9/1 - Elko to Layton (Hill AFB), Utah

Today's drive wasn't quite uneventful. The MP3 player in the truck's sound system froze up and is playing dead. We run an iPod through it constantly while we're on the road, so this is not a minor inconvenience. We don't know if if there's a way to fix it or if the whole radio has to be replaced, but if anyone has any ideas on how to "unstick" it, let us know. (Hitting it didn't help.)


We didn't get on the road as early as we would have liked, but we still managed to get to our destination about 30 minutes before rush hour clogged the roads. We went to the commissary after we got set up and discovered on our way back what the on-base-rush-hour traffic is like. We will make every effort to avoid it in the future.

The drive itself wasn't as monotonous as yesterday. For one thing, there were more interesting rocky areas as we got closer to the Nevada/Utah border. 

We came across four of these strange-looking metal structures, on both sides of I-80 on either side of Pequop Pass (7,000 ft).  We had no idea what they were for until we reached a completed structure.

When we came to this bridge we realized at once that the metal structures were the arch supports for two more animal-crossing bridges like this one. What a great idea for getting wildlife across the interstate.

Coming down into Utah from the Nevada border there's a fantastic view of the western side of the Great Salt Lake Desert stretching for miles north and south. The desert is a dry lake bed which usually gets less than 8 inches of water per year. The salt crust reforms each year when the rainwater evaporates.

Utah has very kindly built a rest stop about ten miles east of the state line. They've even put up an observation deck so you can see the desert better. Everything white (except the trucks and our RV, of course) is the salt desert. Building the interstate across here in 1956 must have been quite a challenge. The Bonneville Salt Flats of speed-record fame are about five miles to the west (left) of this rest area.

This was the only structure between the rest stop and the east side of the desert (over 50 miles across). It looked like a piece of artwork. We have no idea what it was but it was certainly interesting. It gives people something to wonder about for at least part of those 50 miles. 

Added on 9/2: thanks to my cousin Gabe knowing what this is, I am correcting the description. It's called "Metaphor: The Tree of Utah", an 87-foot tall, mainly concrete, sculpture done by a Swedish artist in the 1980's. The fence has been put around it to protect people from falling tiles. The plaque at the base is inscribed with "Ode to Joy" by Friedrich Schiller, familiar from the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

There must be a lot of accidents along that stretch of I-80 from people falling asleep because there were numerous signs aimed at "drowsy drivers."  50+ miles of an arrow-straight road and nothing to look at but white salt flats would be enough to make a lot of people drowsy.

Towards the eastern edge of the desert there were several small lakes which looked so much like the salt flats it was difficult to tell the difference between them.

The surrounding mountains are high and rise abruptly from the valleys which are quite flat.

We didn't have to go through Salt Lake City to get to Layton, but we could see its big buildings on our way by. The city is built in a large valley between the mountains and the Great Salt Lake. The valley stretches up the east side of the lake from one end to the other and is the most heavily populated area of Utah.

This evening we had a ferocious thunderstorm with the first rain we've seen in ages. Jim takes full credit for the rain because he washed the truck yesterday. His reputation as "The Rainmaker" continues.

Sunset tonight from the campground.

Another sunset shot which I couldn't get without the light pole in the middle. The mountains are on the other side of the Great Salt Lake and the water is the lake itself. I'm surprised we can see the lake at all as it's about ten miles away.

The campground as dusk after the storm. We have a great view of the mountains to the east.

We have yet to figure out what we're doing tomorrow (other than laundry) but, whatever it is, we'll do our best not to be out during rush hour.