You don't have to walk! I'm in Maine! This is more important than any excuse you can thisnk of. And I second those breeakfasts at the Red Garter.
Does any one have any more info on the free camping? Is it first come first serve? Would it be ok to stay in a tent or is an RV needed. Me and my buddies are young and dont mind sleeping on the ground, no different than college hahah. Is there access to water? Any info would be great!! Mike
water at the truck stop nearby. lotsa room....spaces are first come first served, but the salt flat is a very big place lotsa guys in tents, and in trailers, and RVs, and sleeping in cars, I slept in my suburban last year
I second the lady as to the Nugget being the best place to stay. Cars in the parking lot are a good way to spend the evening. Good tacos downstairs in the bar too. If you fly in, get your rental car @ Rent a Wreck. They don't mind if you take theirs to the salt......everyone else does.
If you think Wendover is small now you should have seen it in 1972. Only one Casino in West Wendover. Every thing was on the Utah side. Rooms were scarce then, We camped in the town dump with several other racers.
Went for the first time in 08 with my buddy Hank. Hands down the most amazing trip Ive ever had in my entire life. Decided to go at 8pm Denver time while sitting in a bar... Brilliant idea. We were sitting on the salt at 10am the next morning. Seeing the salt for the first time is unexplainable! Like many before us Im sure we had to taste it. It is really salt. Somehow we managed to talk our way into a room at the Nugget. Theres plenty to do after the timed runs, everywhere you go you see hot rods. The Nugget lot is packed with them, and the people all make you feel welcome. I still get goosebumps thinking about pulling onto the salt for the first time. Without doubt. The most amazing place Ive ever been.
The space is unlimited but the wind comes up. You may find your tent in Salt Lake City. I hope more tenters speak up on their experiances.
Sure the Nugget is nice but you've got to be able to shit out a golden nugget to stay there for longer than a couple of days. Just because they've got the cars there at night doesn't mean you can't walk or drive over to check them out.
Speedweek is the circus time. All the big and little dogs fighting for a fire hydrant. World finals and USFRA are mellow compared. If you want the full heavy duty experience Speedweek is the best as a spectator.
I went this year and got to live the dream of being there, I also decided a couple of months before with no planning to go. I had a great time I drove there in my van and slept in it . The bend in the road is first come first serve on camping spots, and there are 2 truck stop's you can get a shower at one near the bend and one in town. Anyone who has not been I can't stress enough, do it , you can go on a budget and still have a GREAT. I am so glad I did it, it was one of the things on the life list to do. I met a lot of people, and made some new friend's too. Did I mention you should just do it!!!! CBB
I go every year and book a room at a motel a year in advance and I even with that much advance I have not been able to get a room only twice. Good luck!
The team I went with this year stayed at the casino across from the Nugget. $200 a night. I stayed at the Bend in a tent, 30 bucks from Wallyworld, and a 35$ cot to be off the ground. Arrived Friday, Stayed out there til tuesday, then moved into a wendover motel, $65. a night. Prices go down after the weekend. If you don't have wheels, and I didn't, the Sinclair station off 80 is walking distance. C-store, mexican resataurant(Ask for Apple juice and you get a beer), showers. I walked there every night but always got a ride back to the Bend. Also always got a ride to the Salt in the AM using the thumb. The big truck stop charged $10 for a shower. The Trucker's World or Trucker's Lounge, that belongs to the Pepermill was charging $2. And was a really nice place. Clothes wash machines, too. Had breakfast every morning at the Red Flame, the catering truck at the Salt. Breakfast from the grill, outside. Everyday a $6 Special, all you could eat, sort of, help yourself. Have a good breakfast you don't need no lunch. Travelled a couple of times into West Wendover at night to eat at the Red Garter, 12 or 14 bucks for Prime rib. I got a beef addiction. . Gotta go at least once to Mildred/s, the blue cow. Hamburger place down the street from the Nugget. 59 varieties of burgers and nice honest people there. Got a story about them, but it's long. Go to the airport/field where the Enola Gay was stationed, cool history. Before I went, the experianced people here on the HAMB said, just go, everything will work out. You don't need to make plans. THEY were right. I'll probably do the same plan this year. If I would have networked a little with other HAMBer's, I'm sure I could have been more mobile and done less hoofing. Oh, there's fireworks everynight at the Bend. And the area is huge, I don't think it's possible to run out of space. And nobody bothers your stuff while you're gone. Frank
I was there in '01 in my truck camper. There's a campground in Wendover where I booked my first night. In the AM I dumped my holding tanks, filled with fresh water, and filled the big water bladder that I can carry on the cab roof. Spent the rest of my time on the salt during the day and at the bend at night. But I went to the Nugget in the evenings just to look at cars. In '01 the bend was just a huge open area. No marked sites, nobody in charge, no cost,... no nothing. I was surprised to see the post above that there are now porta johns. The bend is so huge I can't imagine it getting so crowded there would be no room. In '01 it was a sort of mix of salt, sand, and dirt - hard but messy one morning after a night rain. The salt flats were fine after the rain. You'd never know it rained. Water must soak in. And take a bike. The pits are a huge sprawl. And don't forget to put SunScreen on the underside of your nose, under your chin, etc. Salt reflect like a mirror. Marcia - I saw the yellow coupe that year. And the nailhead '40 conv push car. Class. I saw the coupe again a few years ago at Burlington and the guys told me everything that had transpired since '01. More on the bend. The entry road is paved. Just a short way in it curves east and that's where we camped. After another mile or so of pavement it ends and you're on the salt. That's where you pay the man. You can also park there but it's too far to walk anywhere from there. If you had a group of cars you could leave all but one there and avoid getting salt on them. A friend came that year with a Model-A beater on a trailer. He unloaded the Model-A at the end of pavement and used that to get around. He didn't want to take his daily driver onto the salt.
Thank the SCTA and Seldem Seen Slim of the Landracing.com web site for the ports pottys at the bend, I would guess.
Guys and Gals, Thanks for all of the info and inspiration. I cant wait to get there maybe not this year but definetly next year. the Bend sounds like my place to stay.
Grab anything you can get or camp at the bend in the road. It comes with a free wake up call. LOUD PIPES!!!
It's nasty---------------- miserable,cold,hot,expensive,long,stupid--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------one of the coolest things to do EVER>
Zor and I went for the first time this past year. Planned on camping at the bend but ended up grabbing a room last second. Stayed in a real shit box. Was convinced the place was closed for construction and they just opened it for speed week. Amazed we even found that. Either way it was a total blast.
We took the ancient RV and the Norton to World Finals this year. We camped at the Bend. I think there was about 7 or 8 other vehicles/RVs there. A much smaller event but the wait in line to run on Thursday and Friday was interminable. Got in line to run at 8:30 Friday morning and got to run at 3:47 in the afternoon! Speed Week had three courses this year and I heard the wait wasn't more than about 45 mins. max. Next year its Speed Week for me.
This year was the first time for me- I plan on driving the '62 next year. And, yeah, camping at the Bend was great!
Camping at the bend sounds like it will be the most entertaining unless you can afford a room at the Nugget. Do alot or racers also camp at the bend or is it mostly just spectators? I will be going in a full size GMC truck and a 24' enclosed trailer and would need both of thoes with me on the salt. If the racers camp there do they just pack up there entire camp in the morning, head to the salt, and find a new spot at night? Or is it once you stake your ground its yours till you leave?
I was there in 2008 stayed at both casinos and the motel 6. Rooms do come up just gotta ask daily as we had nothing booked. The little mexican joint has good food and the bend is fun. Dont party to hard as the salt is awesome at sunrise. Remeber a big hat and sunscreen.
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