|
BONNEVILLE DRY LAKE BED, Utah USA — After six inches of rain falling over the Utah area recently, there is nothing dry about the Bonneville Dry Lake. Utah Rocket Club's HellFire 13, scheduled for Thursday, August 2nd through Sunday, August 5th, has been officially cancelled. Heavy rainstorms on the salt flats over the last 10 days has left over six inches of water on the lake bed in some places. With the rest of the surrounding area under a state-wide burn ban, UROC had no alternative locations available to use for the launch. The largest launch held on the salt flats each year, cancelling Hellfire is a major hit to the Utah club. The site of LDRS 17 in 1998, the local town of Wendover, Nevada and the surrounding dry lake beds of Bonneville are known for their remote desolation. As far as the eye can see, in spite of the brilliant white reflection of the sun, there is usually nothing but a flat white expanse of salt. Today, that salt is being salinated into several inches of water. At the end of the initial access road onto the lakebed, a large sign identifies the Bonneville Salt Flats International Raceway, a monument erected by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Currently, the sign could be used to advertise waterfront property. Instead, it holds two sheets of plain white paper, with the words "Due to excessive water, Hellfire 13 has been cancelled. UROC apologizes for any inconveniences," dated August 1st. Soon, the Hellfire planning team and UROC officers will determine whether to refund registration fees or plan for an alternative event. For further information, visit the UROC website or contact
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
. Website: http://www.uroc.org/
Registered users can add comments and discuss this article. To participate, please login or register. |
