BULLFROG — The parking areas were full, houseboats could be seen coming and leaving along the main channel, boats were lining up for fuel and ice was being sold as fast as last-day lottery tickets.
Nowhere was there talk of a dry lake bed. Those rumors have long evaporated.
Proof lies in the fact that visitation to Lake Powell is up. Numbers are not yet up to predrought years prior to 1999, but up over counts both in 2005 and 2006.
There is, as one boat owner said as he worked to retrieve his craft, "Plenty of water to go and do whatever you want."
The current level is higher than prerunoff predictions, but it is still 94 feet below the full mark. On the positive side, there's still several hundred feet of water in the main channel and in adjoining canyons.
The lake is still a deep blue and the rock cliffs still rise from the water's edge, launch ramps run into the water and people scurry about in flip-flops and shorts to load and launch as quickly as possible.
A few years back when the lake was lower, rumors spread that the lake had gone dry, and some stayed away or visited other lakes.
"We spent a lot of time dealing the negative reports," said Bubba Ketchersid, district manger for ARAMARK, marina concessionaires. "Some people really thought the lake was dry and that it was impossible to launch boats.
"We're seeing a 180-degree turnaround in how people are viewing the lake. They come now expecting to see it a little lower but realize there's still a lot of water."
Looking at visitation counts, he said, visits to the northern areas are increasing slightly faster than those in the southern reaches of the lake.
This could be due to increased traffic coming to the lake from Colorado.
The greatest number of visitors to Bullfrog still come from Utah.
"But we are seeing more people from Colorado, particularly the Denver area. In fact, Colorado has overtaken the No. 2 spot in overall visitation. New Mexico was No. 2, but now they've switched places," said Ketchersid.
There was some concern back in the spring with fuel prices rising that the higher costs would restrict travel.
"We thought we'd be impacted by fuel prices, but that really hasn't happened. Overall gallons sold here are down. But what we're seeing is that instead of going long distances, boaters are staying closer to the marinas. They aren't traveling as far (in boats) and aren't using as much fuel."
Also, more people are opting to take advantage of dry-land lodging and taking excursions, either in private or rented powerboats, for the day.
Still, the most popular means of enjoying the beaches of Lake Powell is in a houseboat. Houseboats put comfort into the camping experience.
The options are to either be an owner, which can mean everything form outright ownership to owning a share, to renting.
There is, of course, good reason for this interest in the floating homes, especially the newer models. They come with every imaginable amenity and some that people would never think of.
The house is really a boat, but once inside, if you didn't know it, it certainly looks like a house.
Available at Wahweap and Bullfrog is the new 75-foot Excursion, either as a rental or as a timeshare investment being offered by ARAMARK. It comes with, among other things, air conditioning, trash compactor, wide-screen TV and home theater system, tracking satellite dish, custom lighting, spiral staircase, waterslide and eight-person hot tub.
The boat has all the deluxe features a $400,000 boat should have.
As far as choices for recreational outlet, wakeboarding and tubing remain the most popular, followed closely by fishing, said Kerry Mystrom, general manager of marina operations.
Striper fishing continues to be excellent in portions of the lake. This, too, is a time when anglers are able to fish the "boils."
Boils appear when striped bass push small shad to the surface in large schools and feed. During this frenzy, the surface of the water appears to be boiling. A surface lure thrown within the boil is guaranteed a strike.
The characteristic striper holding spot is quite consistent over the length of the lake. The best way to find a boil is to look for a steep cliff face near the intersection of the main channel and the main canyon that has just enough rock to hide crayfish. Look for a rocky point jutting out from the smooth cliff face.
Chum the spot and then toss out one-third of an anchovy on an eighth-ounce jig head. It should only take 15 minutes to start catching fish. Move from spot to spot until a school is located.
August is, of course, one of the more popular months to visit Lake Powell. Come Labor Day, Sept. 3, things will start to taper off and filter into the fall season, which to many is one of the best times to visit the lake.
Lake Powell in the offseason isn't all that different. It is cooler. In fact, more people are choosing the cooler temperatures for the less crowded beaches, marinas and coves.
Another reason people like fall visits are the reflections. Some say it's reason enough to visit during quieter times. One wall becomes two and one boat a pair.
Some also find hiking in the cooler climate much easier.
No question, there are some advantages to the offseason, especially for those trying to beat the crowds ... and still looking for the Lake Powell experience.
E-mail: grass@desnews.com