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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
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Starboard is supposedly derived from the term "steering arm", the right arm. So right arm/steering arm/starboard/right side of the vessel.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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Cypress, you are most certainly 'right'...er...starboard!
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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Hot, Windy, and Dry.
Highs today in low 90's to mid 80's from west to east. Very dry in this area with only 15% normal precipitation so
far....making danger of summer wildfires very likely. To compound the danger, this spring's higher-than-normal winds are not helping matters.
Winds this morning are gusting to 45-50mph..making travel interesting for all high-sided vehicles. 
Note: Here the wind is to 'port' and the truck is heeling to 'starboard'.
This might have been a contributing factor to the boat accident on the freeway...Wind! Be careful..Be aware.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Howard
Super Nomad
Posts: 2353
Registered: 11-13-2007
Location: Loreto/Manhattan Beach/Kona
Member Is Offline
Mood: I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.
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OK, I cheated with the meaning of POSH
I cheated, I looked it up on google. I'm not that smart.
Origin:
1915–20; of obscure origin; compare posh a dandy (recorded as British slang in 1890); the popular notion that the word is an acronym from port out (
ward ), starboard home, said to be the preferred accommodation on ships traveling between England and India, is without foundation
We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing
George Bernard Shaw
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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My, what a nice set of Tetons you have..
Running north up Idaho #20 towards Yellowstone Park we see The Three Tetons off in the distance and come upon this
historical sign (great tourist stuff!)
Hmm...Tetons or Knobs? Well...it's way past lunchtime..and to me the whole thing looks like a banana cream split?
Floating, Fishing, or Kayaking the Gallatin is pure fun!
We enter the area just north of West Yellowstone...very pretty country indeed.
.
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The single raft below looks flexible, adaptable, and can carry lots of my gear. Oh Yeah....floating and fishing combo is the way to go for me.
Spinner or fly?..this is the question.
Naturally, Co-pilots are always better at finding a little more relaxing water..not to mention much clearer, too! Hey, is that a
Mepps spinner down there?
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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desertcpl
Super Nomad
Posts: 2396
Registered: 10-26-2008
Location: yuma,az
Member Is Offline
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Yup that could be a Mepps spiner alright, I want one
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS
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.
GEOLOGY, LOCATION, HISTORY AND CHARACTERS
The Bonneville Salt Flats is one of the most unique natural features in Utah. Stretching over 30,000 acres, the Bonneville Salt Flats is a fragile
resource administered by the Bureau of Land Management. It is located along I-80 near the Utah-Nevada border. Wendover is the closest city.
Thousands of visitors, commercial filmmakers, and of course, high speed auto racers, make the Bonneville Salt Flats a world famous destination.
Location
The Bonneville Salt Flats are found west of the Great Salt Lake, in western Utah. They cover a large area and have a very unique environment. The
flats can easily be seen as you drive I-80 between Salt Lake City and Wendover, NV, like I did.
The famous Bonneville Speedway is located in the western portion of the flats, near Wendover. It is perfectly flat and has a thick crust of salty
soil. It looks like a frozen lake bed covered with snow. No vegetation grows in that area.
In other places, low mountains and hills break up the flat landscape. Sparse vegetation grows on hillsides and is pushing into the flat areas. On hot
days, heat waves rise from the salty soil and create mirages that look amazingly real. If you believe your eyes, the dry desert looks like it is
covered by water.
Best Viewpoint
I pulled in here for some photos. Perhaps the most impressive spot to view the Salt Flats is along along I-80, about 10 miles east of Wendover. A
rest stop has been established there (offering restrooms and water). The rest area is surrounded by perfectly flat land that looks like it is covered
by snow. To the north and west, low mountains break the view. To the east and south, it looks like flat land extends virtually forever.
At the rest stop you can walk out onto the salty soil. When you return, a water spray station has been set up so you can wash the salt from your
shoes.
Geology & Environment
The Salt Flats were formed when ancient lake Lake Bonneville dried up. The lake was huge, filling much of the Great Basin. It eventually shrank below
its outlet and so its water became salty. As water continued to evaporate, salt deposits were left in many areas. The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of
Lake Bonneville.
