Alice Goes to Bonneville

My family, The Leggetts, has been making its way from Quebec, Canada across the American countryside in Alice, a stock ’50 Chevy. Along the way we’ve visited all of the back road sights, Route 66 and random shops, taking in all that’s quirky and interesting about the U.S. The trip was a monumental undertaking that stretched a total of 9,500 miles, and the highlight was making it to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah for Speed Week.

Many weeks of planning went into plotting the maps, booking an RV for Speed Week and getting press credentials lined up for the various events we planned to attend, but as we would soon discover, sometimes even the best laid plans don’t pan out.

During our last leg to Bonneville from Las Vegas to the town of Ely, Nevada more and more salt-bound vehicles loomed out of the summer haze in Alice’s rearview mirror along State Highway 318. We traveled through long desert valleys to small towns and dude ranches boasting luxurious cabins, in between were miles and miles of beautiful, desolate desert.

Our first stop was in Ely, home of the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, only 120 miles south of our destination near Wendover, Utah. The town was hosting the White Pine Rodders Car Show. Many local cars were displayed in the city park, as well as some of the vehicles making their way north for Speed Week.

We got ready to head out of Ely, but unfortunately for us, Alice’s clutch condition had been worsening for days, and we sadly made the decision to leave her at a local garage for a couple of days. We had commitments to keep on the salt, but our hearts were heavy as we drove away; so close, yet so far.

We traveled through long desert valleys to small towns and dude ranches boasting luxurious cabins, in between were miles and miles of beautiful, desolate desert.

We arrived at Bonneville and set up our base in the rental RV on Tarantula Flats, the place at the bend in the road where many fans pitch their tents and make camp for the weeklong event. Every morning, we rose early and drove our mobile basecamp down the road, past the starting lines, to the pits. We were surrounded by a crazy, mechanical world of motorcycles, hot rods, jet cars and belly tankers. Race crews buzzed around cockpits under sun shelters, hurriedly preparing for their next chance at the starting line. There was salt and chrome as far as the eye could see, and an undeniable buzz of energy filled everyone with excitement. The salt glistened in the sun, and we missed Alice dearly, but we got lucky and the part she needed was shipped promptly to Ely.

A few days later, Alice returned for her big moment. When she finally arrived, we were thrilled beyond words to drive her across such hallowed ground. Just a few years earlier, owning Alice, travelling such a long distance and attending Bonneville was only a dream. Cruising along in the bright sunlight felt amazing.

The faulty clutch was just one of the challenges during the 9,5000-mile trip, another was the lack of a functional gas gauge. I acquired the habit of accounting for gallons according to miles travelled, which made the distance more of a reality as the weeks passed. The experience was eerily reminiscent of the days when people drove to vacation destinations and wrote down every detail of their trip. Alice was, in that sense, a time capsule, and my mother, a pro at dressing in retro fashions, also contributed to the Twilight Zone-like haze that blanketed the trip.

Alice’s stock inline six-cylinder is a whopping 216 ci and produced 90 hp 63 years ago. There’s no pressure oil system; little cups on the connecting rod caps splash the crankshaft bearings with oil. The little single-barrel carb is smaller than the average cup of coffee at a roadside diner, and yet we averaged 18 miles to the gallon, even with our little trailer tied to the rear bumper. To avoid any unscheduled stops along the way, we kept two small jerry cans of fuel in the trunk.

After spending time in Bonneville and taking tens of thousands of photographs, we turned our convoy back along the Extraterrestrial Highway, stopping to camp once more in Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, without the alien visitors this time around.

Alice was, in that sense, a time capsule, and my mother, a pro at dressing in retro fashions, also contributed to the Twilight Zone-like haze that blanketed the trip.”

Later, we took an evening drive down Las Vegas Boulevard, dropped off the RV, and turned Alice southbound towards Needles, California. Once we hit town we passed through the tunnel seen briefly in the cult movie Two-Lane Blacktop, an easily overlooked landmark. The smell of the desert lingered and the long straight road led us past the desert in El Mirage, California where the S.C.T.A hosts its own land speed racing event. It’s another place on our list of events we plan to attend one day.

As we drove into the sunset towards the Pacific, there were many more adventures in store for us…”

We drove along the 66 past other well-known sites like the town of Amboy, an abandoned spot in California that’s often used as a location for film and photo shoots.

As we drove into the sunset towards the Pacific, there were many more adventures in store for us, including car cruises, garage visits, California sunshine, and finally, the long winding road home. Alice made it to Bonneville in her original state, and we can only imagine where she’ll take us next.

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