Where are our leaders at the NPS?

[Dougie]

Yes, forgot about the hump that should surface at about 3544.
At current rate of 1.5 feet per week, this hazard is 6-7 weeks away from rearing his ugly head.
Hello Labor Day weekend!

 

[TR.]

Brent (and many others), rest assured we (the Collins clan) feel you.... we have vacationed (together or separately) at Lake Powell since well before my wife and I were married.

Amy and I celebrate 25 years married August 24th. Because of multiple health and major surgical issues with her Dad, and some pretty decent issues with her as well, we had to cancel our 25th plans for 10 days as a family relaxing, partying, and fishing in Orange Beach, AL. I have a buddy there with multiple VRBO properties, and ownership on 4 different offshore sport fishing boats, it was going to be epic.

Plan 'B' was Lake Powell with the family, because that's usually our plan 'A'...but now we're in the same possibly beached boat as you guys.

We live in Paonia, Colorado, at the headwaters of the North Fork of the Gunnison River. The South Fork of the Gunnison is headwatered on Monarch Pass west side of the Continental Divide, and just above Taylor Park reservoir just above Almont, in between Gunnison and Crested Butte... South Fork drains into Blue Mesa, then Morrow Point, then Crystal, then makes it's way to Delta, where it meets the North Fork. The North Fork has a HUGE drainage area, but only very small reservoirs.... the two biggest are Paonia Reservoir, and Crawford Reservoir..both closed this last weekend due to low water. Earliest closing since filled by over a month on Paonia, and almost 2 months on Crawford...

It's going to get only more interesting for sure!

A LOT of our friends have boated Navajo Reservoir, which staddles CO and NM, and Colorado claims it our answer to Lake Powell. We may try that, but now that that is well on the UC high release list, we have to wait to see on that pond as well!

Squirrel is a grumpy old Goober, who LOVES to make tounge in cheek comments, but I sure do love the guy, and kinda gotta agree... we better all invest in Orville Rednebachaer, Act II, Jolly Time, Pop Secret and Jiffy Pop, and see what happens! May be the most fun we can have! ;-)

Aren’t you and Squirell related?

 

[Squirrel]

Aren’t you and Squirell related?

No, but we did go to different schools together. Sq

 

[airford1]

20 years of fun in your houseboat on the lake and ONE year your trip is cancelled. Let that sink in for a second. Now Page commerce and the failure to have a plan for what has happened is inexcusable.

 

[cmoon]

Agreed! The whole muscle thing was a complete cluster @#$%@$%@$! The NPS didn't do a thing till the muscles were already in Mead and Havasu. By that time it was WAY to late for Powell. We may live in the best country in the world but the NPS just completely sucks @#%@^@! And lately our elected officials are complete ice cream eating idiots (I think you all know who I'm talking about!).

The comedy movie Idiocracy is becoming a documentary!

If you haven't seen the movie, here is the trailer

Enough said!

How was the nps going to keep people with contaminated watercraft out of the lake…it was down to personal responsibility so good luck

 

[cmoon]

The mussel problems were known years ago…it was up to the individual to be sure not to spread…a lost cause because there will always be someone who will not care and it doesn’t take many to seed an invasive spread

 

[cmoon]

The same can said for covid

 

[cmoon]

20 years of fun in your houseboat on the lake and ONE year your trip is cancelled. Let that sink in for a second. Now Page commerce and the failure to have a plan for what has happened is inexcusable.

I owned a Ford maverick as my first car but it didn’t look like the one in your pic and I’m sure it wasn’t a quick…is it yours?

 

[airford1]

I owned a Ford maverick as my first car but it didn’t look like the one in your pic and I’m sure it wasn’t a quick…is it yours?

Yes a Bracket racer. Runs 9.90s at 132mph. 15 years ago it was considered fast, not by todays standards. It does run on pump gas, too cheap to spend on 110 race gas.
Hobby for me as I try to do all the work on this car. Motor , Trans, built the Ladder bars and Rearend. Paints mine too. Guess I'm not afraid of failure. I have had a few of those.

 

[Ryan]

How was the nps going to keep people with contaminated watercraft out of the lake…it was down to personal responsibility so good luck

The mussel problems were known years ago…it was up to the individual to be sure not to spread…a lost cause because there will always be someone who will not care and it doesn’t take many to seed an invasive spread

Personal responsibility and the honor system is absolutely a lost cause on the mussels. Keeping them out wasn't. If NPS would have gone to a system like Colorado is using now, I believe Powell would still be clean. Mussels were not inevitable.

 

[cmoon]

Yes a Bracket racer. Runs 9.90s at 132mph. 15 years ago it was considered fast, not by todays standards. It does run on pump gas, too cheap to spend on 110 race gas.
Hobby for me as I try to do all the work on this car. Motor , Trans, built the Ladder bars and Rearend. Paints mine too. Guess I'm not afraid of failure. I have had a few of those.

Mine was stock w small inline and three on tree but it was tough as nails and got run on some really rocky roads and and always got me home

 

[cmoon]

Personal responsibility and the honor system is absolutely a lost cause on the mussels. Keeping them out wasn't. If NPS would have gone to a system like Colorado is using now, I believe Powell would still be clean. Mussels were not inevitable.

Hummmm I have to look up Colorado system

 

[cmoon]

Hummmm I have to look up Colorado system

Diligent inspections help but unless there is a way to destroy larva I would imagine it’s only a matter of time

 

[Bill Sampson]

A little rant here!