Several roads probe the Salt Flats from many directions. They often extend into very remote locations where conditions are harsh and there are no
services.
The flats include a variety of micro environments. In some spots the soil is so salty it prevents vegetation growth. These spots seem to be totally
desolate. In other places you will find numerous kinds of plants and animals. Ponds and marshy areas can be found in spots near the edges of the flats
and they provide critical habitat for plants and animals.
The environment is fragile and needs to be treated with respect. When you drive, stay on established roads. If you camp or hike, do so in ways that
are environmentally friendly.
The federal government owns almost all of the land in this area and large portions are used by the military for storage depots, test areas and bombing
ranges. These sections are fenced and marked, and public access is prohibited. It’s not cool to be blown away or met with deadly force.
A Barrier Of Salt- History of Western Development of USA
Humans have lived in the Great Basin for thousands of years. Excavations at nearby Danger Cave have proven occupation of the area as early as 10,300
years ago. While Native Americans adapted to the desert environment, more recent arrivals found the area less hospitable.
By 1824, Jim Bridger and other mountain men explored the Great Salt Lake desert region. The first recorded crossing of the desert was made in 1845 by
Captain John C. Fremont's survey party, with scouts Kit Carson and Joe Walker. Early the next year, 23 year old Lansford Hastings retraced Fremont's
trail across the salt plain. Joe Walker's writings warned emigrants not to attempt the untried route; however, Hastings convinced several emigrant
parties to follow him.
Despite Walker's warnings, the Donner-Reed party, seeking a shortcut to California in 1846, attempted the "Hastings Cutoff". They failed to take
enough water and lost a critical number of oxen. Four of their wagons were abandoned just 10 miles northeast of the salt flats. Time was lost, and the
delay resulted in their late arrival to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and their tragic winter.
Later, in 1910, the first permanent crossing of the Bonneville Salt Flats was completed when the Southern Pacific Railroad was built linking Salt Lake
City and San Francisco.
Ancient Lake Bonneville
Although he never visited the salt flats, the area is named in honor of Captain B.L.E. Bonneville, whose expeditions in the 1830's proved the area was
part of an ancient basin.
During the last Ice Age, about 15,000 years ago, Lake Bonneville was the size of Lake Michigan. It covered one-third of present day Utah and parts of
neighboring states. You can see traces of the shorelines, representing different levels of the receding lake, etched into the mountains surrounding
the salt flats.
The Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great Salt Lake are remnants of ancient Lake Bonneville. Wind and water combine to create the flat surface of salt.
Each winter, a shallow layer of standing water floods the surface of the salt flats. During spring and summer, the water slowly evaporates while winds
smooth the surface into a vast, nearly perfect flat plain.
The salt surface contains potassium, magnesium lithium and sodium chloride (common table salt).
Nomads visiting?
The Bonneville Salt Flats is administered by the Bureau of Land Management for public use and enjoyment. Due to its unique geology, history, and
scenic beauty, the Bonneville Salt Flats was designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1985.
Help preserve the Bonneville Salt Flats!
Some tips for visiting the Salt Flats:
Stay on existing roads or areas designated for vehicles. Despite the appearance of a hard surface, much of the area is a thin salt crust over soft
mud. It easily breaks under the weight of a vehicle.
Stay off the salt surface when it is covered by water. When wet, the salt surface is soft and easily damaged by vehicles.
Furthermore, the salt water is highly corrosive and can "short-out" the electrical system in your vehicle...like this scene I came upon
below:
Below: At the rest area just off I-80 I met this couple who were working hard to remove lots of salt from the underside of their car, which they had
foolishly driven out onto the salt flats. Bad idea for many reasons. 
Be prepared for desert conditions. Temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and drop well below 0 in the winter.
There are no facilities or services on the salt flats. Temporary facilities are available during racing events.
Overnight stays are prohibited on the salt flats. Camping is encouraged on surrounding public lands. Private campgrounds and hookups are available in
nearby Wendover, ten miles west of the Bonneville Salt Flats. I have stayed there and can attest that they are well-maintained with full-hookups.
