It's nearly that time again. July's nearly half way over, and that means one thing: The SCTA's Bonneville Speed Week, August 11th through 17th. Can you smell the salt? There are plenty of great car shows, rod runs, and hang outs all Summer long, but ... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
a trip is on my Bucket list. Gonna plan a road trip with my Son when he gets a little older, probably take that long to get the car done anyways
No other place to be in August. This year will be my 6th in a row - Has become an annual pilgrimage with my 11 yr old son who celebrates his b-day on the salt!
Sadly I'll miss it again this year. Maybe by next year the bellytank can hit the salt. No matter how you cut it, a trip to the salt is an event of a lifetime!
This is my sixth year also. Looking for a great Speed Week Crewin on the 5100 car AA/GL Hope we have a nice HAMB turn out.
Last year was my first. Haven't stopped dreaming about the next trip. This year I am planning the October session.
I'm planning on taking my sons (17 & 13) this year for the first time... I hope they enjoy it as much as I do.
I'm tossing around going back this year. There is just something about that place. It is absolutely indescribable.
Just FYI- There's going to be a HAMB BBQ (or HAMB-R-Q) at the bend in the road on FRIDAY opening weekend. Look for a banner. (TMAN, do we have a banner?) There will be food, shade, and there's even going to be an auction to raise money for Save the Salt. Look for us, it's a good excuse to eat and meet some fellow HAMBers. It'll be a good time for sure, then on over to the Nugget to see some *****in cars! And GOOD LUCK to all you running this year. It's been really hot and dry, the salt may be really good/hard this year. Now if we can just get the temps down another 20-30 degrees we will see some FAST runs! If you have any questions, or would like to help with the BBQ (or donate some cool stuff for the raffle) contact TMAN or myself.
I'll see you all there. I went in 2010 so being a rookie I can only describe it as: an adventure, a journey, a mechanical speed event, church, Oktoberfest, pow-wow, escape capsule from "life".......... It's very pleasant to get to a stage in your life when you are no longer trying to attain anything....money, women, status, etc. You finally get the luxury of being free of all that and you just want to be someplace of your own choosing. A place where there's nothing else competing for your attention. No "breaking news", no doorbell ringing, no newspapers...no nothing. I think one of my best memories from two years ago was just sitting on the salt, in the shade of my van, drinking a Coke and looking at it all. I thought about the fact that it was 50 years earlier that I used to sit in the dirt at Lions Drag Strip and do the same thing. Pretty lucky guy.
JustplainJ and I are driving out this year. My second time,Jim's first. Bobby says I can push off the Old Crow with my truck! Hope it works out. That would be a dream come true.
I dont know how old your son is but its never too early to start. BenD takes his boys and its pretty cool seeing how much they grow each year. I think it was two ... maybe three? years ago there were a few of us sitting under the tent and his sons pull up in this little go cart kind of thing. They had been out bombing around and their faces and hair were coated with salt. I wish I would have taken a picture it was so cool. I took my younger son, 27 at the time, two years ago and we had a really great time. Someday I hope to go back with him and his brother ... scheduling and life always manages to get in the way =( Id also like to take my granddaughter sometime, she's 7 now and always asks me to not forget to bring her her hotrod shirt from Bonneville =)
Looks like we're not going to run "SPEED WEEK" but "WORLD FINALS" in October does look like car will be finished and ready to run. Everyone have a SAFE TRIP! & watch for ol'SMOKEEE, he knows you all are coming!!! BB.....do you need a co-driver, that's a looonng trip in that old PU?
When you-us started talking about going back to the salt so many years ago I would have never thought I would be back there before you. Life is strange sometimes. Be good to finally see you when you get there.
Thanks, and YES WE HAVE A BANNER and a NOT SO EZ UP, darn thing is only 20 years old. The extra help I need is to erect the damn thing!
Lance, DON'T WAIT! If you make it this year look for the 2 yahoo's under the ez-up at the starting line (Guess that describes a lot of folks on the salt!) and say hi! This is my third year and it won't be my last. Jim
Make sure you tell him you will be the guy in a white Tshirt, floppy hat and dark sungl***es as well so as to narrow it down!
My first trip to the salt was 2007. It had rained right before the event and as you dropped off the asphalt at Land's End you were in a lake. The salt was wet and where it was not graded it was like snow. Stuck to your feet and no matter what you did it still got tracked into the RV. On one run I missed the graded turn out and ran through the soft salt. I was on my Norton and it was like driving through a snow storm. I left with a record and vowing never to return to that miserable hole. But I was back the next year and the year after and I will be there again this year. I vowed never to return but there is something about that place that draws you back year after year. I hate what seems to be a never ending drive there, But once you come over the last hill and see the salt out in front of you you forget the drive and the excitement starts. Leaving with a record cert in your back pocket makes the drive home a lot easier.
I went for 8 days back in '98. It was the most satisfying motorsports event of my life. I want to go back.
He's 9 now and I figure he will be driving age by the time the car is done so he can help with the driving and the pushing during break downs