The border between Nevada and Utah was a fantastic sight for sore eyes - Firstly, because we were through Nevada and secondly, we entered in to Utah right at the starting point of the Great Salt Flats. Imagine a place so flat you seem to see the curvature of the planet and so barren that not even the simplest life forms can exist. The Flats is one of the most unique natural wonders in Utah – it’s over 30,000 acres of white, flat salt as far as the eye can see. The Flats are a fragile resource that is primarily only used in August for racing of both motorcycles and autos. Imagine the roar of engines hurtling passed you on this vast dazzling white plain. No, it’s not an alien world far from earth; it is Utah's famous Bonneville Salt Flats.
Without question we had to stop and explore. We found a rest stop midway through the plain and pulled over. The place was desolate. Berk and I were very happy to see some other families stopping at the same rest stop, doing exactly what we had planned – “walking the white” (as I nicknamed it after the fact). Ally and Dusty were the first to hop out of the car and right out on to the Flats. From a distance it looked firm and stable to walk on, but as Berk and I approached, we saw the dogs slowing sinking in to a muddy stinky mess of water and salt with a horrible odor! We had to scoop them out as quickly as we could as I was afraid that it was going to start burning their feet as salt can in the winter when it’s sprinkled on pavement. Luckily they were not in the goop for very long AND they had a water faucet immediately available for the exact purpose of washing off the mess.
In mere moments Berk had decided she had had enough – especially since the smell was a bit overwhelming. So, off we drove – Park City, UT here we come.
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