I added a few more words. :-D
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Super thankful for the updates. What is the link to the camera?
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Link to webcam http://meso1.chpc.utah.edu/station_cameras/bflat_cam/bflat_cam_current.jpg
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Thanx Sid, It is less than good news but better than none. Thanxs again for Your service to Our Racing efforts.
Bob Drury
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If you take a look at that pic that Rich posted, in the lower left you can see it's patchy dark & light. The dark areas are the low spots with more salt than the light area's with a thin skin over the dirt. It gives you a good idea how small the slosh pools have become now that there is no salt base, the abrasive salt creates small pockets in the dirt then fills them up. It will be interesting to see how this preps with the drag & more so how it stands up with passes. If the TnT is in the usual place it will be slightly better with a big emphasis on "slightly".
What an absolutely bangup job the BLM have done here looking after public land! :x
Sid.
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Maybe use the new fangled wheel packer only with no dragging ???
(no pressure ridges to cut down)
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Well that answers that
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Sid,
Thanks for your trip to Bonneville and the write up on what you observed.
I would be more than happy to send you a few $$$ for your effort.
Send me a PM with your address and I will get it in the mail.
Thanks again,
Tom G.
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Thanks for your update Sid, that about does it for Harris Family Racing down under. We were due to load our container but have now cancelled it plus all of our other paperwork for the EPA etc and other relevant bookings. Sadly, but in all honesty after 30 yrs of racing at Bonneville we are unlikely to return for obvious reasons. If our government EPA, here called the 'Department of Conservation' (DOC) allowed private enterprise to systematically destroy a 'National Park' there would nationwide protest, but sadly those interested in the BSF's are very small in number in the big picture.
We have enjoyed and treasure our LSR at Bonneville and made so many great friends along with meeting so many of our hero's in the wider Hot Rodding world plus Lincoln becoming the 1st Kiwi inducted into the '200 mph Club some of the many 'highs' we've enjoyed.
Please continue with the battle for salt restoration, we will certainly stay in touch.
Chris Harris.
#397 B/GR.
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Great posts guys. Sadly it's not a nice subject.
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Sid,
Thanks for your trip to Bonneville and the write up on what you observed.
I would be more than happy to send you a few $$$ for your effort.
Send me a PM with your address and I will get it in the mail.
Thanks again,
Tom G.
Thanks for the offer Tom but as I've said to others, the offer to help is thanks enough. I do this for the love of LSR & the people who make this sport in order to clear up some of the myths & outright BS that were clouding the real truth.
There are a few that are not to pleased with what I've been doing but I believe they have lost sight of why we are here as I believe the BLM also have. It breaks my heart to see the world famous Bonneville Salt Flats desecrated to less than a shadow if it's former glory by a steamrolling Government department with zero accountability for a few more drops in their large economic bucket.
Public land management my A$$!!
Sid.
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hear yee! hear yee! hear yee!
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From SCTA Facebook page
SCTA Southern California Timing Association added 2 new photos.
11 hrs · Stanton ·
SW 2017 Update:
Today was the first day of prep for Speed Week. Four courses are looking very promising. Course 3 & 4 are almost done and are looking good. The salt condition is definitely better than last year and the content of the salt is greater. We will be back at it tomorrow and will update you daily throughout the week.
Pic #1: Start Line of Course #3
Pic #2: 3 Mile of Course #3
#scta #bonneville #sw2017 #bni
Image may contain: sky, nature and outdoor
Image may contain: sky, cloud, outdoor and nature
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Thanks for your update Sid, that about does it for Harris Family Racing down under. We were due to load our container but have now cancelled it plus all of our other paperwork for the EPA etc and other relevant bookings. Sadly, but in all honesty after 30 yrs of racing at Bonneville we are unlikely to return for obvious reasons. If our government EPA, here called the 'Department of Conservation' (DOC) allowed private enterprise to systematically destroy a 'National Park' there would nationwide protest, but sadly those interested in the BSF's are very small in number in the big picture.
We have enjoyed and treasure our LSR at Bonneville and made so many great friends along with meeting so many of our hero's in the wider Hot Rodding world plus Lincoln becoming the 1st Kiwi inducted into the '200 mph Club some of the many 'highs' we've enjoyed.
Chris Harris.
#397 B/GR.
Chris,
My name is John Weatherwax. In 2007, I decided I wanted to go LSR racing and decided to build a roadster. A "C" gas roadster, and you guys were the record holders at that time. I always wanted to meet the Harris clan, but with your participation every other year, and my on and off again participation, I never did.
If in the future the salt flats improves, I won't miss the next opportunity to shake hands.
If ever in Southern California, please look me up.
John Weatherwax
Roadster #114
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Do you guys (gals) remember a couple of months ago the photos from Mike Crawford??? There was water to the end of the road and all were sweating bullets for 2017 race season..
Then like a natural wonder it dried up,, and it dried up because the wind blew the water towards Floating Mountain (according to Mike C.)
And so you think the inches of water sits on top of the salt crust???
I was out there in 2014 to recover our sales area and what you have is a mud flat and if there is water, the salt dissolves into said water.
So the wind blew the water (and salt) to the Mountain, it doesn't just roll over the salt crust, not until the water evaporates do we have a crust. Think of tilting a pie pan. And so from what I have been told is that there is great salt near the Mountain, but we have no access to it, I have never made the trek to the Mountain.
And I am not a Geologist, but yes the salt is down, but the salt is also natural meaning it moves around the mud flats through out it's life.
So lets slow down the finger pointing at the mining company, and lets see if there will be a change from the BLM (where it needs to change)
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SCTA Faccebook post day 2
SCTA Southern California Timing Association added 3 new photos.
41 mins ·
SW 2017 Update #2:
Today was the second day of prep for Speed Week. Course #2 is looking good and we will start prepping Course #1 in the morning.
Pic #1: 2 mile on Course #2
Pic #2: 2 mile on Course #2
Pic #3: 3.5 mile on Course #2
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Do you guys (gals) remember a couple of months ago the photos from Mike Crawford??? There was water to the end of the road and all were sweating bullets for 2017 race season..
Then like a natural wonder it dried up,, and it dried up because the wind blew the water towards Floating Mountain (according to Mike C.)
And so you think the inches of water sits on top of the salt crust???
I was out there in 2014 to recover our sales area and what you have is a mud flat and if there is water, the salt dissolves into said water.
So the wind blew the water (and salt) to the Mountain, it doesn't just roll over the salt crust, not until the water evaporates do we have a crust. Think of tilting a pie pan. And so from what I have been told is that there is great salt near the Mountain, but we have no access to it, I have never made the trek to the Mountain.
And I am not a Geologist, but yes the salt is down, but the salt is also natural meaning it moves around the mud flats through out it's life.
So lets slow down the finger pointing at the mining company, and lets see if there will be a change from the BLM (where it needs to change)
:dhorse: Dude, are you $hitting me!!! 26 inches of water didn't just dry up or flow to the other end of the flats. INTREPID DRAINED IT OFF TO THE PLANT. It's called Slurry Mining & the BLM receives millions of dollars from Intrepid for the lease rights from Bonneville.
Sid.
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Just posted
https://www.facebook.com/SCTASouthernCaliforniaTimingAssociation/posts/823547734475677