"It's race week at the Bonneville Salt Flats," Jonny informed me. "Let's go." Jonny and Jenny were heading off, with Samuel, for a week-long trip to California, and Camille was driving back to Columbus in a couple of days. It was one last, savory taste of Utah for my traveling children and grandchildren.
Race week is wonderfully colorful. Grizzled characters pull up their pick-up trucks, set up gazebos, and listen to the radio report on the races they can see in the distance. "We've already had one 300 mph race and it's still breakfast time," this fellow told us. We stood in the blaring sunshine, with the sunlight reflecting off the salt, and wished we all had sunglasses.
Samuel, half inside the car, enjoyed a bit of sun on his chubby legs.
The salt flats are absolutely desolate most of the year.
During Race Week, all sorts of contraptions zip along the salt flats, like colorful insects.
We noticed a couple of photographers gathered around antique cars. We joined in the informal "shoot."
Jonny made sure Samuel got his photo taken with the cars. "We can tell him he was here," Jonny said.
Car owners set up "booths" on the salt to groom their cars for the race. Part of the fun was wandering, with the other admiring onlookers, from one fancy car to another.
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We walked down the line of race cars, waiting for their turn to race. It was a social event, with lots of helpers and hangers-on.
One race car got a push.
Finally, we were at the head of the line, watching the car, "Got Salt" make its last preparations to race, and watching the colorful press and onlookers.
And finally--away "Got Salt" went, with one final push from a pickup truck!
We marveled at how pickled in salt cars at the race track were.
We ate lunch at Salt Flats Café, surprisingly good Mexican restaurant at the freeway turn-off. We then said goodbye, as Jonny and Jenny headed for California and the rest of us drove back to SLC.
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