Our flotilla launched out of Wahweap Marina in late March. The air temperature was a deceptive 65 degrees when we boarded the "Navajo Princess" (a rented 70-foot behemoth with a slide on the top deck). The mandate for the week was simple: Unscripted . No itineraries. No reservations. We had five days of fuel, two massive coolers of grilled meats, and a Bluetooth speaker that we vowed to keep alive via a rickety solar panel.
By: A. J. Rivers
Look for water level reports. The best Houseboating happens when the lake is above 3,600 feet elevation. Pack for the desert, but respect the wind. And most importantly: Leave the itinerary at home. Unscripted- Spring Break Lake Powell -2018-
Finding a beach on Lake Powell during Spring Break is a competitive sport. You need a sandy alcove, protection from the wind, and a vertical wall for cliff jumping. On that Tuesday morning, we found The Spot . A hidden cove approximately six nautical miles from the main channel. The GPS read "No Data." Our flotilla launched out of Wahweap Marina in late March
Furthermore, the culture changed. By 2019, drones became pervasive. The "unscripted" vibe gave way to the "content" vibe. The magic of 2018 was that you had to be there. There was no live stream. There was no story until we told it around campfires months later. No itineraries
On Thursday night, we tied all three houseboats together in a raft. We had a generator running string lights across the bows. Someone produced a guitar that had miraculously survived the journey in a dry bag. The playlist was peak 2018: Sicko Mode , This Is America , Africa by Weezer (the cover, which caused a debate), and way too much Mr. Brightside .