Lake Powell Trip.......well....

Posted By: Sumner -- Mac 26S -- Blanding, UT
Date: 4/24/09 8:57a.m.

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...not quite a whole trip. I said I'd report when we finally went out even if it wasn't good, so here it is. I've been working almost every day on the boat and/or trailer since the first of February and we were looking to try and get out in April when the weather here can give you 3-5 days of good weather at a time. Well last week they were forecasting those days, so I put a real push on finishing my projects and a couple more that I haven't posted about, but that we really like. I'd spent 3 days working from 6-7 in the morning until 8-9 at night and remember I'm not a young guy anymore. We thought we'd be ready Monday, but weren't, then Tues. and weren't, then worked until 10 on Wed. and got the boat all ready to go and packed. Yesterday morning I was still finishing a table for the stove and a mid-mast support, but got that done and got hooked up to the jeep and ready to finally pull out around 1. We were both tired, but figured we could maybe get to right before the lake and maybe sleep in the boat and put in the next morning. Well this last year the jeep motor has been dieing a slow death and I ordered a re-manufactured motor for it in Jan., but of course didn't want to pull the old one and put in the new one as I was having too much fun with the boat. It also seemed to be running better and I thought it had one trip to Lake Powell left in it. Wrong. There are some major hills with 500 to close to 2000 foot elevation changes in them to get to the top between here and Lake Powell 90 miles away. When I got to the first and the jeep was down to 15 mph in first I thought this isn't good, but always the optimistic one drove on. Then came the really long steep one. Again 10-15 mph going up it. We were about 2 miles up it and almost to the top when something let go on the motor and we had major smoke. I did a U-turn and headed home. Well at the bottom of that one there was a shorter, but still very steep climb going back that goes up and then through a very deep road cut at the top of a ridge. The jeep struggled up the hill and it looked like the worst smoking vehicle you have ever seen. We went through the very narrow 2 lane cut at the top so slow that the smoke filled the inside of the jeep and was actually surrounding us and passing us on the outside to the point we could hardly see until we came out the other side. Then a down hill for a mile or so and then we started up another hill and now the jeep isn't just smoking, but making real death sounds. Before we made it to the top of the next hill I found the best possible place to pull over on the side. Not good, but we were off the road. By standing on top of the boat I was able to reach a friend in town via the cell phone. He works at the repair shop that also does AAA towing. Ruth still had AAA, even though of course I'd tried talking her into discontinuing it a couple months ago. I'll hear about this a couple times. Well Frank who owns the place came out and loaded the jeep on the ramp back and hooked up the trailer and took us back home. My friend offered us his pickup and we were going to take the boat out on the local lake, but now we have 20-30 mph winds and are suppose to have them for 2-3 days with cooler temps. So I guess I'll put the jeep inside and replace the motor with the one that has been sitting here in a crate like I should have done before. Hopefully we can try the locale lake next week and then Lake Powell again after our company comes and goes. c ya, Sum and Ruth