Wahweap Marina

Today was a bit of a rebound day.  After driving all day yesterday, we decided to throttle back.  We took a long coffee walk this morning, did some chores, and then rode our bikes over to Wahweap Marina, where we poked around to try to get a better idea what the boating life must be like on Lake Powell.

The Wahweap Marina sign clearly has been moved many time, what with the steadily declining levels of Lake Powell.  These days, it sits on a dry hillside, not so close to the actual marina, which sits maybe 50-100 feet below the sign:

Here is the marina itself.  Where we stood to take the photo used to be under water.  Levels of Lake Powell have declined about 20% - nearly 150 feet in depth.

As we worked our way over to the marina, we had to cross beaches, rocky shores, abandoned boat ramps and the like.  We had a pleasant surprise when we stumbled on these elaborate, delicate sand castles:



Some sand artist had even sculpted a sandy octopus:

From the marina, you could see other boats anchored nearby, to the north:

This was the view to the south from the marina:

We walked out onto the marina docks and snapped this photo looking back at the lodge, with some of the huge houseboats between us and shore:

We decided that the life of a boater on Lake Powell (or perhaps anywhere) isn't all that different from the life of an RV'er.  There are fresh water and waste water tanks to manage, fuel to obtain and monitor, electricity to charge batteries - life unplugged from the main part of society, but still dependent on it.  But with boats you have to decide how mobile you want to be.  A boat on Lake Powell has few options:  the marina, floating, or anchored in some cove, but in any event remaining on Lake Powell.  A boat on the Atlantic Inland Waterway might end up on the Erie Canal or in Key West, Florida.  Things get a lot more complicated than with an RV.

Hmm.... Thanks, but I'll take RV'ing.