What made the Salt Flats what they are?
The Bonneville Salt Flats of the western Great Salt Lake Desert were formed through the evaporation of the Pleistocene-era Lake Bonneville. The salt
flats are actually the bed of that once massive lake which rivaled in size present Lake Michigan. The flats are composed mainly of potash salts
ranging in thickness from less than one inch to six feet.
In 1827, trapper, trader, explorer, and frontiersman Jedediah Smith was perhaps the first white man to cross the salt flats in 1827 while returning
from his first expedition to California.
Six years later, Joseph Reddeford Walker, another trapper, mapped and explored the areas around the Great Salt Lake and crossed the northern perimeter
of the flats while in the employ of Captain Benjamin L. E. Bonneville. It is from Benjamin Bonneville that the salt flats and prehistoric lake derive
their name, although it is unlikely that Bonneville himself ever saw the flats.
In 1845, John C. Fremont and his expedition crossed through the very heart of the salt flats in an effort to find a shorter overland route to the
Pacific. In the following year, Fremont's route across the flats would come to be known as the Hastings Cutoff.
The Cutoff, promoted by Lansford Hastings as a faster and easier route to California, proved to be just the opposite for the ill-fated Donner-Reed
party of 1846. A factor contributing to the Donner-Reed tragedy in the Sierra Nevadas was the delay the party experienced on the salt flats when their
wagons became mired in the mud found just below the thin salt crust. Abandoned wagon parts from the party were present on the flats well into the
1930s, and the wheel tracks of their wagons were still visible in 1986 when archaeologists examined several sites associated with the party.
The tragedy of the Donner-Reed Party inhibited extensive use of the Hastings Cutoff as an overland migration trail.
Fifty years after the Donner-Reed party slogged their way across the flats, the area's first use as raceway was conceived by publisher William
Randolph Hearst in a publicity stunt. Hearst hired William Rishel of Cheyenne, Wyoming, to attempt a crossing on bicycle. Rishel completed the
journey, crossing the salt flats in 22 hours.
Early attempts to promote automobile racing failed until 1925 when Ab Jenkins, driving a Studebaker, beat a special excursion train by ten minutes in
a race across the flats. Since that time the Bonneville Salt Flats have attracted racers from throughout the world and have become the site of
numerous land speed records. Their attraction for these racers is due to the hard, flat surface expanse.
Bonneville Salt Flats became the destination for men who aspired to push it to the limits. In 1970, “The Blue Flame”, a rocket propelled vehicle, made
the headlines by reaching six hundred and thirty miles per hour. The record stood for 13 years.
Remember the almost unbelievable 630mph reached in the Blue Flame?
In 1970, “The Blue Flame”, a rocket propelled vehicle, made the headlines by reaching six hundred and thirty miles per hour. The record stood for
thirteen years, then was busted over and over again..until finally...
The current record holder for Fastest Land Speed:
Thrust SSC – Great Britain (763 mph)
Former British Royal Air Force Pilot Andy Green set the fastest recorded speed in October 15, 1997 at Black Rock Desert, Nevada. At 763 mph, Green is
the frist to reach supersonic speed on land. The ThrustSSC, blended the know how of 4 British gentlemen, Glynne Bowsher, Ron Ayers, Jeremy Bliss, and
Richard Noble, himself a record holder. They used a turbine gas engine (turbofan) by Rolls Royce, the recognized leader in aircraft engineering.
763 mph!
"Nomad Drivers, start your engines!"
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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AmoPescar
Senior Nomad
Posts: 835
Registered: 7-15-2006
Location: North San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Need a Fish Taco and a Pacifico!
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ROGER....
As ALWAYS...thanks for sharing the stories, history and pics with us. I always look forward to opening up your posts!!
Miguelamo   
Nomad Amigos...Here\'s hoping you all have safe Baja travels, amazing sunrises, sunny days, comforting breezes, beautiful sunsets, tasty tacos,
cold cervezas and frosty margaritas!!
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