Lake Powell Part 1 of 10

HOUSEBOAT BLOG

For nearly 20 years, Lake Powell was our consistently favorite place to go.  Its home (Southern Utah). Its exotic.  Its relaxing.  Yet there’s an element of fear and excitement. (Except its Luxury Southern Utah and we were reared in Poverty Southern Utah.)

1985

April 20-21

The Training Trip.

     An owner is required to take newbies on the lake to teach them the “ropes”.

Brent played the piano and I read (and had written) the theme presentation “Gathering Rainbows” for Relief Society Stake Education Day at the Kaysville Tabernacle. After DeRay got the tire fixed on the camper, we left an hour late for Lake Powell. DeRay, Jeanette, Brent, (Jeanne was at Dixie) Brooke, Eddy, Amy Lyn—picking up ReNee Palmer in Bountiful and Roland in Spanish Fork, arriving at Bullfrog about 6. Being windy and rainy, we couldn’t move that night. We ate, played Shanghai and went to bed in “our” ½ share of the houseboat.

The next morning, we toured the lake while Roland taught us how to anchor in the rocks, on sandy beaches, and even how to drop anchors in the lake (in case you are surrounded by sheer cliffs). We hiked on the miraculous mesas. All the kids practiced steering the boat. Brooke even went swimming. We were wearing coats, for goodness sake. The sun did peep out a few times. Beautiful scenery. A wondrous experience. (We bought the half-share for $1,300 and sold it 20 years later for the same price. A full share is three weeks a year; therefore, a half-share is one week one year and two weeks the next year.  DeRay was secretary for the last ten years, which is essentially CEO. The President does nothing but have the meeting at his house once a year. DeRay handled all the finances, sent out all the notices and billings, made most of the decisions, went down on work parties several times a year.  When the boat sank, due to carelessness, he loaned them $10,000 to get it back on the water. We even had the yearly meeting at our house once. Basically, the years DeRay was secretary he went from knowing nothing about the boat to completely revamping it - the fridge, the toilet, the swim platform, the engines, the steering. Any engineering skills he didn't use on his job, he put to good use on the houseboat.)

1985

June 23, 1985 – I made copious notes while we were at Lake Powell and they are all lost.

Two comments I salvaged: “I love the feel of the breeze,” confesses Eddy.

Jeanne, Amy Lyn and I were floating, building a sandcastle, lying in the hot sun chatting. Jeanne floats a little bit away and Amy Lyn whispers: “Where does Jeanne get her personality from?”

“I guess she just made it up,”

“Well, where does it come from?”

She then commented on the hot sun: “It feels like it melts all your blubber.”

The three of us visited for an hour or so and Eddy was floating out further in the bay with his life jacket on. I call to him,” What are you doing, Eddy?”

“I’m just over here feeling sorry for myself.”

“Why are you feeling sorry for yourself?”

“Because I’m alone and lonely.”

Brooke and Michael were fishing or reading all those last two days. Sometimes leisure is so busy. Dad spent the day studying the log and making a chart on it.

Maybe I’ll still find my notes, but I’m afraid they are lost and gone forever.

June 6-11. Brief daily wanderings:

Friday: Left for the Lake Powell Vacation. Family intact.

Saturday: Arrived at Rainbow Bridge after miles and miles of exquisite scenery.

Sunday: 50-mile canyon, Davis Gulch; slept in Moki Canyon. Les and his family (except Michael) and Brent got off the boat in the afternoon to go home.

Monday: Parked sandy beaches at Halls’ Creek Bay. Fishing great. Great storm at sea. Meanwhile back at home, Brent started his job at HAFB.

Tuesday: We hiked up to the Arch while parked at another sandy beach. Fishing nil.

Wednesday: we hike up to the arch again very early in the morning. Cleaned the boat. Off at 12:30. Home at 8:30 PM.

Thursday: Jeanne boarded TWA for Newark, N.J. where she was a nanny for the summer.

A diversion from Lake Powell. I found this in my journal while I was searching for history on Lake Powell: Yesterday I was commenting on Brent following in his daddy’s footsteps by starting out at Hill Field as an Industrial Engineer.

