When I was a kid, we boat camped a lot- Mainly at Trinity lake but some other lakes as well. In 1968 some friends of ours took a trip to Utah/Arizona, rafting the Colorado thru the Grand Canyon and boating on Lake Powell. We were intrigued with Lake Powell, so instead of going Trinity that year, we went to Lake Powell. It was simply amazing- like going to the Grand Canyon with a lake in it- So easy access to all of the features. We saw numerous natural brides and arches, cliffs everywhere (With the desert stain), and some Anasazi Cliff dwellings/ruins.

Later, I went back to Utah (Driving) to see; Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon (N. Rim), Capital Reef, Arches and Canyonlands Nat'l Parks, plus some Nat'l Monuments and State parks...But I reached a point where I started exclaiming- BETWEEN the parks- "THIS wasn't good enough to be a Nat'l Park?!" Almost every mile was spectacular....

Back in '69, the day we left our campsite, we were stuck on the lake in a wind storm that was really bad- at one point we were in TWELVE foot waves! In a 16 foot boat! What saved us was A) Hard deck (No bow rider) B) Wrap-around windshield (No walk-thru), C) Canvas top was UP, and the back of the boat was FILLED with camping gear so the water just washed back over the sides- as it was, my father pulled the plug at 6 pm and water was still draining the next morning...

In looking up "Lake Powell Storm" I did not come across much info on WIND storms- but I did come across some absolutely amazing photos of a rain storm with water falls running off of every cliff; http://www.c-brats.com/modu...clude=view_album.php

Also, a video someone made of hiding in a cave during a rain storm- at first you see the rain pelting down outside the entrance- but a rivulet of water running across the entrance turns into a torrent....Here is a link to the video on You Tube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auFktrXTIQg

Here is a sample of Lake Powell scenery;

[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 11-27-2021).]

Lake Powell has always been controversial. It destroyed a beautiful canyon. It also had an effect on the Grand Canyon ecosystem.
The water level is now so low that in another year or so, Glen Canyon dam may not be able to produce any power.

Here are some pictures that I took near the lake's height, back in the eighties.











By comparison, this is the Grand Canyon from a trip in the nineties.

[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 11-28-2021).]

Willie, I understand about the damage that a lot of dams do- But I have always been fascinated by them; They are the largest machine made by man, and they can stop a lot of damage due to flooding while also saving spring runoff for late summer crops, etc.

The Glen Canyon dam was one of the most controversial dams ever built; Yes, it flooded a beautiful canyon, and definitely had a bad effect on the Grand Canyon, but it also stopped some disastrous flooding and has generated electricity.

My favorite place that we visited back in 1969 was the Cathedral of the Desert.....Our friends arrived when it was still high & dry, but when we were there the lake had filled the bottom of it- the sunlight came thru the opening above, reflected off the water so that it looked like fire dancing on the canyon walls- Stunningly beautiful...Sadly, this small canyon is under water when Powell is full.

If you want to read about some "Dam disasters" look up the St. Francis dam (CA), the Teton dam (ID) and the Vajont dam in Italy...

Here is a pic (Not mine) of Cathedral of the Desert with the lake just into it like back in 1969;

[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 11-28-2021).]

quote Originally posted by cvxjet: Willie, I understand about the damage that a lot of dams do- But I have always been fascinated by them; They are the largest machine made by man, and they can stop a lot of damage due to flooding while also saving spring runoff for late summer crops, etc. . . .

Theoretically, someone (like me) could pop up (so to speak) and say that the more logical way to look at it is to say that people would best not be building homes and other flood-susceptible human facilities in riverine floodplains.

Maybe there are methodologies to use the floodplains for agriculture in ways where the seasonal and also the unexpected flooding, in the more natural scenario of not having a dam upstream for flood control, would be planned for. Riverine Floodplains Adaptation and Floods Mitigation, all rolled together into one, big, "Build It Better In the First Place" package that a simple majority of the Senate could enact, via Reconciliation, assuming that it also had a majority in the House, and a President willing and perhaps even eager to sign it into Federal law. Looking through history for ideas and inspiration, all the way back through some thousands of years to the agriculture that was practiced during Pharaonic Egypt along the banks of the lower Nile River and Nile Delta.

I accept the practical necessity of dams in many places. But I also "muse" here, in a more theoretical vein, and end with an ellipsis (. . .) in the spirit of Elliptical or "Three Dot" Pseudo-Journalism or 3DPJ if you're texting . . .


Image rights waived (I hope) by forum member "williiegoat" and Credit For Concept to forum member "Jake_Dragon" in previous and very recent online discourse.

[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 11-28-2021).]

[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 11-28-2021).]