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A Unit of United States Power Squadrons® - District 28 Sail and Power Boating Boating is fun..We'll show you how |
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 May 4, 2008 level = 3595.34 ft. |
 Inflow comparison |
Phoenix Sail and Power Squadron
A Unit of United States Power Squadrons® - District 28
Sail and Power Boating
Boating is fun..We'll show you how
May 4, 2008 level = 3595.34 ft.
Inflow comparison
Hydrologic conditions above Lake Powell have dried out somewhat since March 1 st, 2008. On March 1, 2008 precipitation in the Upper Colorado River Basin for the water year was 122% of normal. As of April 29, 2008 the water year precipitation has decreased to 109% of normal. Snowpack conditions have also declined with the warmer temperatures. As of April 29, 2008 the snowpack of the Upper Colorado River basin was 111% of normal after reaching a peak of 122% of normal earlier in April.
Inflow to Lake Powell has increased to over 25,000 cfs and the reservoir elevation of Lake Powell is currently increasing at a rate of about 1 foot every 4 days. The current elevation (April 28, 2008) of Lake Powell is 3593.6 feet above sea level which is 106.4 feet from the full pool elevation of 3700 feet. The live storage of Lake Powell is now 11.15 million acre-feet.
Forecasted April through July unregulated inflow to Lake Powell in 2008 remained unchanged for the April mid month update and is still 9.7 million acre-feet (122 % of average). Based on this forecast, by late July, Lake Powell will likely be about 64% full at a reservoir elevation of approximately 3639 feet above sea level. This elevation is over 50 feet above the low elevation for water year 2008 of 3588.26 feet ( March 11, 2008).
* * * Quagga Mussel Alert!!
(Every Boater Please click and Read)All visitors bringing boats into Glen Canyon National Recreation Area will be required to display a certificate on their dashboard stating their boat is free of zebra or quagga mussels. Download Certificate of Cleanliness * * *
Lake Powell Summer Rendezvous
June 25-29, 2008
by Lt/C Art Ashton, JNMark your calendars for 25-29 June 2008 for the most scenic adventurous on the water experience available to boaters anywhere. Lake Powell over 150 miles from tip to tip with almost two thousand miles of shoreline punctuated with Indian ruins, prehistoric dinosaur fossils including wind swept red sandstone cliffs, buttes and canyons. Not to mention, the sandy beaches that shift with the changing water levels.
Current estimates are that the water level will be 40 to 50 feet higher than last year. We usually have 5 to 10 boats ranging in size from 16 to 30 feet not including houseboats. In addition to boating, we often hike to ruins or petroglyph sites, raft up for lunch interspersed with root beer floats at Dangling Rope Marina (only assessable by boat or helicopter).
We keep the exact location of our camping site secret because we don't know exactly where we will be until we explore the shoreline. However, we prefer being in the area of Dangling Rope Marina for gas and root beer floats.
Boats can be valet launched at the new Antelope Point Marina ($15.00 one way) or do it yourself for free. Wahweap and Stateline ramps will be open and the Castle Rock cut may be open. This cuts off about 12 miles of choppy water. A good source of up-to-date information on ramps, water levels, fishing and history is http://www.wayneswords.com/. (Webmaster note: the charts above are updated weekly and will give you and indication of the lake level and its trend)
If you are interested in being on the Lake Powell mailing list please contact Art Ashton by e-mail at art.ashton@gmail.com or at (480) 946-9804. Let me know whether you plan to bring a boat, need a ride, plan to tent camp or if you just want to be keep in the information loop. Also, Let me know if you are interested in attending a planning meeting.* * *
Lake Powell Fall Rendezvous
September 26 - 30, 2007
By Cdr Bill JohnsonWith a lot of scurrying for last minute jobs and repairs by yours truly, Terry and Jean Gray with Time Out and Connie and Bill Johnson with C Dreams, left north Peoria at 6:00 PM Tuesday 25 Sep. A stop was planned for hamburgers at the new MacDonalds on Lake Pleasant road on the way out. After standing in a long, long line at the MacDonalds (some sports league had a kids night at the burger joint), we decided to stop in Cordes Junction for dinner. Someone was looking out for us.
Two miles up the road from the stop, we encountered a dark shape in the road with lots of cars around it. Well, the dark shape turned out to be a pickup dead in the road due to a minor total realignment of the front end. It seems that a rather huge Brahma bull decided to take a walk on the road without lights. After negotiating off the road, around the bull sitting in the road, we continued, thinking if we hadn’t stopped, that could have been us.
