Bonneville First Time on the CHEAP

That time of year again to daydream about going to Bonneville for the first time. Airfair to Salt Lake and a car rental are easy to figure out, what is at Bend in the Road for camping vs. finding a room in Wendover? What day/days are best. This would be a great 32nd wedding anniverasry trip right?

 

getting pretty late to find a hotel room for this season but u mite get lucky. nothin at the bend except salty dirt. that mite not impress the wife much. 1st weekend is best for seeing west coast rods at the casino. there is a campground behind the casino we stayed at one year. maybe rent a small rv in saltlake at least you can use the pool there...

 

It's not the end of the world if you have to get a room in SLC and drive to the salt every day. I've done it. It's a little over 100 miles, but it's a pleasant drive. The best time to visit? Get there on opening day...EVERYBODY is there that weekend, then a lot of people go home Monday. Don't miss the "Salt Talks" on Sunday night at the bend in the road. Food, fun and a lot of racers to mingle with.

 

Myself and Strombergs97 went to the 60th running of Bonneville a couple of years ago. As stated, the bend in the road is OK if you like camping outside, (we used a 4 man tent) and there is a cafe 1/2 mile down the road and you can eat and take showers there, not bad.
The hotels within 20 miles of Wendover.............well the prices start, if you can find one, at $150/250 a night with usually a minimum of 2/3 nights.
When we stayed at The Bend we camped next to some really great people, the guy as a begining "tech inspector" and his wife was in registration. We had a great time!
The best day for me was during the first day of Tech. The cars are lined up in lanes for at least a mile or so, and you can check them out and even talk to the owners/drivers. Being a tech inspector for the SCCA...................I really enjoyed it!
Three pictures of The Bend, and one with Strombergs97 infront of our tent. The other two were taken in the Tech inspection shelter.
Great place and really a lot of fun!

 

Any info you need for a first timer can be found at landracing.com. If you stay at the Bend in the road, look for my old chopper, with the Old Crow Speed Shop logo on the tank, and say Hi! I'll be camped rite at the bend, with the mayor of the bend in the road, Terry Gorman! C U on the Salt?

 

Cant wait my grandson is working on the trailer for the quad plan to be at the bend to camp giving him a good send off he leaves the next weekend for the Marines so this is his weekend coming in on friday leaving sunday or monday depending on whats going on Bear

 

Any info a first timer needs can be found at landracing.com. If your at the bend in the road, look for my old chopper with the Old Crow Speed Shop logo on the tank. Stop and say Hi!

 

Darn it!!!!! Sorry, double post!

 

Hey 37, I'd bet there's somebody from CT, or NE that would like to have a helper at the Salt. Seems like everyone there is short handed.

I went last year for the first time and helped on a AA/GL. From NJ. Now I have to go everytime.

For us gearhead, I think it's more fun to be part of the racers than the lookieloos.

It's a real laid back casual event without a lot of time pressure, so there is still a lot of time to socialize and wander even when helping on a car.

Staying at the bend was OK. I didn't have a car tho. With a car, the bend is perfect. Tent camping, leave all your extra stuff there all day, nobody there but racers, nobody touches your stuff. The food at the track is great for an open air early breakfast. The Trucker's World in NV has $2 shower rooms in a NICE facility.
The food at the Red Garter for dinner is tops. As is the Mildred's Hamburger place near the Air Base.

Most all the cars at the night car shows are out at the salt during the day.

I wasn't real impressed with the possers. The race cars were the best show.

You have to do this.

Frank

 

Me and my son will be going the cheap route as well. It will be his first trip and my second (first was 1992-ish). I would love to drive the flatbed out there but can't swing the added fuel cost due to the horrible gas mileage right now. I'll be taking the 40 mpg commuter car. I built a bike rack for it so we won't have to do quite as much walking out there.

I can hardly wait.

 

I've heard stories about the rental car agencies taking a dim view of driving their cars on the salt. Don't know that first hand though. The bend in the road is a lot of fun. Prepare to not get 8 hours of sleep unless you can sleep through a tornado. There is something going on well into the night, especially the first weekend and the cars start coming in from Wendover around 4:30-5AM. And check your boots for scorpions. We had one last year that loved to hide under the gas cans.

 

My wife and I spent our honeymoon camping at the Bonneville dump. Still have the same wife and car (bellytank) after 38 years.

 

Beware of car rentals, they can slam you for hundreds of bucks for cleaning, if you bring back their car with salt on it. My son and I duct-taped garbage bags to the floor, put duct tape on the pedals, and drove real slow on the salt. (however, I heard that Rent a Wreck doesn't have a problem with salt?) Then, we did a thorough cleaning at the car wash, no problems at turn in time. If you don't mind the 1-1/2 to 2 hr straight-as-an-arrow ride each way, Salt Lake can be cheap to stay. Try the City Creek Inn, right downtown in SLC, and we paid less than $70 a nite two years ago, reservations no problem. Finally, I believe the Alter Boys gang from Worcester, MA did the drive last year, maybe they might be looking for someone to shadow them this year?

 

one of our crew rented a car in SLC from Budget. We had the high school girls wash it in the back lot of one of the casinos for a $10 donation to the school. They did a great job, outside and underneath. Then we brought it to the car wash behind the Smith's grocery and vacummed it out. NO problem at turn in.

 

We did a trade show in Salt Lake, and got to go a few times, was an easy drive from the city, and the rental folks weren't breaking chops then... The red Iguana in Salt Lake has the best Mexican food ever...also got to a Nitro show at the local drags, but Bonneville was the best to see...Didn't even hardly look at the hotrods, cause the racers were so neat, and that's what it's all about. (There are several teams from Ct.) Have fun!

 

We are planning to go this year for the first time as well. Cheap route. We are driving out in our 1948 Ford Bread truck, camping and truckstop showers most of the way. Did splurge on a hotel room at the Days Inn in Wendover for Friday the 13th to Sunday. But all the talk about the Bend of the road and a place to shower near by might go that route and save about 400.00. Taking our 7 year old son and thought the hotel might be good. He will get to swim and actually watch TV for the first time in about a week.

 

Thanks for all the info so far, all your posts are very interesting. Debbie actually got to Bonneville last year in July and is more of a camper than I am.

 

I am heading out for the first time this year also, planning on tent camping at the bend. I have to work here in PA Sat. the 14th, leaving right after work and driving out. I see that some of you say the first weekend is the best, is this true what is the rest of the week like? Maybe I'll see if I can pull some strings and get on the road the Friday night or earlier Saturday.

 

Hey for some people there that's only a 15 minute drive

 

You may get lucky & find a room when you go, but it's a longshot. I met up with some people there last year without any reservations and found a room. I was planning on camping at the bend, but it was all timing with the room at the hotel.

Good Luck.

 

Just my opinion...if you're not in Wendover by Friday (the 13th) you are missing out on the majority of b.s. sessions at local hotels at night and most the racing up till sunday the 15th.....by Tuesday the 17th, our group is usually on the way home back east...Yes, there will be some major fast stuff yet that week, but the bulk is the weekend prior

 

I'm entered for SpeedWeek and will be staying at the Bend. I don't have the money to stay at a hotel. So it will be the 30 year old RV at the Bend. If rat rod bs is your scene then you have to be there by the weekend. If you are going for the racing then there'll be plenty of that all week. Go scta-bni.org and click on Bonneville. Click on results for 2009 and you'll see the daily run log. PLENTY of racing ALL week.