Creepy houseboat story

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birdsnest

birdsnest

Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Back in 2004 when I was still working for a housebat rental company at the south end of the lake an interesting thing happened as I was working at the houseboat return dock. I noticed a 54' houseboat screaming toward the dock way to fast and motioned to the driver to slow down as he expertly reversed the engines and softly bumped the dock as I tied the ropes to the cleats. He obviously was in a hurry so I asked him if there was anything I could do to assist him. No he answered, he was in a hurry to get to the Page hospital where his wife had been life-flighted from the back of Last Chance canyon. When I asked what happened he told me a Bobcat had entered his houseboat through the back door which had been left open. Apparently the cat had walked along the catwalk on the side of the vessel, came inside the rear suite and attacked his wife. They repeatedly screamed at the cat but it kept attacking her. The man frantically looked for something to hit the animal with and found the shovel on the front deck which he used to defend his wife. The Bobcat would not give up attacking and eventually the man killed it with the shovel. N.P.S. responded to the mayday call and flew her out to Page then to another hospital where I heard she recovered. The cat was examined and did not have rabies. There had been a sighting of a bobcat a few days earlier in Last Chance stalking a 10 year old boy. This was probably the same animal. After seeing and hearing about injuries, snakes and critters a person will be a little more cautious when on the lake.
 
Oh my goodness! How incredibly scary. Just when I thought all I had to be concerned with is mice getting on the houseboat.
 
As far as mice, don't forget Hanta virus.. I sound so negative but am ready to go to the most beautiful place in the world at any given moment. Powell is the bomb, just wish I new uplake better. That's another lifetime....
 
birdsnest said:
I've also heard of the red canyon giraffe being spotted according to the invasive species thread.
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Birds nest,

I'd be happy to play tour guide on the up lake side anytime, though I'm partial to camping on the SJ during our weeks. Can't beat the fishing or isolation for my money
 
Yeah I'm with ya about the sj. My favorite but have only been to Halls and Bullfrog twice and both times I was working so Don't know the treats awaiting. One of the two times I was uplake I did sneak to the moki wall for about an hour and caught some stripers. It even seems to me that the fishing is better up there but could be the grass is always greener syndrome. I have taken a houseboat up to the Cha Canyon area a few times, long haul but If you got a week it's well worth it.. So many times though its beating it back to camp 50 miles, a long 5o miles if it's blowing. I quess we do whats we gots to do. Always wanted to go to Hite as well. I hear the airport is an incredible place to land and take off. I think there is a cliff on one end and the size of the runway makes one think twice. Have heard stories of the Colorado River so thick that the rapids appear to be in slow motion. So much to see, so little time. I couldn't think of a nicer tour guide.
 
A friend of mine rented a houseboat at Lake Shasta 25 yeasr ago and had a bear come inside looking for food in the kitchen. The bear pretty much destroyed the boat from the kitchen forward. The insurance companies had fun figuring out this one. I know they tried to charge my friend for repairs, but he refused to pay.
 
Over the years we saw tracks in the sand that were cat tracks, thankfully we never saw one in person, though we did have our boat surrounded late one night by coyotes. George shined the light onshore and here are these eyes staring back at us... hardly slept a wink the rest of the night and never camped in Face Canyon again. We used to have cows in West Canyon.. nothing like a cow waking you in the middle of the night mooing...
 
Ask Wayne about the bear in the back of Face. I've seen horses in Dungeon.... thought it was going to come up the houseboat ramp and there is a horse that has lived up the trail in Cha for several years...have seen it 3 times. Chuck
 
Which horse did you see, the white, brown or black one? All 3 were in our camp in Cha last June, plus a gray donkey. Sq
 
Squirrel,
The first time was several years ago and there was a black mare with a yearling brown colt. The next time was about 3 years ago and the black one and brown one were there. Then two years ago the grey Burro showed up and I saw only the burro and black. The herd must be multiplying. I've only seen them while hiking up the wash to the petroglyphs. Chuck
 
I have been going to Powell for over 40 years and have never seen a bob cat nor a mountain lion. We had a comical encounter with a ring tail cat one night.

Have seen quite a few coyotes, a family of otters, a few burros (north end of Good Hope Bay), some cattle in Lewellen Gutch, a few snakes (no rattlers), kangaroo rats, mice, and a whole lot of lizards!
 
The Ringtail cats are very mischievous! We had one hanging around the houseboat a few years ago. Dragged an unopened box of twinkies under a couch and ate a few. Then a few night layer raided the speedboat we had tied to the anchor line, and calmly sat in the bow eating Ritz, while we shine a flashlight on him.

We've seen several horse and the burro around cha the last 2-3 Sept, and a few years ago we saw a horse at the apex of the Great Bend.

Otters have been spotte from just below Peek-a-boo arch, and all the way up to Neshki
 
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