I was speculating on the launch and retrieval of Lake Powell about a good two months ago. I went as far as to call Laketime and ask if they would be able to continue to launch this year. I was assured by Laketime that they would! Now this is not a rant against Laketime, they are at the mercy of the NPS. And for the past 20 years Laketime has taken great care of our family vacation as if they are part of our family.

My rant is at the NPS and the powers that have the ability to think ahead for the public they serve. One would think the NPS and Aramark for that matter would foresee the levels of Powell and start a plan B months ago as for the continued use of their ramps. The way I see it, being a few hundred miles away, is that they just started to think about another potential ramp or other ideas when the water hit the end of the main Wahweap ramp on 7/14 or so. From what I understand the Legacy ramp was used for a short time in 2005 and before that in the late 60's when the lake was first filling. Why then does the NPS just start to think about anything the day the water hits the bottom of the Wahweap ramp?

Lets face it we have all had a s***** one and a half years. I myself have lost a grand mother, an uncle, a best friend and my mother over the past year. None to Covid!
I run a business which to say the least has not been fun at all with all the added stress of all this Covid BS. I had to move my father to an assisted living home just this month and get his house ready for renters to help cover the cost of him at his new assisted living which cost $5,000/month. And the only grace I had was the thought of having my family with me on our houseboat at Lake Powell on 8/1 for a week of bliss at our favorite vacation spot. To get the call only 2 weeks ahead advising us that the trip was cancelled was just heartbreaking and unbelievable! Our family is now scurrying around trying to find another possible family trip to take.

So my questions are:

Is the legacy ramp able to handle houseboats?
How wide is the legacy ramp?
Is there even a road to the legacy ramp?
How hard is it to get the legacy ramp re opened?
Why didn't the NPS start to think about other options in June when we all noticed the run off was just not coming?

Dooley's at Lake Powell

The Dooley's at Lake Powell

dooleyatlakepowell.weebly.com

Brent, as a customer of Laketime since 2001, I am wondering if Bill could cut a deal with Antelope Canyon to have them launch and retrieve houseboats? It might cost the users a little more money, but it would save some vacations and keep Laketime employees working. When ARA tried to keep Laketime from going across the bridge at the dam some years ago, I suggested this to Bill, and got a weird look from him, but his choices are becoming limited. I know Antelope Point gets $200.00 to pilot a boat in and out of the marina, so this might work.

 

[Brent]

I’m confident Bill along with Belinda are doing everything possible to help their customers. I truly think this is yet another hit by Aramark to hurt all competition at Powell. I am not aware of Aramark’s issue with Laketime and
Crossing the bridge some years ago. But I do remember Aramark purchasing LakeTime’s lot next door to laketime during which LakeTime had a contract with the owner of the lot. I still say this delay at the legacy ramp has Aramark written all over it.

Aramark + NPS= monopoly in my mind.

I’m also wondering if some ones pockets at the NPS are getting a bit full. Wink wink.

 

[Sanger230]

Brent, as a customer of Laketime since 2001, I am wondering if Bill could cut a deal with Antelope Canyon to have them launch and retrieve houseboats? It might cost the users a little more money, but it would save some vacations and keep Laketime employees working. When ARA tried to keep Laketime from going across the bridge at the dam some years ago, I suggested this to Bill, and got a weird look from him, but his choices are becoming limited. I know Antelope Point gets $200.00 to pilot a boat in and out of the marina, so this might work.

We are scheduled to have our houseboat pulled Thursday the 29th at Antelope, the transport company there is halting operations on Friday. The information they gave me is they have run out of ramp as well, sorry not an option.

 

[mofaster]

The comedy movie Idiocracy is becoming a documentary!

I've been sadly saying this for years...you are 100% correct. God help us.

 

[cmoon]

I always felt RV camp at the marina very expensive for a small trailer especially if you consider it’s leased park land or maybe I’m living in the past when you could rent a small aluminum skiff for less than 500 a day when you didn’t need to do 40 knots to go fish

 

[Brent]

I feel your pain. Be glad you had two weeks notice. We were driving from Phoenix to Page to go out on our Laketime houseboat this weekend for the 15th consecutive year. When we were 100 miles out of Phoenix the NPS announced, that “effective immediately no further houseboat launching” and we scrambled to salvage our favorite vacation of the year. We were able to find a VRBO near a different but small lake where our planned vacation could continue. For the past few days I have been driving the boat in endless circles towing wakeboarders, tubers, surfers. For the first morning I was disappointed, frustrated and almost depressed thinking that I was going to make the same circle 400-500 times this week looking at the same scenery. After the initial few hours and seeing that the kids and other adults (who don’t get the opportunity to enjoy Lake Powell as often as me) were enjoying it and no one but me was complaining, I had a change of attitude. I have been fortunate all these years to have enjoyed such a beautiful lake and to have had such great luck with no major accidents or injuries; I was glad to be on any lake with the family. I have confidence that the NPS will figure out how to keep houseboats on the lake until the water drops to the level that the turbines shut down. I do not have much confidence in the politicians, who need to readdress water rights and usage on the Colorado river that is leading to an enormous long-term problem that will potentially affect me, as a Phoenix resident, and millions of other Southwestern inhabitants even more. I am fairly confident that I will be back on the lake next year, and I will keep my fingers crossed that my grandchildren will also have the opportunity to enjoy the lake like I have.

Stork,

Look at my post in Lake Powell Issues. Old Ramp is right near the end of Wawheap ramp. It was exposed in 2004/2005 but ofcourse the NPS didn't think about it till now. Old Ramp uncovered at lower Wahweap Ramp near Gas Dock (pics of ramp, divers and where it goes)