Redrock Paradise 2012 Events

July 6, 2012

Boyd & Leigh  Critchfield report their week (Jun 10-17)  on the houseboat.  

We are attempting to create a forum where each member can update and share their experiences, frustrations and insights from their week on the Lake.    We think this is a far better way to share timely events with others rather than or in addition to listing things in the “log book” on the boat.   If each family updates this timely those coming later will know what to expect and can actually come to the lake better prepared.

  If you have suggestions or recommendations  to improve this site  please do so. 

Critchfield spent June 10 to 16 on the houseboat.  We notice a significant “listing” to the port side when we were fueling the boat at the beginning of our week.   It was obvious we had problems.   I called Offshore and they agreed to pull the boat and inspect the pontoons.    They gave us a very short time frame to have the boat at the bullfrog ramp.   We have included some pic for you to see.   

Offshore determined that a support brace they had welded on the inside of on of the pontoons had broken loose and allowed over 400 gal of water in the front compartment of the pontoon.  (they welded the brace to make the boat fit their trailer)   They quickly fixed it and put the boat back on the water.  

We spent the week on a beach near the buoy.  We were unable to travel because of the leaking pontoon. -  worried about the safety.   We were fortunate to get the boat repaired  quickly.  Unfortunately the Cummings family missed their week.  They can use it later this summer.  

Red Rock Listing

During our week we had problems (like we did last year) with the Starboard motor surging.   We have had several people look at the motor, but to date it has not been fixed.   The Gregory’s are on the boat this week.  (July 1 to 7).   We have been working with “Ticaboo on lake Service” to correct this problem.  We hope it is resolved by the end of this week.   The Singers are excited to be on the boat next.  (July 8 -14)

The generator and batteries seem to be working fine.    There is enough generator oil on the boat to serve each user for the balance of the summer.   A REMINDER TO CHECK OIL IN EACH YAMAHA.

The Pontoon Draining

Denis Morrill family had an enjoyable week on the lake.   As always, they worked on the boat and made improvements while there.   We recognize we need to replace the microwave, and update the furniture, and fix the floor.      

Please contribute to this “drop box”  with your comments, photos and suggestions.  

Kind Regards,

Boyd Critchfield

Another Panorama

We all know what the top of the houseboat looks like. However, I like this panorama for the smooth water that you see here. Of course, a lot of this has to do with how early in the morning this was taken. Still, it was a pretty morning.

Panoramic View

Here is a panoramic shot I took from the top of the hill where we stayed all week. You should be able to view it as though you are there, in full 360 degree rotation. Just drag your mouse (or finger on a tablet) to make the scene rotate. I don't think the compass is right on the display? It seems 180 degrees off. The main body of the lake is north, anyway.

First Week Photos

Just to prime the blog with some photos, I thought I would share a couple of shots with everyone.  I tried to find one of the boat listing from a leak in the forward port pontoon.  Apparently our camera didn't take any of those shots, but I think Boyd has one or two.

This photo illustrates how calm the water was most of this last week.  Our son on the left actually fell asleep while riding on the tube.  Days at Lake Powell are long!

Below you see our oldest son using his early 11th birthday gift, given in time to be useful at the lake.  You can see that those beach plants end up making great improvised shooting range hangers.  I love the smell of compressed air in the morning. (Incidentally, the Daisy Powerline 880 air rifle is built very cheaply.  I don't imagine I will be pushing a generational tradition of Daisy brand loyalty)

...And finally, a shot that somewhat shows the water conditions.  We stayed just off the main channel in the canyon just to the east of the ferry dock on the Halls Crossing side of the lake.  It was a quick trip into cell phone range, as well as easy access to ice and ice cream.  That's not even mentioning the shopping metropolis that the marina at Halls can be!  This picture doesn't show it super well, but behind the wave runner, you can see the finger of rock that protected us from the waves made by big boats on the main channel, and you can also see how close we really were to the channel.

 We really had a nice week, weather-wise and activity-wise.  Having a pretty good list to the boat didn't even dampen things much.

Intro

Well, Here it is!  Having just finished the first week of the 2012 season, Boyd thought that it would be nice to be able to have a place where folks could report their adventures on the Red Rock Paradise, and that sounded like a perfect fit for a blog.

We hope hope that when adventurers return from their time in the canyons of Lake Powell, they will take some time to share with the other co-owners, and with the rest of the world, the neat beaches, glassy waters, and isolated canyons they found.  We even expect to hear of some of the challenges and solutions to those challenges encountered in the real-life world of guiding a few tons of steel down the beautiful waters of the lake.