Yesterday morning we were aiming to get up at 5AM to continue our moose-spotting expedition. Unfortunately, a glitch in our alarm caused us to sleep past the time we wanted. Time to switch to plan B. We talked about doing a few different things; one of the things that stood out to us was something that a few locals told us was a must-see– Bonneville Salt Flats, also known as the Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway.
The drive was roughly 2 hours from where we were staying, but we were on roads we had not yet driven and the views, while flat, were breathtaking.
You know you are close when you start seeing red dirt and grass take on a light tan sandy color and then a blinding white. A rest stop on the way was crowded with people playing on the bright white, but our GPS said we weren’t quite there yet. We debated on not going any farther, worried that what we were going to wouldn’t be as beautiful as what we were seeing. We are so glad that we went the rest of the way.
We could see people out walking in them, Ashley was terrified she was going to fall through, but then realized it was water up to our ankles and solid salt below. It looks so deep because of the reflections, and let’s face it, the unknown is kind of scary, When we both got brave enough to walk out on to the salt, it was wild. Side note: if you visit please bring water shoes. A lot of people were barefoot just like us, but not all of the salt is wet so some of the crystals were really hard and sharp.
30,000 acres of pure, solidified salt with a light layer of water constantly moving and collecting minerals. These salt flats used to be Lake Bonneville, but now are home to the land-speed record where many car manufacturers test their vehicles (Bonneville Speedway). The salt content of the lake was so high that when the lake dried up, all that remained was the salt and other minerals (about 147 million tons of salt).
We got some amazing photos and drone footage. Later, after looking at the pictures, we both agreed that it was so much better in person, if you can believe that.
We also recommend taking bottled water to wash off your legs and feet after; you will be covered in salt and it’s not pleasant to keep on your skin for a long time.
It was time to head back towards Park City and grab some dinner and continue on our moose-scouting journey. We ate at a fantastic restaurant called Squatters, another local favorite. It was reasonably-priced and they were so quick with our orders. We highly recommend.
We finished dinner and it was getting close to golden hour. On our way up the mountain to the known prime moose-spotting location Ashley said, “We are going to see our moose tonight. I just know it”. After a few turns on a windy road Erin pulled over where she had seen a few deer the night before. Erin spotted a big dark spot coming out of the wooded area. It was, in fact, a moose! Not even 20 seconds later Ashley spotted a second one. We didn’t just get a female, but we were also looking at a bull moose. Ashley packed her zoom lens for the adventure and we were able to get some great shots. We hung out for a while and they approached closer and closer, which gave us even better shots. We didn’t even have to head into the snowy mountains! Trip bucket list complete. 🙂
We were running on a moose-spotting high as we achieved a goal that a lot of people told us was impossible. Yes, there are moose in Utah, Dunkin’ guy! We finished the evening in the hot tub on top of the Sundial Lodge. You can see where we were in our first video.
It was the best way to end a perfect day.
More soon.
xo,
Er & Ash
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