December Daze

Rivergoer

Rivergoer

Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Monday 12/15/25
First launch attempt fail…broken fuel line fitting. Big shout out to @StratosBoy … a length of 5/16” fuel line and a couple of hose clamps, back on the water. Managed to squeeze into a Stateline parking space between the ONLY two pickups😂IMG_9330.jpeg

Lots of Antelope Point boats dry docked in upper Stateline lot. IMG_9333.jpeg
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Ramp wide open, both courtesy docks in place. Camped 1st night in Warm Creek bay.

Tuesday 12/16/25
Stopped at a beach we stayed at in October to see if the 200’ dock line was still where I accidentally left it. Winning!IMG_9335.jpeg
A little further up lake between Last Chance and Rock Creek, we encountered this hearty soul headed south from Halls. Awesome!IMG_9337.jpeg
Passing Dangling Rope for San Juan…more to come…
 
Tuesday 12/16/25 (cont.)
Never made SJ (yet), weather was so nice we stopped to enjoy it. Set up camp on the north side between Cathedral Canyon and Forbidden. IMG_9345.jpeg
Got to see a dozen or so sheep, they seem to always be in this area between Dangling Rope and Oak. IMG_9338.jpegIMG_9341.jpeg
Came across large skeletal remains, possibly a sheep (?) not sure IMG_9343.jpegIMG_9344.jpeg
Wind picked up about 1 am but not too bad. Calming down now, lows around 39, highs upper 50’s, looking forward to another great day at the lake😎
 
Wednesday 12/17/25
Turns out the SJ will have to wait, couldn’t resist heading to Escalante. @Reed passed by in that beautiful twin-screw Axopar near HITR with a crew of folks aboard. Would’ve snapped a pic but that thing was by us before we even saw it coming.

Also saw a nice all white Duckworth hanging around in the channel at the SJ confluence. Saw them again this evening passing our camp in the Escalante. Very cool all-weather set up.

At first we tied the HB off at the big sand dune.IMG_9352.jpegTook the inflatable back to see Gregory, stunning as ever…IMG_9356.jpegIMG_9367.jpeg
Took a short mile or so stroll up Fifty Mile doing a little trash tracking along the way. It’s amazing to still find so many vintage pull-tab beer cans after going extinct decades ago.

Headed to Clear Creek because Cathedral In The Desert just never gets old…ever.IMG_9375.jpegIMG_9380.jpeg
Our three cats have become quite the houseboaters, which reminds me, time to clean the litter box😎IMG_9385.jpeg
 
Thursday 12/18/25
Spent a second night in the Escalante. Tossed a soft bait around behind the HB this a.m. No bites, water was glass with none of the usual surface action in warmer months.

Stopped in Davis Gulch, took a stroll…not too far…didn’t visit the arch.IMG_9390.jpegIMG_9391.jpegIMG_9397.jpeg
Picked up a lot of trash around the area, unusual items included what looked like a cow femur, a partial skull, an outboard flush bootIMG_9403.jpeg
A very nasty scummy folding chair IMG_9401.jpeg
A couple of very old rusted out cans of Banquet One Whole Chicken without giblets…about the size of a large Dole Pineapple Juice (example)IMG_9405.jpeg
Did not know canned whole chicken was a thing!

Never saw another boat, the only humans we saw did a low pass in a Cessna this morning, which looked like a blast. Heading back south tomorrow, probably stop somewhere around Rock Creek or Friendship.
 
JFRCalifornia said:
That’s awesome. I wonder if that scummy chair is the same one I saw in August upstream of LaGorce Arch?
Click to expand...
Thanks!

Nope. Never got to the arch. But it looks a lot like your chair pictured.

Ironically this chair was on the shore across from Indian Creek at the Trash Tracker campsite a few months ago when they worked the Escalante.

They wouldn’t have seen the chair back then because water was probably 8’ higher. Trash Trackers did an excellent job, the majority of trash we found was exposed by the receding lake elevation.
 
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Unbelievably beautiful place. We are all so lucky to live on and near the Colorado Plateau. Thanks for the Christmas pictures particularly the Chicken in a can, reminds me of midwestern camping trips in a canvas tent. And thanks for picking up trash. Skull in the picture is a pelvis.

Merry Christmas and so much peace to all of you.
 
Friday 12/19/25
Travel day, fought lots of wind out of the SW from SJ down to Camel Rock, sometimes gusting to 20 mph or so.

Ended up camped on a nice sand beach by the Padre floating head. Saw a solo fishing boat go by around 2:30 and head back around 4;30. Other than that and a trio of low flying aircraft heading up Last Chance, not much human activity, must be getting close to Christmas or something…

Oh, forgot to mention, yesterday morning before sunrise, a group of 4 otters emerged from the water literally feet away from our houseboat…that was so cool! They moved pretty fast up the beach and over the hill so we didn’t get any pics.

Will be back on the trailer around noon tomorrow. Another glorious week in the most beautiful place on the planet😎👍

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!IMG_9408.jpegIMG_9412.jpeg
 
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