“I’m following in my dad’s too,” Amy Lyn, age 12, confessed, “I’m not following in yours. That sounds like a dumb life.”

1986

In June of 1986, we all went down to St. George to Jeanne’s graduation from Dixie Junior College.  Grandpa Pugh met us there.  Instead of going home afterwards, we had plans to meet Shirley, Charles, and Amy Hart in Cedar City and spend five days on Lake Powell.  In the camper were nine of us—DeRay, Jeanette, Brent, Erika (Brent’s German friend), Jeanne (and all her “moving home” stuff), Brooke, Ed, Travis White (his little friend), and Amy Lyn.

That night we got stuck on a rock in the houseboat in the middle of the lake.  June 7, 1986

Its getting late afternoon before we finally get to Bullfrog. We load up quickly—the battery seems to be dead but somehow DeRay gets it started. He is going to work on the other engine while the kids fish. When we go to start up, nothing. Completely dead. Luckily we get a jump from a friendly boat. DeRay and Brent decide to go back out in the main channel instead of up the canyon we are in. At this point, the main channel is solid rock on both sides. It is getting darker and darker. The kids are downstairs playing Trivia Pursuit. Suddenly crash bump – bump – bump. Our real misadventure has begun. We are sitting on a great big rock in the middle of the main channel. We cannot move. DeRay tries for 15 or 20 minutes before we decide it is hopeless and we may as well go to bed. The wind blew all night long splashing water upon the sides of the boat. We don’t know if we’ve got a hole in the bottom or what.

The next morning it is calm and beautiful. DeRay has worked on the motor late and finished it early Monday morning. Now with two engines he tries to work off the rock but it just spins a little. Brent, Brooke, Jeanne, Erika and I get off the boat. I don’t know if it’s our great weight or our great strength pushing but finally the boat is free. From the boat, they wave us goodbye and we are stranded in the middle of the channel, looking for all the world like people with enough faith to walk about a foot under the surface of the water. Considering how deep the water is in most places, that would require a great deal of faith. We bathed and washed our hair. Amy Jayne joined us so we had quite a spree. The boys bathed on one rock and we bathed on an adjoining rock. Amy Lyn was out of the boat too, as well as Travis.

Soon we were on our merry way down the channel to Rainbow Bridge. It is awesome, as it was last year and we hiked and enjoyed ourselves there. We were disappointed they wouldn’t let us swim under the arch as we did last year. You are supposed to sit under the shadow of the bridge until your troubles disappear so we sit there for a long time.

DeRay & Jeanette

Shirley, DeRay, Charles Hart

Erika and Jeanette

Amy Jayne Hart and Jeanne

Travis and Eddy sitting in the shadow of Rainbow Bridge

Brent and Brooke. Eddy refereeing

On the way back, we start up Escalante Canyon then decide to backtrack a little ways so we can camp where Charles can hike. That night we all play Trivia Pursuit. At first we were on the top deck but when it got dark, we had to move down to the table. Brent wins hands down. DeRay gives him a good run for his money. As we sleep in that back bedroom, I look out and the stars quickly move across the sky. I thought the universe was going whacky but then I realize that we are moving. “DeRay, we’re moving!” He jumps up. He hadn’t checked the anchors the kids had tied to the boat and one had come undone. Brent woke up and the two of them straightened up the boat, anchored it properly and we all went back to bed. By now, I’m wondering what Charles and Shirley think of our sailorhood. Charles enjoyed the scenery more than he thought he would.

DeRay, Amy J., Charles, Shirley topside

Amy Lyn, Amy Jayne, Shirley, Jeanette

Tuesday we rode up the Escalante River to the end. The kids swam to the window, walked through and swam around. Brent, Brooke and Travis didn’t come and didn’t come. We finally drove back to find them. They had hiked up in a cave to investigate some Indian ruins. I couldn’t even stand to watch them come down the steep walls.

Jeanne

Next morning the kids fished. We bathed, hiked and relaxed. In the afternoon we drove over to the two arches where we like to hike. Travis, Brent, and Brooke knee-boarded on the way over and they had a great time. They all did well.

The next morning, Jeanne borrowed my shoes and everyone but DeRay and I hiked back up to the arch. They came home with pollywogs and tadpoles. We swam and in the afternoon went fishing. DeRay, Travis, Brooke and Amy Lyn played Oh Heck and popped popcorn. All the kids slept on the upper deck.

