West Wendover, NV

September 21 – 27, 2020

Wendover KAO
651 Camper Drive
West Wendover, NV 89835

September 21, 2020

We continued on RT93 into Nevada. This time, the landscape was not as exciting. Still beautiful by any standard, but we must have gotten a little spoiled the day before. We stopped at Craters of the Moon to take in the scenery and shoot some photos.

Arriving at the KAO Park in West Wendover in the late afternoon. This was our new home for a week. We were just across the border from Utah and close to the Bonneville Salt Flats and looking forward to exploring the area in the evenings and on coming Saturday.

September 22, 2020

We crossed into Utah and drove East on Frontage Road, which is tucked in between the highway and railroad tracks. On the other side of the tracks are large fields of evaporating something, which we could not identify on any maps we looked at. It turned out that it’s owned by Intrepid Potash, Inc. Potash mining in Wendover goes back to World War I. Check it out!

Frontage Road is not maintained anymore and the further East we went the more it turned into a very bad dirt road with bushes growing through what used to be asphalt. Reaching the next intersection would have taken us over an hour, so we turned around, crossed the highway, and went straight to the Salt Flats. We saw the sunset over the mountains and enjoyed the twilight, a slight breeze, and perfect temperature. It was surreal. We walked, soaking it all in, until we got tired and had to drive home.

September 23, 2020

We went to explore the visitor centers of the Salt Flats along highway I80. First stopping Eastbound. Then driving to the next exit, turning around, and stopping at the Westbound parking lot. This round trip took about an hour. It was the most monotonous highway driving I have ever experienced in my life. It was so flat and uniform that it was dizzying. Signs warn of drowsy drivers and encourage to take a break at the next exit. No kidding!

From the Westbound parking lot we walked out on to the Salt Flats. We had a bit more time than the night before and walked farther. The surface was very different here, as you can see in the photos. It was at least as exciting as the night before.