October 22, 2009, 2:41 pm
Warm up to fall and winter on the scenic desert lakes including Lake Powell, Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and Lake Amistad. Discover why long time houseboaters ply these waters year round and why some will tell you that the cold months are the "real gem time to go!" The water is still warm enough to play in during the day with all your favorite watersports and the evening air temps make jumping into the hot tub on the top deck at night extra enticing. (see air/water temp chart below)
Enjoy the intense colors of these desert lakes as they come alive during the fall and winter months. The sun's angle and lower intensity seems to make the colors more vibrant and shadows longer. Watch some spectacular evening sunsets that fade from hues of pink and then gold. Then watch as they take on deep hues of peacock blue before introducing night time skies that seem to light up with stars, planets and meteors.
Cooler air temperatures in the fall and winter make some of America's favorite waterways ideal locations for stargazing. Make the most of your evenings on the water and count the planets, find the constellations or catch a shooting star.
You won't be alone either. Just look up at all of those stars blinking down at you. Look a bit longer and you may even start to see the differences between the stars and planets. Kick back in your hot tub on the top deck long enough and you may even see the space station fly overhead!
Enjoy this year's best meteor showers with their spectacular streams (trails) and swarms (clusters) on these dates:
Orionids
October 2 - November 7
(before midnight)
Leonids
November 10-21
Geminids
December 7-17
(sunset on)
Don't forget the moon. While a full moon rising above the water just after sunset can be a spectacular end to your day, it can also dim some of the best stargazing too. Here are the fall/winter full moon dates:
"Beaver Moon" November 2 (Mon)
"Cold Moon" December 2 (Wed)
"Blue Moon" December 31 (Thurs)
"Wolf Moon" January 30 (Sat)
"Hunger moon" or "Snow Moon" February 28 (Sun)
Spread out and take in all of the open space for you and your crew to enjoy with fewer people sharing these sparkling clear waters. You may even feel like you have your own private lake to enjoy at times. Your biggest problem may be deciding which deserted cove to beach your boat in at night.
Average Fall/Winter Air & Water Temps (Fahrenheit)
• The Desert Lakes •
Month High Low Water
Oct 81° 56° 71°
Nov 66° 43° 64°
Dec 56° 35° 57°
Jan 57° 35° 53°
Feb 64° 39° 53°
