Monday, July 5, 2010
Lake Powell
We left Salt Lake City very early on Monday morning to make the 7 hour drive to Lake Powell. Lake Powell was one of the places we had been looking forward to visiting most when we planned this trip last winter. Early on we had discussed traveling to the Grand Canyon, but we were somewhat reluctant to do so during the heat of the summer. We had never heard of Lake Powell at the time, but we stumbled upon a blog written by a family of avid RV travelers from New Jersey. Their blog had gorgeous photos and ringing endorsements of a lake surrounded by red sandstone cliffs straddling the border between Utah and Arizona. We did a little research and found that Lake Powell was a man-made reservoir straddling the border between Utah and Arizona. It is a popular vacation destination where travelers rent houseboats and "camp" along the shore of the lake within the various inlets. The scenery was amazing (similar to the Grand Canyon), even better, the houseboats looked really great and professed to be very easy to drive. So, we reserved a houseboat and penciled in a stop at Lake Powell as part of our cross-country adventure.
On our way to Page, Arizona (where Antelope Point Marina is located), we stayed on the interstate as long as possible. We had learned from our drive through Jackson Hole, that the fastest route over the Rocky Mountains was not necessarily the best route to take in a 31-foot RV! We made it to Page in about 8 hours, passing some magnificent scenery along the way.
After a quick stop at a local grocery store to stock up on supplies, we headed over to the marina. Antelope Point Marina is located within a Navajo reservation and is staffed largely by people of Navajo descent who grew up in the area. The marina was new (only 5 years old) and the buildings accompanying it were constructed of sandstone, so they blended into the surrounding scenery perfectly. We were disappointed to learn that our houseboat wasn't ready for us when we arrived, but the marina gave us a discount to account for our wait. When we finally boarded the boat, we were further disappointed to learn that it was too late for us to depart that evening. It was explained to us that we were not permitted to leave the marina at dusk because it was too difficult to see the rocks under the water as the sun set. So, we spent the night sleeping comfortably on the boat and looked forward to departing first thing Tuesday morning.
Lake Powell is the second largest man-made reservoir in the United States. It was created by the flooding of Glen Canyon. The reservoir is named for explorer John Wesley Powell, a one-armed American Civil War veteran who explored the area via three wooden boats in 1869.
The Glen Canyon Dam began construction in 1956, when President Eisenhower pushed a demolition button at his desk in the Oval Office. The dam wasn't completed until 1963. It took 17 years for the lake to rise to its high water mark in 1980, since then the lake level has fluctuated considerably depending on the seasonal snow runoff from the mountains.
Glen Canyon was carved by erosion from the Colorado River over about 5 million years. Within the canyon and plateau lie layers of rock from over 300 million years ago. Large rock formations are the result of the ancient inland sea that once covered the area. Once the sea drained, windblown sand invaded the area creating wingate and kayenta sandstone. Above this is Navajo sandstone, the result of more compressed sand dunes. The bottom of the lake is mostly stone and it reaches depths up to 300 feet. All of what is Lake Powell was once a Sahara-like desert.
In addition to the spectacular red rock formations, the cliffs surrounding Lake Powell contain Anasazi ruins, , dinosaur fossils, pictographs, petroglyphs and natural arches. The lake is long, twisty and narrow with really interesting canyons sprouting off its sides. Many of the canyons are too narrow to accommodate a houseboat, so most vacationers tow jet-skis or speedboats behind them in order to explore.
On Tuesday morning a Navajo instructor came to teach us the ropes. She explained that in order to camp, we would have to anchor the houseboat to the beach by using 4 anchors that were located on the front of the boat. She told us to keep a lookout for a sandy beach while we were cruising around. We were surprised to learn that we couldn't just drop an anchor out in the middle of the lake for the night, but she explained that the lake was so deep in parts that doing so wouldn't work well. She made it all sound pretty easy, though, so we foolishly were not at all worried. We glanced at the manual and toured the boat with her for about an hour learning about various safety features and what to do in case of emergency. She guided us out of the harbor and we were off!
We had a great morning and afternoon cruising down the lake. Colin and Alex each took turns driving the boat (which only reaches a maximum speed of 6 mph). We stopped a couple times so that we could jump on the jet ski and explore. The boys had a blast using the water slide off the back of the boat. The weather was hot, but breezy and the water was a comfortable 78 degrees. Though Glen Canyon supposedly houses about 70 different species of mammals, the only wildlife we saw were a few birds, some lizards and some pretty big spiders. In the late afternoon we began to look for a beach to camp at. We spotted one that looked pretty good and decided to putter in to dock. We noticed some other houseboats close by, so we figured that it must be a good spot. Unfortunately, when we got close to the shore, we realized the spot we had picked was too rocky to secure the anchors. When we tried to back up, the jet ski rope became hopelessly tangled in one of the propellers on the right engine! We shut the boat off for a while and tried to get the rope out of the propeller. Unfortunately, we only had a steak knife for a tool. Steve spent nearly 90 minutes sawing away at the rope to get the jet ski detached from the propeller!
