Tuesday - All Aboad!

It's not going to be very easy to describe this day - ya kinda had to be there but I'll try. The boys went down to do paperwork on the boat while the rest of us kept packing. they were informed that our houseboat was in repair because the previous renters had fried the inverter. They rewiring it attempting to get it going for us. There were no other boat options so this one had to work. It was frustrating.

There was also a mad dash to get the last supplies - gas cans, milk, boat bumpers etc. Loading the boat was less dramatice. They provide these nice four wheelers pulling small trailers. We loaded everything into the first set and that was it. The girls actually got it all unloaded but didn't quite dare put anything away till we were sure this boat would be fixed. There were maintainance people on board with us working at the same time.

There were a few unreal moments where I was wondering if this would all just be a cruel joke and we wouldn't even get out on a houseboat, but they pulled it together and we were able to launch, and it was then that the real drama began.

It quickly became apparent that the frig was not working and even in our icechests the ice was melting rapidly in 100-plus degree temps.

The ride itself is beyond spectaclular. You can't begin to describe or even capture what you are seeing. Boating thru these red rock canyons is unbelievable. There was a certain ammount of stress hanging in the air as somethings were still not working on the boat.

The first leg of our travels took about 3 1/2 hours which did give us time to unwind and settle in a bit. When we go to the area Gary had mapped out we began to look for a place to beach the houseboat. There were a few places that looked good but a lot of junk in the water so we went a bit further and found a spot at the base of a 750 foot roock wall. Amazing.

The guys secured the boat to shore and then the intenseness of the heat sunk in big time. It is hot out here! We also had to start dealing with the frig/food situation. This was a tough one but we all worked together to do what we could.

The dinner menu for the nite became what was simple. It's a lot of work to prepare and clean up after meals conserving both water and fuel.

We spent the evening playing games and laying out on the top deck enjoying the nite sky, watching shooting stars, spotting satlelites...that is, until the albino bat appeared and we girls retreated back to the game floor.

I'm not going to write anything about this nite except to say please note that I do not use the word "sleep" when referencing it. We were not given the option of any air conditioning. Enough said. The rest I chose to wipe from my memory.