Bonneville Speed Week:

The Bonneville Salt Flats is a densely-packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah.  The area is a remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville and is the largest of many salt flats located west of the Great Salt Lake.  Geologist Grove Karl Gilbert named the area after Benjamin Bonneville, a U.S. Army officer who explored the Intermountain West in the l830s.

In l907 Bill Rishel and two local businessmen tested the suitability of the salt for driving on by taking a Pierce-Arrow onto the flats.  A railway line across the Bonneville Salt Flats was completed in l910, marking the first permanent crossing.  The first land speed record was set there in l914 by Teddy Tetzlaff.

Ever since the setting of that first speed record, the Salt Flats have played host to hundreds of drivers each year willing to test their cars, motorcycles or trucks against a time clock in the quest for the elusive world speed record.  There are five major land speed events that take place each year, the first one being the Bonneville Speed Week which takes place during the month of August.

 This year, Roger, Rob, Daniel and Ethan took a day off from retirement, work and play to take in the races and view the race cars up close.

 It was a hit with all the "men".  Ethan, below, has decided that next year they will arrive earlier and camp over so they won't miss a single race or opportunity to visit the drivers in the pits.  Bringing bicycles was also mentioned as a means to travel quickly from one pit to the next.  I think we have a new annual "Tea" event on our hands.