Bonneville Salt Flats

[packerbacker]

Coming back from vacation back East we stopped at the salt flats in Utah where they race for the land speed record. My buddy went out on the flats to check out the surface.

 

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[Cruisin]

Gorgeous photo! If you get the chance try to see the movie "A Gullwing at Twilight". It's about an 87 yr old race driver John Fitch who goes back to Bonneville with his vintage Mercedes gullwing. It's more of an art film, and an inspirational film, and even if you don't like racing you will like this movie. Here's a link that tells about it:

http://www.szwedo.com/gullwing.htm

 

[wesfrye53]

The contrast of the sky with the salt flats makes for a really great photo!

 

[River Rat]

Neat looking place, I like the color contrast too.

RR

 

[fossis]

Great pic of the flats, the explorer 'Bonneville',
lived in my area, Ft. Smith AR, I think his old house is
now a part of the 'Historical district'. (update), it was
torn down a few years ago)
( He discovered the salt flats).

Fossis.............

 

[packerbacker]

Interesting Fossis. I never knew where the name came from. I thought it had something to do with Pontiac cars and Bonneville engines. Silly me huh? I remember a guy had a motorcycle (years ago) that had twin bonneville engines that he ran at the drags.

 

[bill gent]

I-m currently building a replica for the museum out there, of Alex xydia's so-cal special a belly tanker made from a p-38 an powered by a flathead 8.
Back I believe in the late 40s it set the track record and still holds it today for the fastest time of a non-blown or injected flathead 8 engine pretty remarkable feat

 

[packerbacker]

That has to be fun building that car. Hope you aren't ruining a good P38. I saw this one in Oshkosh, WI last week.

 

[fossis]

More info on Benjamin Booneville, soldier, fur-trapper,
explorer. Born in Paris France in 1796, he came to America in 1803, his father was imprisoned during the reign of terror in France, later he joined the family, living with Thomas Paine,
(American Revolutionary).
He graduated from West Point in 1815, his tours with the Army took him to New England, Missouri, Mississippi, & eventually to Ft. Smith AR.
He surveyed Military roads, from Ft. Smith to Ft. Towson,
(called the Texas road), I travel it quite a bit.
After promotion to Captain, he commanded Ft. Gibson in 1824,
during that time he met Sam Houston, who was visiting the fort.
In 1825 he was an aide to the(Marquis de Lafayette), famous
hero of the American Revolution, later he attended the (institute of Polytechnology) in Paris .
While in Mo, he developed an intrest in exploring the American
west, leaving in May 1832, he & 110 men left on an exploratory
mission backed in part by John Jacob Astor.
Over the course of the next three years, they made a study of Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon & Nevada, they blazed trails, including part of the Oregon trail, that later were credited to explorer John C. Fremont.
He sold his notes to Washington Irving who later published the popular book, " The Adventures of Captain Bonneville" in 1837.
He then established the second 'Ft. Smith', east of the site of the first fort, & became it's commander.
His home on North O st has been demolished.
Before the civil war, he fought in the Seminole war, alongside Zachery Taylor.
In the Mexican war, he was wounded badly, & reportedly was rescued by a young officer named 'Robert E. Lee.
(I had a family member there also).
He served in the 'Civil war' at a training camp in Mo.
Among the places that carry his name are: Bonneville Co Idaho, Bonneville dam on the Columbia river, Bonneville slide in the Pacific NW, Lake Bonneville, the Pleistocene anscestor of the Great Salt Lake; Bonneville salt flats, & Bonneville peak in the
Portneuf Range.

He got Around,

Fossis.............

 

[fossis]

I-m currently building a replica for the museum out there, of Alex xydia's so-cal special a belly tanker made from a p-38 an powered by a flathead 8.
Back I believe in the late 40s it set the track record and still holds it today for the fastest time of a non-blown or injected flathead 8 engine pretty remarkable feat

Great lookin car, Bill.

Fossis.............

 

[bill gent]

carl didnt build it yet. It will be in 1/8 scale and have every nut, rivot and piece as the real one take a look on my site http://www.manlytoolman.com then proceed to large scale the replica is an exact copy
oh mailed that MO out the day after we spoke