This was a really full day and pore ol’ Lar is about beat…….but it was worth it.  Lake Powell is fantastic ! ! !  I’m just going to put a few shots up for now - but took over 400 today.  Perty close to a record.

Lake Powell twists and turns thru its’ canyon, then smaller canyons go off to the sides.  This is the GPS picture of
part of the Escalante River Canyon, about 50 miles south of Bullfrog and it really twists and turns……………

Right after this, I turned into Davis Gulch and what a ride.  The channel is very narrow in spots and the rock is very colorful……………

Another boat will give an idea of scale……………..

Then it was play time.  Dustbuster isn’t a real hot rod - it cruises at just 22 mph, but going thru these turns at that speed felt like the Indy 500.  Here I’m in a hard left to go into that channel, then will make a hard right around that corner.  Yahooooo…………….

Farther up it narrowed down and closed in till it was like going thru a huge long cave.  A lady and her grand-daughter had found a fairly level spot and had set up camp for a few days.  Nice people and nice to talk to…………….

Farther on around, a quick look back…………..

Then a look ahead at some great formations………………..

Just a few more bends and I ran out of river, so beached the boat and went for a short walk……………..

This was neat but it was very muddy, so I headed on back out…………….

……..and got into some more hard turns.  Yup, we’re going around that rock bluff at center right and in front of the gravel slope - at full speed.  Steer the boat with one hand and take pics with the other.  I was grinning so hard my jaws were aching………………

This was great, and I loved it, but Tempus Fidgets and it were getting a little late, so I headed back out to the main lake and headed back toward Bullfrog Basin - 50 miles away.  Yah, I covered some ground (water) today.  Big time.  On the way down I’d passed Iceberg Canyon but passed on it to get to the Escalante.  Now, on the way home I looked at it again, and finally thought, “Ah, why not ??  I’m here, and it won’t take much for a quick look.  Am I ever glad I did.  This was very definitely the “best for last.”  Iceberg Canyon is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.  The pictures don’t do it justice.  You need to feel the scale of the place.  Beautiful.  Here we’re starting into the main canyon with another boat ahead of me……………..

In the main lake, water averaged around 300 ft deep.  In the side canyons about 160 ft deep.  These were major canyons before they were flooded.  Looking down a side canyon.  It makes a hard left in front of that green patch and goes much farther……………….

The end of the main branch of Iceberg Canyon.  Water at that tree was 24 ft deep……………..

Going back out gives a whole different perspective.  The cliffs are huge………………

A couple of Bass fishermen in their small boat under the Hole in the Rock.  I saw many Bass in the shallows at the heads of the canyons.  Fishing must be good…………….

This is just a tiny look at a couple of the many side canyons and shows nothing of the main lake at all, but a good look at all would need 100’s of pictures.  Just not practical, so this’s my quick peek at a tremendous place.  I’d love to spend a week on one of the big houseboats for rent here…….with a runabout in tow, of course. 

After a day like this, the launch ramp wasn’t as crowded as I expected, but it’s a loooong way up there to get the truck.  I measured it with the truck’s odometer and that ramp is 0.3 miles down and it’s steep.  I carried all the electronics and camera gear with me.  Don’t trust nobody around that stuff.  Oh, my aching back.  Grumble grumble……………

Now, in the gov’t campground, I’m watching a steady parade of pickups and boats pouring in and it’s made me realize that it’s Friday night.  Forgot about that……..and tomorrow is almost certainly going to be a madhouse at the launch ramp.  S’OK, I’ll go back up to Hite at the north end of Lake Powell tomorrow and I think I found a semi-private launch that’s not well known, thanks to a fella I talked to on the way in.  Then head for home.  Today was Very satisfying.  Gotta love this place.                    Lar.

x

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Larry Bourne
Santa Fe, NM
www.gogittum.com
www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: May 17th, 2009 under 09 Santa Fe, 09-5-8 Lake Powell.
Comments: 1