Last week I drove out to the southern Oregon coast – my first visit there ever! The route to the coast took me through some really different country, including across the Bonneville Salt Flats via Interstate 80.

I have only driven out to the Salt Flats a few times, this was maybe the third time. As you approach the Utah/Nevada border from Utah on I-80, you come to a rest area just before entering the small town of Wendover.

To be honest, I needed a stop to re-fresh, so I decided to stop. The rest area isn’t really all that nice (Utah’s rest areas need a lot of improvement), but the view was pretty striking. That morning was cloudy; it looked like it might rain. But those clouds and soft light produced some very cool colors out on the salt and into the surrounding mountains.

Anyway, as I was heading to the Oregon coast to do some photography, I pulled out my tripod and camera, and hiked out onto the salt to get away from the few people who were there that morning. I set-up my tripod and camera to make a panorama shot of the Salt Flats hoping to catch the character of this place as well as the cool colors.

The best way to view this photo is to isolate it and then blow it up. It is composed of six photos that I strung together in photoshop. (I think this would be a cool photo mounted on a long wall for someone who is into moody desert landscapes.)

Anyway, this rest area is really close to the turnoff for the Bonneville International Speedway, where numerous land speed records have been set for many years. In fact the speedway runs closer to the mountains in the background of this photo.

So, I hope you like the panorama, and I hope it gives you a feel for the desolation of the Bonneville Salt Flats desert. Thanks for taking a look at my blog, and go have fun outside!