Short miles today. Actually, the plan was to go for some big,
relocating miles, but it was a miserable and sleepless night, I had a late
start, and what little time I was on the road was exhausting and quite
unpleasant. I-15 through Salt Lake
City and all of its neighbours that sprawl to the south and north
is big and badly surfaced, but it is Sunday and the traffic was fairly light.
Howling side winds made it particularly difficult. And the near miss that I
have been waiting for missed me, but it was unsettling and it made me want to
shorten the ride.
 |
| Now there's an idea! Let's harness the horsepower that is trying to blow me off the road! |
About ten years ago we roared along this highway and were
hell bent to visit the Great Salt Lake.
Although it is one of the biggest lakes in North America,
we missed it. Almost all of the shoreline is spoken for by industry etc. and
there is really only one exit off the interstate that gives access to the lake.
I was determined to not miss it this
time.
Antelope
Island is connected to
the shore by an ambitious causeway I measured to be 11 km long.
Oddly, it felt kind of comfortable over here probably due to the familiar sea
smells and seagull sounds. First stop was a rocky point that is a rookery for
the California
seagulls who have adopted this pseudo-sea as their home.
 |
| Great Salt Lake from Antelope Island. To the right is the long connecting causeway. |
 |
| Rookery for California gulls. |
I had a pleasant walk on the sandy shore, wading out to get wet just to say I did, but stopped short of testing the buoyancy of the hypersaline
water. One would have to walk out a considerable distance to find water deep
enough to submerge in it. I did have a taste, however, because I knew you would
ask. And yes, it is… like TOTALLY salty (as the kids would say). Dude.
 |
| There ya go! |
 |
| The water is so dense that birds can actually walk on the surface of it. ;-) |
OK, it is time now for a little geology lesson, Boys and Girls.
Listen up.
Surface water typically collects into streams and rivers as
it seeks a lower elevation.. But if there are some irregularities in the
gradient such that the water pools up in basins, a lake is formed. Once the
water level of the lake becomes high enough, it overtops the basin and a new
river is created by the overflow. Ultimately the water reaches the lowest
elevation, i.e. sealevel, at least most of the time.
However, the basin up here in the highlands of Utah is so big relative
to the amount of water available to fill it, that the water evaporates before
it gets deep enough to overflow. Stream water also contains very dilute amounts
of dissolved salts from the rock and soil it washes over, although it is seldom
salty enough to notice or even to taste. These salts are carried to the lake
basins as well. But when the lake water in a landlocked basin evaporates, the
salts remain in the lake and the salinity steadily increases over time. In
other words, the water gets recycled by evaporation, but it is a one way trip
for the salts. Hence and behold, the Great Salt Lake.
(Incidently, oceans are saline for exactly the same reason).
After a relaxing time on the beach, chatting with people
here and there, and having a nice hot shower I noticed it was about camping
time. Being rather disinclined to saddle up again and head off to find
something somewhere, I elected to park my butt at the campground right here on
the island. It is peaceful and serene
and I have a commanding view of the lake from this little hilltop.
 |
| Camping at Great Salt Lake |
Heathcliffe
is perched on the table beside me in the faint hope that I have a hand out for
him, and some very pretty, lemon yellow bird is warbling away on the tree
behind me.
 |
| Hey Buddy--spare some change? |
And a buffalo just walked by.
I was not expecting that.
I was not expecting that.