When the jet ski finally was detached, we raised the right motor out of the water and puttered along with only one engine looking for another spot. Ellen was on the jet ski scouting locations (as it was beginning to get dark) while Steve idled on the boat just off shore. Fortunately, some Good Samaritans were camping nearby and noticed that we were having trouble. Before we knew it, about 8 men who were experienced sailors (unlike us!) had jumped in the water and were swimming out to our boat. They had proper tools on their houseboat (including a propeller wrench!). They got the rope off of our propeller and secured the anchors for us on the beach. We were very relieved (and exhausted!) at this point to be secure for the night. The spot we chose to camp in was a place called Dungeon Canyon. it was a secluded spot with a few small sandy beaches surrounded by towering cliffs and small caves. We had a peaceful night and got to enjoy some fireworks that the Good Samaritans brought with them.
The next morning, we discovered that the boat was anchored in water that was too shallow for the boys to use the water slide. They were disappointed, but set off with Steve to explore the canyon on the jet ski for a while. When they returned, Ellen had the bright idea of moving the anchors (one by one) down the beach so that the boat would be in deeper water and the boys could use the slide. This plan seemed to work just fine for a while, but then the boat started turning and drifting with the current. So, we realized that we would need to pull up all four anchors and take the boat back out into the lake. We had to pull each anchor up manually and wind 40 feet of rope for each anchor. The problem was that the boat was now in water way over our heads now and one person couldn't possibly carry the anchor to the boat and wind the rope. Typically, one person is supposed to stay at the helm, keeping the boat from drifting. And, as we learned from reading the manual carefully later, several people together help to take the anchors and ropes back onto the boat. since there were only two adults on our trip, we had to figure something out.
So, we untied the ropes from the anchors and brought each rope and then each anchor onto the boat. The problems really began when the boat started really drifting into deep water before Ellen could carry the last anchor on board. The anchors weighed about 50 lbs each and we were actually swimming while carrying the anchors back to the boat! With one anchor left, Ellen couldn't make it back to the boat, so she swam with the anchor over to where the jet ski was, loaded the anchor on the jet ski and drove it up to the boat! She threw the anchor onto the boat and Steve secured the jet ski. Unfortunately, no one was at the helm and the boat began to drift again! Steve ran to the helm to set the boat straight, but now the jet ski was adrift and no longer attached to the back of the boat. Before we lost the jet ski for good, Ellen jumped off the side of the boat and swam after the jet ski. She finally caught up with it and was able to secure it on to the back of the boat. Several 0ther boaters were watching this spectacle with their binoculars, so I'm sure we were probably the talk of the lake that night!
Once we were back safely out on the lake, we decided that we would dock back at the marina that night. There, we knew, we could get the help of some professionals when it was time to dock the boat! We enjoyed a second splendid day on the lake, exploring with the jet skis and using the water slide. At dusk, we returned to the marina and spent the night on the boat.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Grand Tetons
Monday morning we left our campground in West Yellowstone and headed off to the Grand Teton National Park for a few hours. Grand Teton is just on the other side of Lake Yellowstone, so we had one final drive through Yellowstone on our way there. After having driven through the park for a few days already, we knew just where to look to spot the wildlife. This time we saw a male and female bald eagle and their nest. We also spotted some more buffalo and elk on the drive.
Grand Teton is located in northwestern Wyoming, about a two hour drive from West Yellowstone, Montana. The park is named after the Grand Teton, which at 13,770 feet is the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. The park was established in 1929 and covers 484 square miles.
The Tetons are part of the Rocky Mountains. As we learned later, they rise from the floor of Jackson Hole, Wyoming without any foothills. At the base of the Tetons are several large lakes. We headed for Jackson Lake and the Colter Visitor Center to see a Native American museum and do some hiking around the lake.
About 12,000 years ago, Native Americans camped in the area while following game. The Tetons were named by French explorers who called the highest peaks of the range Les Trois Tetons (the three breasts). In the 18th and 19th \centuries the area was frequented by fur trappers.
We made a visit to the Native American museum, which had an incredible display of ancient moccasins. Emily begged us to open the case so that she could wear some of the pretty shoes, proving that her shoe fetish is still alive and well! After the museum we hiked around the lake for a while and then headed off to the cafe at the restaurant for lunch. Since the boys were both wearing Red Sox caps, one of the elderly rangers at the restaurant asked if we were from Boston. He explained that his sister had been married to Tip O'Neil!
We ate a quick lunch and departed for Salt Lake City for the evening. The drive from Jackson H0le through Idaho was a bit hairy. Extremely steep two-lane mountain roads that the RV struggled mightily to climb. We almost bailed out a couple of times, but we persevered and it paid off. It took longer than we expected, but we arrived at a particularly elaborate campground near Salt Lake City at about 7 pm. The campground was complete with a waterpark, which the kids loved. The begged us to stay another day so that they could play in the park, but we left early the next morning so that we could get to Lake Powell, Arizona for our next adventure.
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