way out places to play - Salt Flats

Harold O.

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I spent all of last week in NW Utah at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The racers invited me in as announcer for the four-day meet. The salt flats are a truly unique, desolate place. The racers run only against the clock, go one at a time, and are a very act-now sort of group. Watching/hearing a car traveling by at 380 mph is as weird and fascinating as it gets.

Of course I brought a ukulele.
 

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So...were your fan strokes really fast there?
 
That's awesome! The guys who used to (still might, but I am not sure) hold the land speed record for the modern Triumph Hinkley twins (Matt Capri from South Bay Triumph) did some head work on my Thruxton. They are there every year. Looks like a great event to experience once. Burt Munro!
 
Must be REALLY hard to keep the uke humidified. I'd be terrified of all that could happen!
 
image.jpgI helped on the build of a car, fuselage/body and random mechanical build help, and then we took the car to Booneville, and that car holds several records in the Lakester (open wheel) class. You probably saw it, 77 driven by the Hammonds. I didnt go this year. maybe next year, we will go even faster. Bonneville is a very unigue experience for you motorheads. And I'll bring my Uke
 
View attachment 43899You probably saw it, 77 driven by the Hammonds. I didnt go this year. maybe next year, we will go even faster. Bonneville is a very unigue experience for you motorheads. And I'll bring my Uke


Yes, I met the Hammonds. Very nice people. Tanis is a fan of the ukulele. She saw me with mine and I played Ain't she Sweet for her.

On the humidity line, the salt is wet. Not soggy or squishy, but wet to the where if you go down on one knee then stand up you will have some salt on your pant. Dust off the salt and there will be a small wet spot. Temperature ran from 48 to 58 each day with the humidity starting at 21% in the morning and going to 16% by day's end. Though one day it dropped to 6 (SIX!) for several hours.

I anticipated the conditions and brought my laminate concert that usually resides in my wood shop, where it's typically pretty dry.

The salt grains are very fine. They compact to form the surface. Nothing grows on the salt.
 

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