JUNE 1988

Back from Powell! We had a wonderful trip. I told Dad I think this is the best vacation I’ve had in many a year because Brent took such good care of Eddy. He played games with him, took him hiking, read to him and just generally kept him occupied.  It makes all the difference in the world when someone, anyone, helps with him.

Notes made on the boat: Left Saturday at 10. Dad, Mom, Brent, Brooke, Eddy, Amy. (Jeanne is in Nimes, France, on mission). The Craguns: Les, Michael, Brian, Ben and Christy, met us at the boat.  Set sail in bad wind. Forgot poles, went back, hit rock, ruined propeller. Dad sad. Wind wears us out. Shanghai after dinner. Ed & Mom read Shakespeare. Pit with everyone except Brent who read until midnight. The next day the kids went fishing early. The wind finally died down. Calm. Brooke, Mom, and Michael swam, bathed, washed hair. Scrabble, Othello, Pit and reading after breakfast. Cruised on one engine around the Bay to a wonderful spot where we could swim to islands and rocks and sandy beaches.

 Jeanette and Brent - Arch 

 Brooke and Brent

 Brooke and Brent on arch.

Jeanette  Who knows?

After doing dishes, DeRay and I joined them at the arch. We got there about as soon as they did because Eddy was so hard to coax, pull and push up.  As we turned to leave, Dad’s hat blew off, first up but just about when Brooke got to it, it blew over the cliff to the bottomless pond below. Goodbye hat from Mazatlán. The rest of us left but Michael and Amy witnessed Brooke and Brent (stupidly) climbing down to the bottom of the canyon to retrieve the hat. Mountain goats. Brent and I and everyone under 15 challenged Dad, Les, Brooke and Michael in Trivia Pursuit. It was a thriller right to the dyeing end. I wasn’t any help to Brent but I answered their last question so they could win and we could all go to bed. One question was: What was Mark Twain’s real name?” “I remember Mark Twin,” Ed says, “he wrote Tom Sawyer.”

After settling in Moki Canyon, after dark Brent took Ed up to see the stars, satellites, and shooting stars, planets, airplanes of the night. Everyone else is reading Michael’s copy of Princess Bride.

“I wonder if the Craguns slept well,” Ed comments. “I still love the Craguns.” Brent caught a big fish but we let it go .As we were cruising along, my BYU hat blew off into the lake. Dad swings that big old houseboat around and we get out the fish net and fish it in. Everyone thought that was so much fun, they wanted me to do it again or maybe I could fall in but then they decided they wouldn’t bother to pick me up which instantly hurt my feelings.  We’re still going upstream to Forgotten Canyon. We hike up to Defiance House Indian ruins. It’s steep and dangerous and with great difficulty, we get Ed up there. He and Brent sit in the rock houses and pretend they are Indians. Dad keeps the houseboat afloat out in the middle.

Brooke

After we drop the Craguns off, we buy ice cream. Our next door neighbors on the sandy beaches  are water skiers and they invite our kids to go. Brent, Brooke, and Amy get right up.  They had fun. At sunset, we hiked the beach. The sun sets in the east here. It comes up in the west; also, north is south and south is north. Amazing!

Sour dough hotcakes and eggs for breakfast. The nice neighbors from Idaho Falls invite us to ride over to Hanson Canyon with them. Lovely. We know where we’ll go next time.  It was great fun to see the scenery going fast.  The kids go water skiing with Dr. Brunt and his group again.  Everyone ended up burned after the boat ride and water skiing.

 Brent, Amy, Brooke

 Brooke and Brent

Hiking back to the arch, we stop to study the pollywogs, crawdad and catch frogs.  “When I was a girl,” I told Amy, “we were scared to death of frogs and lived in fear the boys would put one down our necks.” Amy picks them up and strokes them.  Brent and Brooke figured the height of the ledge by using a stop-watch and calculator.  Shanghai, Pinochle and Rice Krispie squares until after midnight.  Just before going to bed, we walk out with Brent to see the stars and Milky Way reflected in the still, smooth lake.

