We left out of Albuquerque Friday morning. It was an uneventful drive to Antelope Point Marina, and the two friends that joined me for the trip were pleasantly surprised how quick and easy the drive was. We loaded my boat with all the essentials for the weekend, except the tent as we decided sleeping bags on cots under the stars would be the method for slumber this trip. That decision would turn out to haunt us Saturday.
The valet boat service put us in the water and we cruised to the marina for some pizza and a beer. After a quick lunch we pointed the bow up lake for an amazingly calm and smooth ride through the straits. I normally dread that stretch but it is incredible with no waves or boat traffic. We ran up into Padre canyon to find a suitable camp site...there was no shortage of options.
We unloaded the boat and set up camp. Time for a boat ride! We ran up lake admiring the isolation the lake provides this time of year. The weather was great with broken cloud cover an no wind. We got up around Friendship and turned back towards camp. We found a nice spot up in Padre against the rocks to float around in enjoying the last of the afternoon sun and blue skies. We went n back to camp to cook dinner and attempted to find the bottom of a cooler full of beer. Some good music, warm fire, too many beers, political debates and a brief wrestling match was followed by a calm and slightly chilly nights sleep under the stars.
We woke to calm water, zero winds and cloud covered skies. I started a small fire, made breakfast and one pot of coffee followed by another. A short hike and exploring led to the discovery of what appeared to be coyote tracks surrounding our campsite. Weird and slightly concerning.
The order of the day was fishing, so we formulated a plan to run back down to Antelope for ice and water and hit Gunsight on the way back up the lake. The ride down was even calmer than the day before. We got our supplies, chatted with some folks on the dock who were inquiring about the winds and water condition. We informed them that neither were a concern.
So we began the trip back up the lake and all was going well until that tour boat passed. The once cam water was twisted up by the tour boat followed by horrible gusts of wind. By the time we made the right turn and approached MM13 the waves were standing tall! The wind was at our back up the channel at this point and the waves would sometimes catch the boat like a surfboard with a rush of speed that would bleed off as we climbed the next wave. Things really got interesting as we turned north across the strong west wind. Now we were not only getting beat up but totally drenched with blowing spray.
I am not going to lie...I was a little scared. Waves at 3-4 feet and brutal wind made me grateful that my kids were no on this trip. As we continued north I was hoping that the shelter of Gunsight and Padre Bay would provide calmer waters. No such luck. As we approached camp we could see clouds of sand being twisted along the shores. We also saw smoke! We finally got to shore a little shaken and soaking wet to find what was left of camp.
The cot was overturned down near the water, the EZ-up had disappeared even though I pulled the canopy, table overturned and grill in the sand, the beer cooler my back pack and three sleeping bags were also lost. Some salvage operations for the pile of smoldering campsite revealed the cooler handle and axle for the wheels. The cooler acutally burned down leaving nothing but exploded cans of beer. More investigation led to the discovery of my glasses frames minus lenses and the internal frame of what used to be my backpack. The only things to survive were the grll, food cooler and two backpacks.
It seems the wind caught the double cot, with all of our sleeping bags and clothes filled back packs piled on top over turned dumping most everything near the fire. The ez-up was anchored to the cooler and also tied to the cot which must have turned into a rolling ball of chaos as it tumbled down the beach. It looked like my backpack was the main source which spread to sleeping bags the cooler and our woodpile.
Once the reality set in we realized we had to clean this mess up and get the hell off the lake before dark. Spending the night without sleeping bags would not have been fun not to mention every article of clothing I had was reduced to a melted blob of fabric and synthetic blends.
We cleaned racing the clock. It is amazing how fire reduces once bulky items to nothing. We stuffed the trash bags, gathered orphaned items and threw everything into the boat in no particular order. The ride back was not much better than the run up.
I was able to reach Antelope on Ch16 and switched over to 11 to let them know we needed to get off the lake and were heading in. They said a valet would be waiting for us. To make matters worse my volt meter was now showing over 15 volts, the stereo had gone into protect mode and the display of the marine radio had gone blank.
Long story short we got off the lake and back to my storage unit. I raised the back hatch to start draining the engine, the sole purpose of the trip. I discovered a mystery bolt that looked important laying in the oil peppered bilge along with a bilge pump that had broken free from the bottom of the boat. Like I said, it was a ROUGH ride! I'm not really sure if the harsh ride had anything to do with the alternator over-charging...? Looks like I have some work to do in the spring! That little boat is confidence inspiring and did a great job getting us back to camp and off the lake safely.
We bid farewell to Lake Powell and got a room for the night.
I am an experienced camper, as are my friends and acknowledge that many mistakes were made. There was nothing actively burning in the fire, not even emitting smoke, but we should have doused it before leaving. This could have turned out so much worse! Also I always take a tent, but didn't on this trip. A tent is the best place to secure camping gear while away. So two things I will never do again is leave camp without dousing a fire or camp without a tent!
pictures to follow...
