What a fascinating view in the distance...was it snow?????????????? No....it was salt as far as the eye could see. As we traveled on I-80 from Nevada into Utah we were able to see one of the country's most unique features - the Bonneville Salt Flats. The flats actually stretch over 30,000 acres and is a fragile resource which is monitored by the Bureau of Land Management.
The Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great Salt Lake are the remnants of the ancient Lake Bonneville which covered 1/3 of present day Utah and parts of neighboring states. Wind and water combine the create the flat surface of salt. Each winter, a shallow layer of standing water floods the surface of the salt flats. Each spring and summer, the water slowly evaporates while winds smooth the surface into a vast, nearly perfect plain. This surface contains potassium, magnesium lithium, and sodium chloride (common table salt).
The salt flats are also famous for its Bonneville Raceway where automobiles and motorcycles attempt to set new speed records. Wow!!!
This definitely was one of the more unusual sights that I have seen.
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