DAY - 06: Third Day on Lake Powell

Day - 06: Sunday, September 28, 2014

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

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

Sheila and I were up around 0530; the sky was clear and the temperatures cool with a light breeze from the south. The other crew members staggered out between 6 and 7 AM.

This morning we were able to get some of the local carp to rise to the surface for a “cheap bread” feeding.

This was a day to be on the move so by 9 AM we had lifted anchors and were headed up the lake.

Well the crack navigation team of the good old houseboat #B-5 somehow lost track of our track and ended up at the end of Last Chance Bay; not where we had intended to go. After an hour or so we had backtracked to the main channel and resumed our planned course to Dangling Rope Marina. From this time forth we will rely on a GPS for position and track.

En-route, we saw flocks of Western Grebes ducking and diving on the lake; apparently for them, fishing is good.

Around noon, we arrived at the Dangling Rope Marina. With mixed signals from the fuel pier dock hand we gently slammed the houseboat’s bow against the pier but in a few minutes were moored successfully. In typical Navy fashion, we topped up the fuel tanks whether we needed gas or not. We took on 45-50 gallons of gas for the houseboat, generator and powerboat. We also made a “ship’s store” visit for small items. In about an hour we were underway.

!!!!! SQUEAMISH ALERT !!!!!  We’ve got mice on board with us; our evidence was a chewed bag of peanuts. As we were prepared for adversity, we set two spring traps with peanut butter, actually crunchy peanut butter. No mouse can resist this treat.

As the afternoon progressed, we passed through several rain squalls. At times the rain was heavy and tail winds gave us a push somewhere in the vicinity of mile marker #45 adjacent to Balanced Rock Canyon.

We had considered the Escalante River Canyon for our next anchorage but stopped short at Secret Canyon to avoid having to anchor in darkness; this would prove to be one of our better decisions. As we entered the canyon we saw a number of boats already anchored so it appeared to be a reasonable place to stop.  We finally settled on a beach just to the north of a large private houseboat. Fortunately large anchor holes had been left by previous boaters at this site; with ease we dropped the anchors in the holes and tightened all lines.

As the skies seemed to be clearing, Greg, Diane and Pat took the powerboat out for a spin checking out the local canyons. Soon after their return, the rains began, not so much but enough to make for several fantastic rainbows.

We met one of the boys from the neighboring boat. He had come ashore near our boat after exiting his towed wake board. Soon thereafter, apparently after the young guy had reported in to his boat, the dad and four boys approached us with shovels and a sledgehammer.  Was this an attack for mooring to closely?

Actually they had come over to help with our anchors. They gave us a tip about the area, indicating that we needed strong anchorages to withstand harsh crosswinds should a storm blow up. With youth in their favor, they proceeded to “fix” our anchors, digging deeper holes and hammering the anchors into the sand with their sledgehammer.

Within minutes of the re-anchoring, as if on cue, the winds picked up and began to push the stern to port. This storm cell developed fast and was furious with winds up to 35-40 MPH for about 20 minutes and then backed off as if nothing had happened. During the highest winds, with a push of the engines and the deepened anchorages our mooring held.

Meanwhile appetizers had been prepared. For tonight it was “Crabbies”, the cheese and crab mix on toasted English muffins. With plenty to share, we took the first plate of “Crabbies” over to the folks on the nearby boat as a token of thanks for the help.  Turns out that they were houseboat time-sharers from Newport Beach, CA comprised of two families and friends of the kids. All of the kids were college age, either going to UC Santa Barbara or Texas Christian University. They had been at this anchorage for 5 days thus the local knowledge about quick rising windstorms.

As it was Sunday, we watched the Steelers and Saints collapse. As we don’t have Internet service, Sheila and I are left wondering just how our fantasy football teams had played; were we big winners?

For dinner we had Pat’s chili with a bonus treat of grilled cheese sandwiches. It was a hardy meal for a cool night.

Speaking of cool, it was time to use our firewood. With an assist from Jack the fire-builder, we had a great campfire. We moved chairs to the shore and sat around like good girl and boy scouts, relating stories and even belting out a song or two.  To make the fireside event even better we downed a bottle of Erath Pinot Noir and a bottle of Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc.

By 10 PM, the fire was out and it was time for sleep.

I had stayed up typing up some blog notes but apparently dozed off while sitting on the couch. Around 11:30 I was awoken by a snapping sound. Was someone awake and wondering around? Had some equipment turned off? Had a circuit breaker released? Nope, nothing of that nature; the answer, yes the crunchy peanut butter had worked its magic. The snapping sound had been the spring loaded mouse trap taking care of the stowaway aboard houseboat #B-5. No details here, let’s just say that the mouse exited the boat.

Well that was enough for me, after checking the lines one more time, I was off to bed as well.