A Song from the Bonneville Salt Flats

The Road to the Bonneville Salt Flats

What a mesmerizing place. The Bonneville Salt Flats had been on our bucket list for a while. For a photographer and an amateur geologist…this site was a must-stop.

We were en route from Driggs, Idaho to Elko, Nevada. Hopping from one mural project to the next. We only had one day to play at the Salt Flats. And, boy, did we play!

Jose shot drone footage of the bus flying across the flats. Mach speed 55! We recorded this Song from the Road, along with elements for the first Song Built from the World (think Paso A Paso, Americas-style).

And we had a wee bit too much fun playing with perspective, making the bus appear toy-sized.

How did the Salt Flats form?

The region encompassing and surrounding the Bonneville Salt Flats was once an enormous body of water. Ancient Lake Bonneville once filled much of the Great Basin. When its water level dropped below the elevation of its outlet, it began the long process of evaporation. The only remnant of this once-giant lake is present day Salt Lake. The only other remaining evidence are the evaporated salt beds, forming a thick crust across much of the basin.

Unique. Striking. Beautiful.

An unsettling phenomenon

It blew us away how easy it would be to get lost on the flats. We drove not 15 minutes off the road, and we could see the highway in the distance. Yet when you find yourself completely devoid of nearby landmarks, a strange thing happens.

Your sense of direction becomes distorted, and you become unsure if you are traveling in the correct direction, even though you can see your destination far ahead.

It was a bizarre experience. One we both would repeat a million times over.