Clean, pack, clean always takes longer than anticipated. For the first time, I didn’t want to get off the boat and come home. The colorful scenery, swimming in the crisp lake—so aesthetic, a giant swimming pool—the dark, clear nights with the stars and milky way reflecting in the stillness of the lake. We don’t get to see the Milky Way that often. The gentle rocking of the boat as you sleep.

1989

June 14- 19

DeRay, Jeanette, Brent, Ed, Amy.

Jeanne and two friends, Shelli and Jennifer, drove down separately.

Jeanne and Brent have returned from their missions.

Brooke is at Camp Bartlett.

Up at 6 to be gone by 8; we got gone at 10. Not bad. We took the Tracer to be repaired, stopped at bank, service station; to Provo by noon. Brent was still in class. We prepared lunch while waiting. Dad & Ed went to Reams. Finally got gone by 1:30. Stopped in Spanish Fork to pick up Brent’s contacts, sunglasses, then motorhome started overheating so we stopped every few miles to add water. We didn’t get to Bullfrog until 10 PM. Tons of stuff to move from motorhome to boat. We sleep on the boat in the slip.

Per usual, the next morning we bought ice. We left the slip around 8, driving across the bay to Halls’ Crossing and the sandy beaches. It is too hot to hike to our favorite haunts. Gourmet meals: Chow Mein for lunch, baked meatloaf for dinner. Nice swims, nice walks down beach, nice naps, nice reading. HOT. We got Ed down the gang plank for a walk along the sandy beach. At dusk, we swam until dark. We forced Ed to join us in a game of Pit because he had talked about it all day. Then Amy was mad because he got “corner” every time. A bit cloudy and windy. Lots of water and jet skiers.

 Ed & Amy

 Brent

 Jeanette, Brent, Ed, Amy, DeRay

  Amy & Brent

Eddy cooling off

The next morning we left for a hike at 6. It is quickly too hot, even at this hour. Great swim afterwards. Dad made muffins for breakfast. We picked up Jeanne, Shelli, and Jennifer at the Marina at 9 AM. We were late and they were early. 

Jennifer, Jeanne, Shelli

Gasin' up.

Brent, Amy, Jennifer, Jeanne, Shelli

We went downstream to Slick Rock Canyon past the rock—now exposed because the water is low, where we spent the night with Shirley, Charles, Erika, etc. We found a wonderful spot, secluded with large “private pool” where no one else comes. We even own the Indian ruins we hiked to on the way down.

Jeanette

 Brent & Amy

 DeRay & Jeanette

Brent

Amy & Brent 

After dinner, campfire on beach by glistening water.  Songs and stories with marshmallows.

Up at 6. It’s so beautiful. Fish jumping; majestic colorful cliffs. Dad working on fridge.  Ed chattering. Amy washing grapes. Brent and Jeanne still asleep. Jennifer and Shelli? We washed our hair and bathed and got away around 11 – the end of the canyon was around one corner (we could easily have swam to it), restored Indian Ruins around another one (we could easily have swam to it) so we anchored again and Dad, Mom, Brent and Amy hiked up to them. Interesting. Swam and set sail again for Iceberg Canyon. Toured. Found wonderful spot. Lunch: Gourmet salad. Ed slept. Amy read. Dad, Mom, and Brent swam up to the end and hiked up a bit in camp canyon. Brent, Ed and Amy played Pit, swam. Burgers, watermelon for dinner; campfire. Ed went up and down the gangplank. Jeanne and friends seemed to have a good giggling time. They are all 23—drink pop, eat candy, wieners and peanut butter sandwiches on white bread.

Sunday was Father’s Day on the boat. Father fixed muffins for all; even legal for Mom.  Ed, Amy and Mom swam up to the end. Dad joined us. Brent went swimming before we pulled up anchor. We ambled upstream to Halls Crossing to empty tanks; fill up with water. We let the girls off at 3; filled up with gas; drove to sandy beach and had a nice swim. We pulled back in slip to finish packing and clean.

The next morning we got up at 4 and were on our way by 5:30. We stopped every 20 miles or so to add water to the radiator. Provo 1:30, where we spent 5 hours helping Brent pack and clean, drain and load waterbed and most of his belongings.  Home by 8:30.