Please Pass the Salt

I know its been a week since you've heard from me, and I'm sorry if you've begun to wonder if I'd dropped off the face of the planet, but it is mostly due to the fact that we have been out of contact with reality...  oops I mean civilization, for most of it.  Well, the entire week wasn't in Boonie-ville, but without internet access, updating my blog is a little difficult, so I'll do my best to fill you in now that we are back (or at least get as much of it down before my scribe falls asleep on me).

The big "Family Camp" (an annual event apparently) was being held at the Stampede Reservoir in California, which meant packing all kinds of camping equipment, food, and whatever else you humans need to survive, into a van along with five kids, two adults, and at least one cute bear, and then driving along what might be the most boring stretch of highway ever created for about ten or more hours!  Ok, the drive wasn't done in one go, and we had a lot of grand adventures along the way, but as you can imagine, it was a rather tight squeeze getting everything in/on the van (Clare calls it 3D tetris - very interesting game, I must say).

So it was, that after a morning of packing, and organizing, we were on our way.  Shortly after passing the airport, we could see The Great Salt Lake stretch out to the north of us, and then I started to see the ground around the highway was white, and soon learned that it was the beginning of the salt flats.  As we drove, I noticed words or symbols written out with rocks along the side of the highway, and at one point even saw someone stopped along the side of the highway adding their own decor to the salt.  Needless to say, I was very eager to add my name to this collection, and insisted on it when we finally stopped for lunch.

Our lunch stop had been planned before we even left home, and was about two hours into the drive, at a rest stop on the Bonneville Salt Flats.  This was a site I've silently hoped to see since my first trip to Utah, as I'd heard rumors of it being the "fastest track on earth" or something like that.  But more importantly, it was the site of a long-ago asked question by Clare's nephew, Haydon...

"If you lick the salt flats, does it taste like salt?"

Naturally that required intensive scientific testing by seven of my favourite humans (yes, the photographer tested it too)!  The fact that we had seen (and taken photos of) two salt mines along the highway that probably proved that it was indeed edible salt didn't stop me from requesting the taste test.

The answer?

Yes, it most definitely does taste like salt... and I kindly bottled a little bit up for Haydon.  After all, I wouldn't want him to be denied the privilege of discovering the answer for himself.


Once we finished playing in the salt, making snowman (or should they be called salt-men?) and other salt fun, we headed to the foot-washing station.  Yup, I'm serious, there was a sign and everything!  I'm not totally sure why they felt it necessary to wash my feet, as I hadn't walked on the salt at all, but I think it has something to do with them still feeling like I'm some little mascot and they just wanted the picture.  Whatever!

Well, my fears have been confirmed, and Clare is complaining about being tired and everyone else already being in bed.  I finally got to go camping, after all these weeks of waiting, and now she won't even keep her eyes open long enough for me to tell you all about it!  How selfish can one get!  Well, I guess you'll all have to wait another day for the rest... 

Until tomorrow
Whatever!