Planning to finally get to Bonneville for Speed Week this year. My wife is trying to decide if she should go or this will be a trip for the boys and I. What does your better half do during Speed Week? Are there any other sites or activities around if she gets bored?
Dig salt out of her ears... Seriously, unless she's really into it, leave her home. You'll both be happier for it.
Best plan is not to take her. Or she can spend the day playing the slots in Wendover. First option is best. Rex
my wife is at bonneville??? was wondering where she went 11 years ago!! dont tell her i moved to colorado!!!
My wife absolutely loves Bonneville. She likes the sound of the engines and seeing all the cars. She is not technical, and does not understand all the various engine, aerodynamic mods, and other allowable rule variations. It doesn't stop her from having fun. She likes the start area hearing the engines warming up and seeing them push off. She stays under the EZ-up more than I do. Such as when I go to the pits and get lost for a couple hours. She makes friends with nearby spectators around us. There is not a lot to do if you don't like the cars. She does not like the porto-lets, but you have no option out on the salt. We stay in a hotel room and that is much easier than camping at bend in the road, although we have done that. Bring a bicycle for your wife to get around on or something like a mini-bike. Walking gets old fast when everything is so spread out.
Watches the cars run and chats "inline" motors with the guys. Oh yea, she takes a day out to "gamble/drink for free". If your wife likes cars and can hang with the guys, bring her........if not, there is not much to do in Bendover.......unless you want her to gamble all day.......but then again, your watching cars go FAST and maybe that could be a trade off. Chris Nelson Kansas Oh yea, last year was the first that she has missed and the reason was that we had a 10 day old baby @ home and she/he could not go & she TOLD me to go and get a room for 2010, and this year will be Henry's first year to the salt.
My wife comes with me but she hasn't a great interest in machinery. She likes the drive and the scenery. At Bonneville she is the one who keeps me sorted. At the line she helps me get suited up and has the helmet gloves etc. at the ready. And its alwas great to see her big smile when the truck ariives for the tow back. She also does the cooking whch is miles ahead of anything I could do!!
I dunno, I haven't met her yet. If she is hanging out at B'ville, I suppose I'd better start going again.
If your wife doesn't go to carshow or hang out in the garage with you, then it's probably not the place. The first reply is about the best though. Also, if your not getting a hotel room and your camping, your wife has got to like some sort of camping.
Aside from the racing there is NOTHING to do in Wendover besides gambling or sitting by the pool reading a book.
I've been twice 88 and 98. Took my dad in 88 and he griped the rest of his life about the sunburn and he got bored real quick while we were there. He did get a batch of photos of the hottie that was dancing on the salt on Sunday and he got Don Garlits autograph on his pit pass on his straw hat. In 98 my wife patted me on the butt and said "ya go and have fun and I'll see you when you get back." I spent four days at Bonneville and two at Plesanton and had a ball the whole time except when I had to carry my battery across Wendover on the bus to get it charged because one of the wires to the alternator had broken. I would not recommend taking anyone along who gets bored easily. That means female or buddy or relative. I would highly suggest that you do not take young children unless you have a motor home or camper with ac for them to stay in or you leave the significant other and them at the motel. It isn't a place to take pets no matter how much fluffy is a member of the family. My dog goes everywhere with me when I am not working or going to work but there is no frigging way I would subject him to the salt flats. I might sound like sour grapes but I have seen the bored and sunburned kids, the miserable pets and took along the relative that got bored easily. But each and every time you go is a lifetime experience. Where you see that car you saw in Hot Rod years ago go out and make a record run. Where you see the who's who in land speed racing in a gab fest around the Turbinater at the starting line while the SCTA crew moves the clocks because lightning knocked out the clocks on the long track. Where you see a Japanese tourist pay a hundred bucks and suit up and go 150 in a Big Lincoln coupe and get his 150 license that he will most likely never use but it was one of those thrills of a lifetime for him. Thanks to digital photography you don't have to fork over 100+ bucks to the developer and printer like I did in 1998 to develop the 13 or more rolls of film I took that year. Go and have fun and if she doesn't want to go out and watch every day make sure she has a good book or a couple of movies, suncreen for around the pool and a pocket full of quarters and go have fun.
Mine wanted to drive my V 10 Ram on the salt. I thought I was going to have to send out a search party. I was nervous there. She had a ball! Don
I took my wife 5 or 6 years ago, nice easy drive out, sight-seeing, B&B's, she spent 3 days on the salt. Hung out at the awnings, read, chatted, etc. Sid she had a good time and we drove home at a leisurely pace. What I got a pass to go whenever I want to....guess she found out that there wasn't much but old guys & old cars. Been camping at the bend since then. Charlie
Thanks for all the good responses. Starting to sound like a solo trip. I'm not sure the boys would last for more than a day either. They have that "video game" attention span. Maybe I need to plan a day at the salt and let them see what it's really about before I commit to the full week. Thanks again.
My wife is looking forward to our very first trip out to Bonnevile. She loves auto racing and fast cars of all kinds, so we plan on having a great time as spectators this year...I really want to bring a car out to run in '11!
I took my wife and two young daughters. We just made a fun couple of days out of it. My wife is not into cars or racing, but she love family time. I think she enjoyed it. She had a book to read. I'm sure it would get a little boring if you weren't into hot rods and speed. Kind of like me going to the ballet. Not what I would consider fun, but I enjoy being with my wife.
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