DAY - 05: Second Day On Lake Powell

Day - 05: Saturday, September 27, 2014

Beginning Location:    Anchored at Face Canyon, Lake Powell, UT/AZ

Final Location:            Anchored at Face Canyon, Lake Powell, UT/AZ

Sheila was up very early but I slept until around 7 AM with the others arising soon thereafter. We awoke to a weather forecast of rain and winds by early afternoon so we had decided to remain at Face Canyon for the day.

Though we had provisioned for great breakfast feasts the reality for today was more like everyone picking up whatever they preferred, whether it was an English Muffin, fresh fruit, lox and a bagel, Green Slime or even M&M with Peanuts, we were all well satisfied.

With my Utah fishing license in hand I rigged up two fishing rods, then loaded them up with fresh earthworms and catfish dough. Soon thereafter we had a couple of catfish and a handful of small stripers and shad. 

Nick's Big Catch

Greg's Bags A Cat

As the early morning was clear, Pat and Diane trekked up the hills and rocks for an overlook of the canyon. The good news? They didn't get lost and in a hour or so returned to the boat.  

In anticipation of a wet afternoon several of us took the power boat back into the depths of Face Canyon, several miles of winding turns, narrowing canyon walls and occasional shoal water. The sights were great, a palette of stone colors decorating a wide variety of rocky spires and stone walls hundreds of feet in elevation.

Some were so relaxed that ... 

As we had discovered, the TV/Dish Network was inoperative. After many tries by the technicians on board we decided to call for help. Though we had no cell service and limited marine radio connectivity at our anchorage, while on the power boat we soon discovered a hot spot about a mile from our boat. Thanks to Pat's Verizon mobile phone service (AT&T was nowhere to be found) we were able to contact the marina's service center for a TV assist. A tech was soon onboard our houseboat and after disassembling the entertainment center he found a loose wire. Ultimately the TV worked and we were back on for game day. 

One Loose Wire

As if on cue, around 2 PM the skies darkened all around us as the stormy weather that had been forecast for the afternoon moved in. With winds picking up, our bosuns reworked a couple of the anchors for better security. 

Around 3 PM the winds shifted dramatically and the temperature dropped 5+ degrees. Soon the rain began and for a short time included pea-size hail.

For our afternoon appetizers, Pat produced meatballs, some plain and others cooked in a chili/grape jelly sauce. As we had experienced at L'Auberge several nights earlier, we were treated to an amuse-bouche consisting of grilled steak and tuna with pickle and a cream sauce.  Gin & Tonics were up for pre-dinner drinks including the Hendricks G&T with cucumber. For our main entrees we dined on cheeseburgers, hot dogs, baked beans and salad. Oh, and did I mention Diane's frozen cookies …

With a working TV we watched several football games (Missouri – South Carolina, Oregon – USC and parts of others) throughout the afternoon and night. In a consumer comparison of  Dish Network versus Direct TV it was very clear that Dish was awful, user unfriendly, etc. but the ads on television, during the games touted the Dish Networks cost advantage. In that we were concerned about the viability of the TV our decision was to never turn it off, thus ESPN or CNN or MSNBC or FOX would run through the night, albeit with the volume muted.

Most turned in around 9 PM but I headed out for the stars as the rains had stopped and the skies had cleared. As expected in this haven of darkness, the stars number millions, billions, etc.

So ended our first full day on the water. We'll be underway tomorrow for a new home.