During a life of hiking and travel to beautiful and renowned locations in the world—Norway Fjords, Galapagos Islands, Nile River, the Inside Passage to Alaska, the High Sierra, the Grand Canyon—nothing I’ve seen can compare in spectacular beauty to the canyons, folds, peaks, towers and other unique geologic formations viewed from the deck of a boat on Lake Powell.

The Lake Powell Resort in Page, Arizona was our destination for the first night after our 3 ½ hour drive from Sedona.

We stocked up on supplies at the huge WalMart emporium in Page the next morning to be ready for our Friday launch.

The California members of our party made the drives from Sonoma, Hesperia and Los Angeles in one day.

With the environmentalists I lament the drowning of deep canyons, rocks, rills, wildlife and vegetation habitat so eloquently described in Katie Lee’s Book, Glen Canyon Betrayed , but for those of us nature lovers who are not hikers, the panorama of every arm and finger of Glen Canyon—now Lake Powell—is the treat of a lifetime.

We could return and explore for another month and still not see it all. The shoreline of the Lake is nearly 2000 miles, and the bays and beaches we visited have no vehicular road access.

Of course there’s the scar, a white band forty feet high above the current water level reporting the high water level of June 1983.

We chose a week in April—before the summer rush—and except for the one exciting day of winds and waves, clear skies of bright blue backed red, beige, black, maroon, white formations--shapes that trigger the imagination into assigning names.

That one’s a smiling George Washington. That one’s an ape. We dubbed three grouped minarets: mother, father, child.

Then there were the slabs that have slid down into the lake, like calving glaciers, leaving the clear lines of cleavage resulting from the prying action of ice or the trickle of water into cracks. Vertical black lines, nature’s pictographs, mark the paths of iron bearing water on the red and pink sandstone cliffs.

Wahweep Martina provides carts for houseboat renters to wheel their belongings to their "Ship of State."  Before we launched, our chosen Captain, the most diligent student of maps and how-to information, was briefed for more than an hour by a pleasant official, Marina Boat Instructor, Cathy Mangold.  She explained the switches for heat, light, and motor operation on the yard-square board of lights and buttons behind the pilot’s seat, as well as all the knobs and levers on the dashboard in front of the steering wheel of our craft. The branching channels of the lake are so many that a map is essential to navigating, and binoculars are a “must” for reading numbers on the red and green buoys that mark the safe channel and match the numbers on the map.

The plan was to enjoy a “shake down” trial run and return to Wahweap the next day to pick up the last four passengers for our 12-capacity boat.  This allowed practice in maneuvering the 59 ft. long, 15 ft wide flatboat.  It steers with a huge wheel that our several male pilots—and a couple of young females--managed though, to me, it appeared to be a challenge fit for the muscles of a Sumo wrestler.

Fortunately the lake provides a lot of space to maneuver. Our ship’s progress imitated that of a drunken sailor for the first half day but was soon corrected by the skills of our pilot—a fast learner.

The houseboat was well equipped. Besides beds for twelve we had two toilets and a shower. The living/dining area was equipped with a large dining table, sink, and cupboards held cups and bowls, and plates. An electric range, a microwave and refrigerator completed the kitchen accessories. A barbeque on the front deck was perfect for cooking steaks.

Fishing was excellent (striped bass) but we could not eat all we caught so threw most of them back live. Also provided were extra chairs we hauled ashore to ring around nighttime campfires. (Bring your own fire wood and leave the beach clean!).

A large ice chest on the front deck kept our beer and soft drinks cool and the fish preserved until time to cook them.

Topside is a clear deck the length of the boat. It is sheltered in part by a canopy, and lounge chairs are in place for those who have too much togetherness and want to read or simply view the passing parade of incredible sights.

Our daytime beach walks revealed hundreds of small clamshells, one to two inches across, many still hinged. The entire shoreline as far as we could see in any direction is treeless. Green shrubs, shoulder height, were in bloom with lilac-shaped flower clusters ranging in color from off-white to deep magenta This is Salt Cedar, and invasive plant, but one that adds another color to the landscape.

Small yellow daisies bloomed at our feet.  Birds were few but we looked out from the deck one morning to see a gull, apparently pondering how to get to our string of fish tethered to a line that reached into the clear water. Peering over the side, we could see into the depths—including sandbars and submerged rocks to avoid.

Beds in the main living area are made by pulling out shelves beneath couch-like seating. Flashlights and battery or LED lights are needed for nighttime reading as the generator must be turned off at night to conserve fuel. One couple brought their tent and sleeping bags and camped on the beach for two nights.

The first night we beached at Dinosaur Rock, the second, in Face Canyon where we identified even more face-like images among the rocks.

On to Cookie Jar Cove in Padre Bay marked by a towering, rounded bluff and a knob on top that resembles the handle on a cookie jar lid. We got to know this beach better than any other because although we were headed for another canyon, the wind storm and high waves made it necessary for us to pull again into the Cookie Jar Cove for the night.

House boats range in capacity from 8 to 16, and one-day excursions can be booked.

These smaller craft are faster and their width allows them to go into narrow Forbidding Canyon and Rainbow Bridge. Our boat could not enter this canyon, the only disappointment of the entire trip.

Six Marinas are available on the lake where boats can refuel and empty the refuse tanks. This means that travelers can remain on the lake for as many days as they have food supplies. Some houseboats are privately owned and named. Besides such conventional tags as “Sail On” and “Endless Vacation” was one that we toasted: Its banner reads “Sotally Tober.”

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