With a long stop in Cordes Junction, (slow fast food delivery due to a demand of two hamburgers in one order, duh!) we arrived in Page about midnight. A planned night in a hotel prior to going onto the lake was quickly cancelled by a completely sold out situation all over town. We camped in C Dreams at the hotel parking lot for the night. Ten times quieter than Wal*Mart.
The next day we purchased necessary food and fishing licenses for the lake and headed out to Upper Antelope Canyon for a tour before getting into the water. What a beautiful tour.Now we see some of what Glen Canyon looked like before the lake filled. The colors, shapes, shadows, vague impressions of movement and a more humble opinion of the forces of nature were among things taken from the tour. The pictures we took didn’t do justice to the canyon. Plans will be laid to do more of that type of touring.
Well, we decided it was now time to get on the lake. On to Antelope Canyon Marina, last minute preps and a valet launch. Who said boating was hard work? We immediately headed up lake on glass smooth water, even in the narrows. The boats were working fine. Arrived at Oak Canyon, quickly located a nice little cove up against the east canyon wall by ourselves and settled in. Life is good as a fellow squadron member is apt to say. That night after dinner, a group of from over the hill was seen climbing way up the mountain at dark. Some concern was expressed for the safety of the two dogs accompanying the people. About that time, they started fires on the hill and climbed down about 30 feet.
After a couple of minutes, fireworks shot up from the hill and an avalanche of fire works cascaded down the side of the rocks. It was enough of an attention getter that a helicopter several miles away, detoured over our way and spotlighted our camp before moving on. The show continued for three or four more cascades then died down. The next morning we decided that moving camp may not be a bad thing when the warming sun didn’t hit camp until 10:30 AM.
Camp was relocated into Oak Canyon at the same location as the summer rendezvous headed by D/C Chuck and P/C Jane Peterson. The area had only improved with the water dropping over 10 feet. That day Art Ashton and Bernie Lindgren joined us in the morning while Terry enjoyed his fishing and the rest of us loafed.
Late that evening just at dusk, Ed and BJ Wojcik came into join the party. Between the camp fires, we had another perfect night. The fish were biting nicely in the morning. Jean was seen with a big grin while reeling in a fish or three. A trip to Dangling Rope was mixed with touring canyons with winds of 20+ mph. This is different and make turning around in narrow canyons very interesting especially for Art in his single engine boat.
It’s amazing how many arms legs and poles appear sticking out of a boat close to a stone wall. Finally, after five canyons, a few near misses, a number of shallow rocks and a stop in Dangling Rope, homeport was welcomed for the night. This is Stew night since Ed and BJ had to leave. Nobody was held accountable for the ingredients of the stew, but everyone deserved congratulations on a wonderfully flavored dinner.
Saturday was a high wind day. Ed decided to wait out the storm until Sunday. Winds were reported up to 55 mph and high waves all over. The day was spent checking tie downs, anchoring lines, cleaning sand from the teeth, listening to the radio of all the people who didn’t stay in. We had a great time and enjoyed reading and fishing. The wind didn’t listen to the weather channel and died three hours after the forecasted time.
We headed home the next day in smooth seas. All boats returned without harm. Join us next year!Boats:
Time Out Terry & Jean Gray Vamos La Lago Art Ashton & Bernie Lindgren New Adventure Ed & BJ Wojcik C Dreams Connie & Bill Johnson The Photo Story
A birds eye view of the campsite in Oak Canyon
That is as far as the water goes to the East
West end of the campsite and back to the main lake
Migrating waterfowl visitors also fine Oak Canyon to their liking
Boats to the right
Boats to the left
Jean watches as Terry removes the hook from
a catfish he had just caught
Power boaters test their skills with a radio controlled
sailboat
Connie Johnson and Jean Gray
Bernie Lindgren and Art Ashton
A gathering around the campsite
Jean and Connie at the cook top
BJ and Ed Wojcik
Terry Gray and Art Ashton
Time to head out to deeper water
Watch out for rocks. Carlos Alvarez hit them
at the Summer rendezvous when they were just
submerged by the water level at that timet
Motoring along
Gunsight Butte
A famous Lake Powell landmark
Heading back after another great adventure on Lake PowellPhotos by Johnson Click here for the Summer 2007 Lake Powell Rendezvous
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