We are learning the hard way that the Bonneville Salt Flats is not always kind to its participants. For the second time in a row we will be out of here without getting to run the car. Due to the storm last Thursday the salt conditions are not conducive to a successful run.

We went down to talk to the officials this morning. They are still planning to have one course open tomorrow. However, everyone that has not gone home will be vying for a place in line to make a run. As well, one of the track inspectors told us that there is still soft mud under a solid top layer of salt that is 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The track is supposedly in good shape up until the end of the third mile and then it is messy. He advised us that he would pack his car up if he was in our position. So we have made the decision to not make an attempt tomorrow.

All is not lost though. Adam was discussing our dilemma with some onlookers yesterday. They live in Utah about 3 hours drive from Wendover in the Ogden area. They are long time drag racers but have never run a car at Bonneville. However, they visit every year. They have offered to store the truck and trailer until the World Finals at Bonneville in October. Whoa! This might make sense. We have to get the truck and trailer home at some point but we do not have to do it now. They are offering to be part of our crew in October since we do not know how many of our guys can come back with us then. At first this just sounded like a nice gesture but eventually they convinced us that they are serious. Well, so are we. We now have secured airline reservations back to Charlotte with the intentions of coming back in October.

We have had a great trip except that we have not gotten to do what we came for . . .

We doubled our crew this time around. We convinced (suckered) Louis McCrae, a high school friend of Mike’s, to come from Denver. Now he will get to take us back with him to the airport this week. Trey Williamson brought his whole family across the country to be here. Our daughter Shannon and grandsons Cary and Hudson flew out with Adam. John and Joey Watkins were return crew members. Mike’s brother Marshall and wife Ann arranged to make the event a leg of a tour of the northwest. Their grandson, David Skipper, took a break from his just-out-of-college job hunting to join us and we have learned to know and love him. I understand from several sources that David takes quite long showers. We are expecting an extra charge on the rooms for the hot water usage. And I understand from him that his bunk mates John, Joey and Louis all have the art of snoring mastered. Seriously, thanks to you all for your enthusiasm.

I cannot take credit for the photo of John below. Let’s just say that Joey stalks John to get photos of him at indiscriminate times. Somebody needs to ask Joey about whether he has to pay for a new set of tires on the Versa he rented when it is turned in. I think the rental car company is going to want to discuss the bald spots from him squealing the tires by pulling the emergency brake. Just saying.

Here we are at the church service they had on the salt this past Sunday.

I think we have been adopted by Rick Vesco and George Poteet. We had met George earlier this year at the car show in Atlanta. Mike has gotten to spend time with him again here and his crew helped us out with some connectors to our Racepak software. Rick came by a couple of times yesterday. He was giving us pointers on bypassing the line if we chose to run tomorrow. We did explore that possibility today but were not able to work it out. Vesco’s team is participating in a world final in Australia in March, 2020, so they were working on some turn around techniques this week during the downtime that they will be using there. They have all been so great to us. Below is a photo Joey snapped of Mike and me talking to Rick Vesco.

There has been a lot of fun intermixed with the work and heat and salt. Here’s hoping for a few successful runs the next time around.