Last Day Of September 2014

Here is a little 4 min video from Lake Powell…. A Must See Folks!!!


My last weekend of the month was so awesome!!! I took a trip w/my brother, Dr Jim, his daughter, & her friend to Lake Powell. It was my first trip to Lake Powell & what place it is. We headed out on Friday for our 4 hour drive & arrived at Bullfrog Marina for the night. We camped in a campsite, under a blanket of stars, the Milky Way was so pronounced, satellites flew over every so often, my eyes rolled into the back of my head, then, the rain came. And it came. And it rained. And it rained a little more. Oh, it rained again.

Saturday's sunrise was unreal perfect. The clouds were so rose colored pink that I felt that the desert was going to have life again after a nice healthy drink from Mother Nature. The tribe was up & moving about & down to the marina we headed for. Dr Jim has a sweet pontoon boat, we rigged it up, moved what we needed out of the truck, backed down to the docks, all went as planed. We were on the water & heading up stream to find an adventure.

I find Lake Powell to be gorgeous as can be. The higher up Navajo Rock marries with the Sandstone to produce wicked formations. With the water levels drops rapidly, caves appear, sandy beaches show up, boating along became rather relaxing.

We drove the boat up to mile 104 & explored a sweet little canyon but no campsites because houseboats were already beached. By this time, I was driving, watching the depth finder, the water below was ever so changing as we motored up. We would come around a corner to 18ft of water & then before you know it we would be back in 223ft of water, just like that. And the water was so clear!! I don't know why but I had it in my head that it would be muddy brown like our Colorado River.

We then headed back up stream to mile marker 106 & started into the Forgotten Canyon. We took the far left channel to the very end. Its was monstrous with the massive cliff walls above. Our little boat looked so small butted up next to these walls of time. We then went back down to the little Y in the same canyon & up into the site were we would camp for the night. 

And wait out some rain, and some rain, and some more rain, just before we started setting up the kitchen, real storm packing some rain started falling, a little hail came down, followed by some rain, we ate on the boat, I mean we snacked on the boat.

The night was filled with our laser light pointers & our 11,000 candle watt lights. Then Dr Jim busted out the highlight of the night. He had 3 of the Japanese Lanterns. They are so cool. They are the made from thin light weight paper with a wax dipped cardboard at the base to be lit which causes lift. The first one was red & went straight up & out. It was so damn cool!!! The second lantern was blue & slowly climbed up the side of the canyon wall. Just as the lantern hit the open space above the rim, the wind picked up, the lantern danced from side to side, heat escaped, the blue lantern started falling back down in a rocking motion. The damn thing came right back down to us as if it were on a string. Dr Jim claims that he has never had one come back.

So in-between naps & rain & Thunder & rain, Mr Sun came up again. I stood on the beach under a cloud free sky. What a morning it was!! So peaceful & Clean!!! The water temp of the lake was way warm & still so clear. If I just had a cup of joe.

Dr Jim had everything you need to make up picture perfect egg & cheese muffins. After what seemed to be a normal morning, washing dishes, packing up, letting air out, the boat would NOT start. Say What?? Batteries were strong, gas tanks were happy, but NOTHING!! Not even a click from a bad starter. Just dead in the water. Very long story cut short, a coal miner from Hotchkiss had a can of P.F.M. ( Pure Fucking Magic ) & the boat came back to life!!! Saved!!! And Very Thankful!! We tried to give the guy money but he was happy that we were happy. What A Relief!!! 

With a roaring motor, we headed back up stream, mile marker 108, that was the next canyon to check out. The rest of the day was seeing new sights, snacking on trail mix, & heading back towards the marina to take out. And that was no small task. But it was successful anyway. And the rain came, again.

And it rained for the next 4 hours, the whole ride home, but oh how beautiful them desert storms can be.

This was my 1st trip BUT not my last by any means!! I can understand the Edward Abby sides of it but what a place to see. A bucket list for sure!! So many slot canyons, ruins that are still in tack, indian art work on the walls, clear warm water, & hiking until you wanna puke. 

Sept was a Gr8 month!! My training for the Lead King was rewarding!! The race itself was beyond fantastic!! Last week, I found myself back in the gym, swimming, lifting with my hip flexors, adding more miles to the commuter bike, & one hell of a grouting marathons. September was awesome & so are you!! 

Hello October, Halloween is my favorite holiday!!! October is going to rock!!

GOALS:

#1) Find a race for 2015, read about it, check reg $$, & pull the trigger.

#2) Pick Up Another Two Clients During The Month.

#3) Compete AND Complete the October Burpees Challenge ( squats, push ups, mt climbers, jumping squats, & BURPEES )

#4) If the weather holds, dust off the Yeti & ride

#5) Be Present