Trip to Bonneville – Red Rocks of Utah – Nat. Parks and Monuments
Bonneville SPEED WEEK!! 2025
Let’s go camping for four days in the hot sun. Let’s go sit or stand close together under an umbrella if we’re lucky and watch vehicles go by hundreds of yards away, going so fast it’s a blur. Let’s find other people willing to go with us. No problem!
We’re here! Hurry and take the pic before someone steals the sign, again…..Pete and Darcy….. and I have to mention that Pete was here 50 years ago! They’ve been back since then, but dang! 50 years! He has some great pictures saved from back in the day.
Imagine a place so flat you seem to see the curvature of the planet, so barren not even the simplest life forms can exist. Imagine the passing thunder of strange vehicles hurtling by on a vast dazzling white plain. This is not an alien world far from earth; it is Utah’s famous Bonneville Salt Flats.
Actually, it was our good friends who invited us to tag along with them this year. We’ve been trying to get here for many years, and finally made it.
Nothing fancy here. There are 5 very straight tracks varying in length from 1 to 5 miles (?) with another 5 miles at the end for slow down. Parachutes help slow them down at the end of the run or during an emergency. Also, some runs are just short practice runs and there are turn outs to use as necessary. You park in designated areas up or down the edge of a track and tune into the FM radio station to hear the announcements. You can also see into the pit areas or park up at the start line and walk the staging area and watch the crews roll the cars up into position. The race area is huge and vantage points can be miles apart. The “push” vehicles get the vehicles started down the track. I’m new at this obviously, and that’s about the best description you’ll get from me. It is MUCH more involved to be sure.
Parachutes deployed at the endIf you’re prone to sunburn, sunscreen won’t help. The glare from the salt is brutal. Our new sun shirts worked well.Lotti thinks we’re nuts. What have we gotten her into this time? She was a good girl, spending hours in the shade of the truck. With the breeze, and unseasonably comfortable temps she was ok. Just one jump down out of the truck to pee, and baby wipes to get the salt out of her toes. She tried on goggles, but wouldn’t let us near her with the dog booties.Sigh….An umbrella! Nice! Always travel with friends who are prepared. 🙂The push/pull vehicles are fun alsoTech InspectionAnyone can drive on the salt. It’s hard to believe that we took this beauty out there. Yikes, this is a hostile environment. (We spent $70 for a truck wash days later. It was worth it!)It’s nasty stuff though, luckily it wasn’t raining, when it does it turns to a cake batter consistency. If you caught in this in the rain, you’re stuck. Camping up in the hills overlooking the Salt Flats, above the “Bend in the Road“Our circling of the wagons for 4 days. We’re purposely spread out because generators at night for the air conditioners are LOUD.
“Speed Demon” Excitement – then Heartbreak
When it comes to land speed racing and breaking records, no name sums it up more than Speed Demon. It has won the coveted HOT ROD Magazine Top Speed Trophy 12 times and has set more SCTA class records and FIA International speed records than any other vehicle in the history of the sport
One Engine, Two Wheels, and Nearly 500 MPH
The team has managed to build vehicles that have been over 400 mph more times than all their competitors combined. What’s more amazing is they did this by going unconventional with two-wheel drive, a single massive engine, a bullet-shaped body, and tons of technology. At these speeds, it’s all about aerodynamics, and some of the best minds in the world have worked to perfect the body’s design. There are even safety systems that will automatically kill the engine and deploy the parachute if it detects a yaw angle of more than 5 degrees. The entire vehicle is a marvel of modern racing engineering and safety technology.
We moved up to the starting line purposely to get closer to the Speed Demon race car. This race venue is a very fan friendly environment where you can move freely through the line of staged racers and pit crews. Our first day on the Salt we witnessed the Speed Demon take off on a successful 2 mile practice run.
The push
The Heartbreak
Our second day out we were back at the starting line in time to see the push off for Speed Demons next try for a complete run and possible record time.
This video was our vantage point as we watched the start of this run. The accident happened seconds later just 2 miles down the track at approximately 285 miles per hour. We were glad that we didn’t actually witness the wreck, but it was immediately obvious that something had gone wrong. We knew within minutes that the driver didn’t make it. It was devastating for everyone.
Chris Raschke, driver who lost his life.