The valet boat service put us in the water and we cruised to the marina for some pizza and a beer. After a quick lunch we pointed the bow up lake for an amazingly calm and smooth ride through the straits. I normally dread that stretch but it is incredible with no waves or boat traffic. We ran up into Padre canyon to find a suitable camp site...there was no shortage of options.
We unloaded the boat and set up camp. Time for a boat ride! We ran up lake admiring the isolation the lake provides this time of year. The weather was great with broken cloud cover an no wind. We got up around Friendship and turned back towards camp. We found a nice spot up in Padre against the rocks to float around in enjoying the last of the afternoon sun and blue skies. We went n back to camp to cook dinner and attempted to find the bottom of a cooler full of beer. Some good music, warm fire, too many beers, political debates and a brief wrestling match was followed by a calm and slightly chilly nights sleep under the stars.
We woke to calm water, zero winds and cloud covered skies. I started a small fire, made breakfast and one pot of coffee followed by another. A short hike and exploring led to the discovery of what appeared to be coyote tracks surrounding our campsite. Weird and slightly concerning.
The order of the day was fishing, so we formulated a plan to run back down to Antelope for ice and water and hit Gunsight on the way back up the lake. The ride down was even calmer than the day before. We got our supplies, chatted with some folks on the dock who were inquiring about the winds and water condition. We informed them that neither were a concern.
So we began the trip back up the lake and all was going well until that tour boat passed. The once cam water was twisted up by the tour boat followed by horrible gusts of wind. By the time we made the right turn and approached MM13 the waves were standing tall! The wind was at our back up the channel at this point and the waves would sometimes catch the boat like a surfboard with a rush of speed that would bleed off as we climbed the next wave. Things really got interesting as we turned north across the strong west wind. Now we were not only getting beat up but totally drenched with blowing spray.
I am not going to lie...I was a little scared. Waves at 3-4 feet and brutal wind made me grateful that my kids were no on this trip. As we continued north I was hoping that the shelter of Gunsight and Padre Bay would provide calmer waters. No such luck. As we approached camp we could see clouds of sand being twisted along the shores. We also saw smoke! We finally got to shore a little shaken and soaking wet to find what was left of camp.
The cot was overturned down near the water, the EZ-up had disappeared even though I pulled the canopy, table overturned and grill in the sand, the beer cooler my back pack and three sleeping bags were also lost. Some salvage operations for the pile of smoldering campsite revealed the cooler handle and axle for the wheels. The cooler acutally burned down leaving nothing but exploded cans of beer. More investigation led to the discovery of my glasses frames minus lenses and the internal frame of what used to be my backpack. The only things to survive were the grll, food cooler and two backpacks.
It seems the wind caught the double cot, with all of our sleeping bags and clothes filled back packs piled on top over turned dumping most everything near the fire. The ez-up was anchored to the cooler and also tied to the cot which must have turned into a rolling ball of chaos as it tumbled down the beach. It looked like my backpack was the main source which spread to sleeping bags the cooler and our woodpile.
Once the reality set in we realized we had to clean this mess up and get the hell off the lake before dark. Spending the night without sleeping bags would not have been fun not to mention every article of clothing I had was reduced to a melted blob of fabric and synthetic blends.
We cleaned racing the clock. It is amazing how fire reduces once bulky items to nothing. We stuffed the trash bags, gathered orphaned items and threw everything into the boat in no particular order. The ride back was not much better than the run up.
I was able to reach Antelope on Ch16 and switched over to 11 to let them know we needed to get off the lake and were heading in. They said a valet would be waiting for us. To make matters worse my volt meter was now showing over 15 volts, the stereo had gone into protect mode and the display of the marine radio had gone blank.
Long story short we got off the lake and back to my storage unit. I raised the back hatch to start draining the engine, the sole purpose of the trip. I discovered a mystery bolt that looked important laying in the oil peppered bilge along with a bilge pump that had broken free from the bottom of the boat. Like I said, it was a ROUGH ride! I'm not really sure if the harsh ride had anything to do with the alternator over-charging...? Looks like I have some work to do in the spring! That little boat is confidence inspiring and did a great job getting us back to camp and off the lake safely.
We bid farewell to Lake Powell and got a room for the night.
I am an experienced camper, as are my friends and acknowledge that many mistakes were made. There was nothing actively burning in the fire, not even emitting smoke, but we should have doused it before leaving. This could have turned out so much worse! Also I always take a tent, but didn't on this trip. A tent is the best place to secure camping gear while away. So two things I will never do again is leave camp without dousing a fire or camp without a tent!
pictures to follow...
