As I continued my eastward travels, I said goodbye to Nevada and hello to Utah. I’d deliberately chosen a more northward crossing as I’d not been through this part of Utah and had never visited THE Great Salt Lake. Traveling through miles of alkaline soil was not the most attractive but interesting none the less. The reward was this view of THE Great Salt Lake!
As per my style, I looked for access areas more remote than the popular options. I found Stansbury Island. The drive was interesting as the road was bordered by what appeared to be holding ponds and magnesium and brine shrimp plants. This is an interesting article (http://tooeleonline.com/captain-stansbury-visitors-overlook/).
I hiked the interpretative trail where I learned more about the lake and the expedition.
I found a few blooms along the trail.
This is part of the shoreline of what was Bonneville Lake and is now I presume overflow for the Great Salt Lake.
I should have taken a photo when I first arrived but I got distracted visiting and then walking the interpretative trail. By the time I got to the shoreline the wind had grown strong and the water turned brown. Initially the foam was white but soon it turned chocolate milk brown.
Although I’d hoped to camp nearby so I could witness sunset and sunrise on the lake, Mother Nature had other plans. The gusty winds made the area very unpleasant. There was also an incoming storms predicted to drop snow nearby so I selected my campsite carefully and found myself on the Pony Express Route. This seemed perfect after spending the previous night on the Wagon Trail.
As forecast I awoke to fresh snow coverings on the mountains 360-degrees around my campsite. It was a good day to wait out the storm, do a little research and figure out where I’d be going next.
Resources:
- Wikipedia – Stansbury Island
- Wikipedia – Lake Bonneville
- Stansbury Island Mountain Trail (wish I’d known about this trail)
Jan's Jaunts and Jabberings 
Good to see you are really on the move again!
And you as well! Loved your time in Alvord and that we shared Lava Beds. FUN!
This brief visit brings out some interesting inquiries. Following your links, Salt Lake is at an intersection of human history, Pleistocene megafauna, climate change, earthquakes, subsidence and rebounding of the earth’s crust due to changing water weight.
The future of drying lake basins may hold air quality (dust) implications near and far. Lakes dry out in dry settings, who knew?
Thanks for sharing link. I’ll check it out. I’ve noticed on my travels several “lakes” marked on maps only to find them to be “dry” lakes.