Racing at Bonneville is known to be fast and dangerous, but fatalities are rare. We felt the sadness in the crowd, but after time, the activity picked back up and the racers lined back up to continue their quest. We realize it was in no way a dishonor to the friend they had just lost. That’s just a reality in any form of racing.
Pete’s Throwback Pics ~ 50 Years Ago!
He’s been to the salt flats many times over the years but these pics from 50 years ago are the best. Very vintage!
True! The salt gets into everything!The $70 power wash. No more salt, we hope.
There’s more to the story!
By the way….. we had an adventure getting to Bonneville, and there was a nice road trip after….
Leaving home once again. The rig still looks good!
1 Night In Wickenburg
The RV Park behind the McDonalds in Wickenburg….. We had picked up Pete and Darcy at their home in Wickenburg. On the 93 heading north again, following a special Arctic Fox. We all hate this road! When are they ever going to finish fixing this thing?“Nothing” is now nothing but a Verizon tower. Unfortunately, all roads run through Las Vegas. Ugh 😩
1st night camping, just out of the heat at Ward Mountain Campground
Nice cooler weather at 7000 ft elevation. Nice neighbors!FedEx Distribution Center, at the truck stop
Wendover, Nevada
We had a two night stay to empty the tanks and fill up with fresh water before heading out to the Salt Flats. Turns out Wendover is actually two towns, half in Nevada and half in Utah. There’s several Casinos, a McDonalds and a Smiths Grocery store, and that’s about it. Interstate 80 runs right by it so we guess that’s what supports the town(s) as it’s in the middle of nowhere. Also, it’s in two different time zones! That was tricky. Our devices were very confused…..
Wendover KOA Journey
Yep, that’s a KOA
Wendover Air Museum, Home of the Enola Gay Hangar
The desert oasis of West Wendover may be best known today for land speed records attempted on the nearby Bonneville Salt Flats, but this state straddling community first used this world-renowned, otherworldly landscape as a top secret military training site during World War II. This remote desert landscape was a specialized training base for B-17 and B-24 bomber crews, including the 509th Composite Group and B-29 Enola Gay unit who carried the atomic bombs dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Today, military history lovers will discover a nearly complete historic Wendover Air Force Base-turned-Historic Wendover Airfield Museum, detailing the active base training site that operated here from 1940 to 1969, including the fully restored B-29 maintenance hangar that housed this historic aircraft.
A nice little museum with a self walking tour through the surprisingly intact Air Force base. It was definitely worth the 8 bucks.The plane used in the movie Con Air 😁Hmmmmmm….. ok 🤫🤐It took us awhile, but we found the nurses quarters. Very short nurses….
Recap: Setting up camp for four nights at the Bonneville Salt Flats
Our old school solar panels worked great Lotti loved it out here, running free just as a dog should! Lots of frisbee action!
Leaving the salt
This is art? The Great Salt Lake. Ugly as ever, and blurry through the window…. I obviously wasn’t trying to get good pics.The big mine 😬
We had an obviously uneventful drive over to downtown Salt Lake City where we stayed at the Sun Outdoors SLC for a couple of days to relax. We mostly just spent time comparing pictures and reminiscing about old times with our good friends before we part ways . We’re so lucky to have memories with them going back decades. Dang, we’re getting old!!
We almost didn’t fit in this one. A little bit of shade and some good Chinese food.
Pete and Darcy are going on to Wyoming. We’re headed to south eastern Utah to get those missing stamps. Yes, the Passport book is still guiding our travels!
The Blue Mountain RV Park and Trading Post in Blanding Utah is one of the nicest parks we have ever stayed in. The spots are huge and shady and there’s lots of grass. We even had grape vines! The owners are really putting a lot of love into the development of this little oasis. And the Indian trading post is the real deal. This is our perfect jumping off spot for a couple of days.
Natural Bridges National Monument and Bears Ears
Sipapu BridgeDavid checking the quality of the welds on the safely rails. All good. Kachina BridgeIt’s hot here!! And windy. Owachomo BridgeBears ears. So cool. We’ve seen the end of this trail on Lake Powell. Amazing part of history.
