Back from Lake Powell

Here are some observations about Lake Powell.


One morning, about 7:15 a.m. , after the no-wake on the lake lifts (it's funny, people are out at 7 a.m. on the dot), Gary and Carrie headed out waterskiing for a quick 15-minute wakeboard ride. Our stretch of canyon  was like glass.
      Our other days have been  a mix of inner tubing (our ten-year-old excels at this), and water skiing and wakeboarding with various  levels  of success, and just overall  exploring.
    The first night was stupendously cool. I think  we were just below Adeiyi Taah Hooti, looking toward Dominguez  Butte. We landed and 10-year-old sprinted barefoot up the hill  rising up from the beach of our little camp. She was so excited about the beauty of it.. We took the motorboat out and did some tubing around the bay, going past this giant wall. Crazy to see this huge lake with the desert rising out of it. My daughter and Gary  fished on this little point next to our boat, while Carrie and I made dinner.
It was just us. Far across the bay were a  few other boats, but we were really alone. It was great.
The next morning we did more  tubing, I tried and failed multiple times at getting up on a single ski and then we packed up  managed to pull  back from our beach and headed up to Rock Creek  Canyon. It took about twice  as long as it should have because we didn't make a hard right when we should have and spent an hour going up Last Chance Canyon instead of up Rock Creek. But it was still gorgeous.
      As I mentioned, we got the last spot in Rock Creek--we could see other boats cruising in and turning around. But we were each in our own little alcove, it was really private. At night we  could see  a dim light reflected on a rock ahead of us,, but it was kind of cool. The only light that kept me up at night was the moon.
One  morning we got up early and went to Rainbow  Bridge. That was great--but we wanted to beat the tour boats that go there and we did. It is a really cool, windy route down a canyon that gets pretty narrow. The  approach  alone is worth the trip!
    However, we  are learning lessons about where to stay and not stay. Yesterday we moved down to Padre Canyon  so it would be a shorter tripback to the marina, but we should have stayed high, because it is jammed here. It's a polite crowd, quiet, but you have no sense of being alone here, we can see a dozen houseboats and some are very close to us.
    Gary is lobbying for just a powerboat and a tent, should we come back, but I love the houseboat.. But you have  to commit to a long trip back that last day.  Gary's looking at a map and thinking that Secret Canyon would be  good,  but I don't remember seeing that many spots.
      Face Canyon is where we  stayed that first night, one canyon over is Labyrinth Canyon,  which looks as though it has some cool slot canyons, and Face Canyon itself leads to an  arch.
      Even  here in Padre Canyon, there is a really cool little labyrinthine water filled slot canyon that we drove down that was gorgeous, aquamarine water, beautiful. Some idiot cliff divers, too, but we cruised past  them asap so as not to have to be responsible.
      Most nights we had a campfire and made s'mores.
        Last night the wind fanned our fire something fierce. Fireworks are big here and the booms echoed up and down the canyons for a long time. We slept on the roof of the houseboat every night, Gary and I alternating because Gav wanted to sleep inside,  that's why you definitely want to bring sleeping bags, that is cool.
      Also, you definitely need kids, by yesterday, Gavriela was mainly reading for entertainment, card games, us and the views had started to pale for her.
    The thing to remember to get before you come is to get "Stan Jones and Steve Wards Boating and Exploring Map." The map is okay but you should use it in tandem with the National Geographic map.  What's great about the Jones and Ward map is the  writeups about each of the canyons.