Around the Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the Western Hemisphere, and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of approximately 1,700 square miles (4,400km²), but the lake’s size fluctuates substantially due to its shallowness. For instance, in 1963 it reached its lowest recorded size at 950 square miles (2,460km²), but in 1988 the surface area was at the historic high of 3,300 square miles (8,500km²). In terms of surface area, it is the largest lake in the United States that is not part of the Great Lakes region.

The lake is the largest remnant of Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric pluvial lake that once covered much of western Utah. The three major tributaries to the lake, the Jordan, Weber, and Bear rivers together deposit approximately 1.1 million tons of minerals in the lake each year. As it is endorheic (has no outlet besides evaporation), it has very high salinity (far saltier than seawater) and its mineral content is steadily increasing. Due to the high density resulting from its mineral content, swimming in the Great Salt Lake is similar to floating. Its shallow, warm waters cause frequent, sometimes heavy lake-effect snows from late fall through spring.

Although it has been called “America’s Dead Sea”, the lake provides a habitat for millions of native birds, brine shrimp, shorebirds, and waterfowl, including the largest staging population of Wilson’s phalarope in the world.

I had stayed in the icy parts of Canada and the United States for about 2 months now and felt it was time for a change. I was desperate for warmer temperatures, what could be better than to visit the desert? It’s supposed to be hot there, right?

So I packed my things and headed towards the great Salt lake and Salt Lake City. It was a days drive ahead cruising through the rural landscapes of America, constantly going slightly downhill from about 2000m to below sea level. It’s funny how the landscape seems to be the same for hours but at the same time it constantly changes. There’ll just be the desert, then suddenly a bush appears and an hour later there’ll be more bushes and after a while there’ll be only bushes. I had been in three states that day, driving through the landscapes of Wyoming, Idaho and Utah. Just before I arrived to Salt Lake City an unexpected nerve-wrecking drop came up, I literally shot down Provo Canyon like a cannonball on a train tracks, loosing about 1000m elevation in 8km. The breaks didn’t work that well and so I just went with the flow. There are pretty tight speed limits in the United States, but everyone was going too fast, it was crazy. Big trucks shooting by, I was so nervous and so happy when it was finally over with. Tension levels stayed high, as the end of the canyon was the big flat area with the Great Salt lake and SLC next to it. I entered major traffic for the first time since Vancouver, twelve lane highways at rush hour, around five to six pm. I swam with traffic and my first stop was a community centre as I probably hadn’t showered since Yellowstone, it must’ve been close to a week or so. It gets terrible after five days, that’s when it started to affect me mentally as well. The community centre turned out to be in a weaker social area of town, well, actually it was so ghetto it was ridiculous. But my appearance did fit the setting and my question for a shower lightened the mood of the black community. Got it all done and I was happy the car was still there after, all tires still mounted, no bricks. Straight off to Walmart for some salat ingredients and then I tried to find a place to sleep, I ended somewhere in someone’s field on the outskirts of town. Kinda scary, but close to Antelope island, a state park located on an island in the great Salt lake. I had purchased a yearly pass for all national parks in the US, sadly that didn’t include state parks but I drove in so early, the booth was still closed so it was free in the end.

The island consisted mostly of grassy landscapes with a few hills and it’s main attraction were the wild buffaloes that grassed around the area.

The island consisted mostly of grassy landscapes with a few hills and it’s main attraction were the wild buffaloes that grassed around the area. I tried to get a good shot of one of them, was probably 800m away from the car and maybe 50m away from the animal. It had given me a couple of signs but I ignored them, the ones in Yellowstone were quite relaxed and had let me come a lot closer. I remember looking through the viewfinder, when all of a sudden the thing started to run towards me. Fast, very fast, definitly faster than I was able to run, still, I had to react, so I turned around and started to sprint as well. The buffalo was mad as hell, got a head start and had already gained five meters on me before I could do anything. There I was, running for my life, once I had turned around and got to run there were probably 35m left. I kept running for my life, looked back, 30m, kept running, 20m, looked back again and it was just behind me. So close, I was so unbelivably dumb. Yet just after one of the dumbest things, I did one of the smartest things, when it was just about to be too late, l took an extemely sharp right, just like a rabbit being chased by a fox. I managed to do it in the best possible moment as well, just after I took the swing the animal stormed by and stopped hunting, calmed itself down and didn’t took another attempt. It must’ve used a lot of it’s energy as well. I kept running towards the car and only stopped when I arrived. There is absolutely no exaggeration here, if it would’ve caught me it would’ve stomped me to death, or at least injure me so bad I would’ve died later. I am sure of it. Don’t fuck with buffaloes, kids!