OUTDOORS

I Spent A Few Minutes Exploring the Bonneville Salt Flats

On the border of Utah and Nevada

The open space was awesome and I needed it after so much time in the car.

I was on my way home to Nevada after a quick trip to Utah for a Celebration of Life. I’d planned to split the twelve-hour drive into two days by staying at a friend’s house in Elko, Nevada. I was on my way there when I pulled over at a rest stop outside of Wendover, Utah.

The town of Wendover is located on the Utah/Nevada border. I usually stop there for food and gas before getting back on the road. This time, I didn’t need anything from town, so I stopped at a rest area on the Utah side. I was only planning on stopping long enough to grab some water from the back seat of my car and use the restroom, but then I looked out toward the Salt Flats and changed my mind.

There were people walking out onto the salt flats! Some even drove their cars out there (I wasn’t 100% sure that was legal, but didn’t see any signs stating that it wasn’t). The only signs that I saw read “CAUTION: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.”

The day was beautiful — warm and breezy, but not hot. The sky had enough clouds to be interesting, but it wasn’t overcast. Our weather had been cool and rainy all summer. It was nice to see blue sky instead of storm clouds.

I tried to resist walking out there. I told myself that I needed to get back on the road. I was going to be late for dinner. I told my friend I was coming. She expected me at a certain time.

In the end, curiosity won. I walked out onto the salt. After a few minutes, I wished that I’d made plans to stay in Wendover. I wanted to spend more time out there. I would have spent half a day, at least, if it were possible.

The open space was awesome and I needed it after so much time in the car. I could breathe. Everything that had been distracting me and causing stress was gone. It didn’t exist out there in that emptiness.

There were quite a few other people out there walking and driving, but there was more than enough space for everyone.

As I was walking around, I was completely in awe. I was busy looking at the mountains in the distance, the vast space around me, and up into the sky.

I didn’t realize there was a young family behind me, trying to catch up. The mom finally sent her two little boys running ahead to get my attention.

When I finally looked up, one of them asked if I would go back with them and take their picture. I agreed, and turned around. I saw that the mom was talking on her phone and wondered if the boys would get in trouble for talking to a stranger. I didn’t know yet that she had sent them after me!

I took several pictures of their family, and the mom offered to take my picture too. They were very nice, and like me, had never walked out onto the salt before that day. They came from Mapleton, Utah, which is near Salt Lake City.

I gave in to temptation again on the walk back toward the rest area. I took off my sandals and walked back barefoot. I’d been wondering if that was a good idea and finally decided it was just salt and wouldn’t hurt anything.

The salt was damp in places, and it didn’t take long before my feet were coated with a thick layer. My shoes were too. I would have to clean them off before getting back in the car, but it was worth it for the experience.

The salt was harder than I expected, sharp, and crunchy under my bare feet. I imagined it was like an expensive foot massage, hitting all of the pressure points in my feet and was possibly doing some good for my body.

An up-close look (photo above) showed textures that I didn’t expect.

Standing water near the highway reflected the blue sky and showed layers of new salt crystals forming. The saturated water even had salt crystals floating on the surface.

As I walked back to my car, I decided that I would plan on taking more time during my next trip to Utah. I wanted to explore more of the salt flats, walk out further, and experience more of that empty space and its solitude.