Wendover to Green River

So let's see....it was a pretty uneventful day but it all went smoothly. We left the hotel around 10:00 am and headed to the Bonneville Salt Flats. For those who don't know, this is where land speed records are set. That means anyone, anywhere in the world who wants to set a world land speed record in a car or on a bike, it has to be done here.I don't believe it applies to running so neither John nor myself bothered to make an attempt. Instead we opted to eat breakfast at a little restaurant there with really cool pictures of people who had taken a "run" at it......The place was owned by hispanics and smelled exactly like Mexico.I had scrambled eggs and beans, John had chicken fried steak and it came to $8.00. Great place....we drove the 5 miles to the salt flats...slowly, we didn't race....there was a guy there from Ireland who had ridden his bike down from Alaska. It was some type of a Honda that was made to compete in Dakkar. His bike was covered with bugs and dirt and he had a great weathered, healthy look about him. He was pleasant, friendly and at ease with himself and his world.

The salt flats are huge. They go on for miles. There is a sign there that talks about the Donner party and how it took them so long to cross and they lost so many animals in the process it contributed to their ultimate demise. If they had not been so delayed by the flats they would have made it to their destination sooner and wouldn't have gotten stuck.

All of this movement- cars, bikes, wagon trains, fast, slow, to somewhere, from somewhere. Some motivated by necessity others by adventure, still others are drawn by the curiousity of "what's over there?" I feel glad to be a part of all this flow. To be connected by a sense of wanderlust.

We went to Salt Lake City because a woman at the consulate in portland told us we could get a vehicle importation document there which will speed things up quite a bit when we cross. Unfortunately, the information was incorrect and we stopped there for nothing. After we got south of Ogden we got off the big freeway we had been on and opted for something smaller. For the rest of the day we drove through vast expanses of emptiness . John did all the driving. He says it takes his mind off his head hurting.

At about 7:00 we decided to stop for the night in a little place called Green River. It's so odd- you drive for hours and see nothing then there will be a little town then hours of nothing again. Green River is one of those little oasis. Evidently it is a real melon capitol. they are for sale everywhere. The Motel 6 had no wifi so we chose to splurge and stay at the Holiday Inn. To counter balance that expense we ate at Arby's which was actually located in a gas station...On the way there, the sun had almost completely set. In the last glow of the day we saw a crowd of 25 or so people who were gathered around in a circle outside of a church. It wasn't like a friendly church social, it was more reminiscent of...say...children of the corn. We decided we would get up early and leave Green River behind....moving on....