DAY 2 – ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE – 3 TIMES

Left Elko at 7, and pressed on to the east. First stop was at Bonneville Salt Flats to inspect the salt, and for Ray to make a sign on the salt showing other T’s which way to go. At a little break stop in Knolls, we ran across Bernie and Becky Trigiero, former members of our T club. They were also pulling a car trailer with a T inside. Next stop was at Saltair, the old amusement/bathing facility on the edge of the Great Salt Lake. There were actually quite a few people who were walking out about a half mile to swim in the lake. We were content to just view from a distance. Making our way thru SLC, we started over the Rockies. The climb up I80 from SLC to Park City was a tough pull for our rigs. Got all the way down to 3rd gear once and did not have any power to spare. The amazing thing is the speed at which most of the semis go up this hill. We got to the top and I asked Ray if he had enough gas to make another hundred miles or did we need to hit a station. He responded that he had used a quarter tank on this hill and we did need a station.

At Park City, we had bright blue sky for the first time. The Nevada-Utah desert is incredibly hazy and smoky from the CA fires. On I80 east of SLC, I think there are more trucks than cars, and they are moving. The speed limit is 75 and I think that is what the trucks are running at. At 6000 to 7000 foot elevation, about the best we can do is 65 mph.

Saw quite a few drilling rigs, oil and gas rush is on in Wyoming. The sharp eyes of Ray spotted a few antelope. Made the obligatory stop at Little America and got one of their advertised 50 cent ice cream cones and then made a late day push for Rawlins, getting in at 9. Beautiful sunset in the rear view mirror. Flopped into bed, long day tomorrow.