On to Hovenweep on the Utah/Colorado border
This was a National Monument that I had almost given up on. It’s so out of the way that we’ve never been able to take the time to get back into this vast area. I’m so glad the we set this entire day aside to make this happen. Wow! The ruins here are amazing.
Human habitation at Hovenweep dates to over 10,000 years ago when nomadic Paleoindians visited the Cajon Mesa to gather food and hunt game. These people used the area for centuries, following the seasonal weather patterns. By about A.D. 900, people started to settle at Hovenweep year-round, planting and harvesting crops in the rich soil of the mesa top. By the late 1200s, the Hovenweep area was home to over 2,500 people.
We found some good BBQ for very late lunch in Dove Creek. Perfect end of a perfect day. Home again
Canyon de Chelly
One hundred years ago, natives in the canyon
Millions of years of land uplifts and stream cutting created the colorful sheer cliff walls of Canyon de Chelly. Natural water sources and rich soil provided a variety of valuable resources, including plants and animals that have sustained families for thousands of years. The Ancient Puebloans found the canyons an ideal place to plant crops and raise families. The first settlers built pit houses that were then replaced with more sophisticated homes as more families migrated to the area. More homes were built in alcoves to take advantage of the sunlight and natural protection. People thrived until the mid-1300’s when the Puebloans left the canyons to seek better farmlands.
There are miles of driving trails in and around the canyon. You can easily spend days here hiking, driving, or signing up for a guided tour like we did last time we were here. The red rocks of Utah are beautiful.
Spider Rock
Hubbell Trading Post ~ Saving the best for last
We’ve passed by here many times over the years but never bothered to stop. From the road, it didn’t seem like much. Luckily, it’s in my passport book, so we had to get that stamp! Wow. The history of this place was a huge surprise to us.
We met Elvis!
Elvis Burbank, a Navajo park ranger who has so many amazing stories to tell. He spent 2 1/2 hours with us and it turned out to be our most memorable visit to any National Monument to date. It was unbelievably special.
Just touring the barn was worth the trip. The entire ranch is carefully preserved.
The history of the trading post begins in approximately 1874, when Anglo-European trader William Leonard established a trading post in the Ganado Valley. Using “squatter’s rights”, Juan Lorenzo Hubbell purchased the Leonard post and later filed for a homestead claim.[4] In 1878, John Lorenzo Hubbell purchased this trading post, ten years after Navajos were allowed to return to the Ganado region from their U.S.-imposed exile in Bosque Redondo, Fort Sumner, New Mexico. This ended what is known in Navajo history as the “Long Walk of the Navajo.” Through extensive archival research, historian Cottam (Arizona State Univ.) first tells the story of John Lorenzo Hubble and the trading empire he built, then continues with in-depth analysis of his heirs and their involvement in the Southwest ethnic art industry. And it all centers on a still-vibrant and living place.[5]
The Hubbell Trading PostThe Navajo still weave beautiful rugs. They sell the authentic yarns and weaving equipment here, and also teach classes.
A Tour of the Hubbell Home
You must wear booties to walk on the rugs inside the house. Note that the Navajo don’t usually walk on any of their sacred rugs, but these replicas were woven by natives especially for this exhibit. The house was stunning. All of the furniture, artifacts and paintings are originals and authentic to the history of this area.
In 1897 the Chicago artist Elbridge Ayer Burbank traveled west on behalf of his uncle, the philanthropist Edward E. Ayer, to paint a portrait of the famed Apache chief Geronimo, who was then living in captivity at Fort Sill in the Oklahoma territory.
Geronimo actually sat for the portrait, and this is that original painting! And the artist is our park ranger Elvis’s ancestor.
It’s time to go home now. That’s enough excitement for one trip. It’s hard to believe we did this entire trip in 2 weeks!
finallyfree2roam 
Looks like a fantastic trip, thanks for sharing.
Greg Barrett
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Alison and Dave, I always enjoy your great photos and informative journals! Thanks so much for sharing! Safe travels, Sherman
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Thanks Sherman, we hope to see you soon.
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Great write up! Thank you for sharing!
We may be the only people in this campground in a bit! Tent campers are packing up. Currently 65 degrees outside. Ahhhh
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beautiful thx for the show, I’ve done all of the above but it’s been years ago
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Awesome Mom & Dad! Quite the adventures!! 😎♥️
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