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Wet Desert: Tracking Down a Terrorist on the Color

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"We need to talk," Greg said.

Julie faced her husband. "About what?"

Greg rotated so the other four passengers could hear him. "What do we do up there?" He motioned in front of the boat.

Julie felt confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Which way are we going? Right or left?" Greg was biting his lip.

Julie couldn't believe it. "I thought it was settled. We're going into Warm Creek." Julie saw nervousness on the two other couples' faces, as if this were her and Greg's argument.

Greg shook his head. "We haven't even talked about it."

Paul spoke up. "Going into Warm Creek would essentially be writing off your boat."

"Couldn't you come back and retrieve it later?" Darlene asked.

Max put his hand over Darlene's. "If the dam is gone, the lake will eventually drop another three or four hundred feet. By then, Warm Creek will be just a muddy wash. It would be basically inaccessible as far as retrieving a boat was concerned."

Darlene eyes bulged as the realization set in.

"I wouldn't abandon this boat if it was mine!" Erika said.

Julie was shocked that they were all talking this way. "So all of you are willing to risk your lives for this boat?"

Greg shook his head. "I never said we all have to go. I could drop the rest of you off at Warm Creek."

Julie pictured Greg leaving the five of them on the rocks someplace and taking the Mastercraft down past the dam by himself. She didn't like that idea any better. She remembered what she had felt like earlier in the day when they had been separated, and she didn't want to be separated again.

Paul leaned forward in his seat. "I'll go with you, Greg."

"Paul, the boat isn't worth you dying over," Greg responded.

Julie pointed her finger at her husband. "Then why are you going?"

Erika spoke directly to Julie. "If Greg thought he was going to die, he wouldn't go."

"I don't think he's thinking that far ahead," Julie responded. "Or we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Max motioned at Greg. "Is Julie right? Have you thought it out?"

Greg chose his words carefully. He glanced at Julie, then pointed to the shore of the narrows. "Look, you can see how fast the water is moving here. It's reasonable to assume that it's traveling about the same down by the dam, or possibly a little faster."

With all the traffic in the channel, Julie hadn't even noticed the strong current carrying them down the narrows. She looked at the rock walls moving past on the shore and realized they were already being pulled toward the Glen Canyon Dam. It scared her.

Greg continued. "But, at full speed, the Mastercraft can do almost 30 knots, which is way more than enough to overcome this current."

"How do you know it's not way stronger down there?" Darlene challenged.

"The width of the narrows is relatively constant," Greg answered, "and it's the same water down there as it is here."

"Isn't the spot where the dam was built the skinniest part of the canyon?" Paul asked.

Greg shrugged. "Well, yeah, but it's much wider where I would be turning into Wahweap." He motioned at the shore. "It's at least this wide."

"What if you ran out of gas?" Julie argued.

Greg pointed at the gas gauge. "We have plenty of gas. That's why we stopped at Dangling Rope."

"What if the engine stalls?" Darlene asked.

"It hasn't stalled all week."

"But what if it does? You'll die!" Julie said.

Greg stared into his wife's eyes. "Julie, if I thought I was going to die, I wouldn't do it. The engine is running great. I'll be fine."

No one said anything.

Greg continued. "I don't think insurance is going to cover it, if we just abandon it. I think I should try."

Julie knew that Greg would not be able to afford to replace the Mastercraft for years without insurance money. And there was still the issue of the houseboat, for which hopefully, they would not be held financially responsible. But Julie still didn't feel it was worth risking a life. "The problem, Greg, is that there is no trying. Once you go left toward the dam, there's no turning back."

"That's not completely true," Paul inserted. "There's that new marina in the narrows."

"Antelope Point," Greg said, remembering.

"Yeah, you could get off there if you were in trouble," Paul said.

"If we can get to Antelope Point, why are we even talking about Wahweap?" Julie asked.

Paul shook his head. "Antelope Point was never designed to launch boats with the lake this low. You would basically be looking a hundred-feet up the cliffs at the launch ramp."

"Wouldn't Wahweap's ramp be the same?" Max asked.

"No." Greg said. "They used to launch boats at Wahweap while the dam was filling. The ramp goes hundreds of feet down."

"But it would be covered with moss and slimy stuff, wouldn't it?" Paul said.

Greg shrugged. "Probably. But all you'd need is a power washer to clean it off. Then you could drive right down and grab your boat."

Max leaned forward. "So is that your plan? Just park the boat next to the ramp at Wahweap, and retrieve it after they clean the ramp?"

Greg nodded.

The three couples looked back and forth between themselves.

"And you're dropping us off first?" Max asked.

Greg nodded. "Yes, both for your safety, and the lighter the boat, the better."

Erika spoke for the first time in a while. "But that means you'll be back to the marina tonight, and the rest of us will be stuck on the shore through the night."

Greg smiled. "That's the upside."

"I want to go with Greg," Erika said teasingly. "I'd willingly risk my life to avoid a night out on the rocks."

Julie could see that ahead they were quickly approaching the landmass of Antelope Island. The island loomed huge, much larger than Julie ever remembered it before. Judging from the height of the wet marks, she estimated the water levels had dropped over a hundred feet at this spot in the lake. On the left side of the channel Julie saw a ranger boat tied to a rock, its lights blinking. The boat was broadcasting some sort of message that she could not quite decipher at first. But as they got closer, she could understand.

"Danger. Danger. Currents downstream near the dam site are hazardous. All boats must detour right, into Warm Creek Bay, especially houseboats and other slow-moving watercraft. Repeat. Danger. Danger."

Slightly past the first ranger boat, another one on the right side of the channel broadcasted a similar message. She could see that ahead most boats were veering right, but a small number were ignoring the warnings and turning left. The sight gave her the chills. When their turn came, Greg turned right with the larger group.

As they passed into Warm Creek Bay, they could see that it was littered with boats, many of them stranded high and dry around the edges of the bay. Hoards of people were standing around the beached boats. There were trails of people hiking up the hillsides toward Castle Rock. Julie guessed that many had decided to try to hike to Wahweap Marina tonight, a journey she estimated at almost ten miles.

When the boats parted in the large bay, Greg accelerated toward Castle Rock. Julie was nervous about the separation that would occur in a few minutes. A million arguments were running through her mind. Too soon, Greg slowed and brought the Mastercraft up to the shore. He shut off the engine. Without saying anything, Max, Darlene, and Erika started gathering their clothes and blankets.

Paul walked up behind Greg. "I'll go with you."

"Not necessary."

Paul nodded, not waging much of a fight.

Max had jumped into the waist-deep water, and was helping Darlene down. Julie handed the pile of blankets to Max. Erika followed, then Paul. Julie handed Erika's and Paul's shoes to Erika. Greg moved to help Julie, but instead, she sat down in the front seat next to her husband.

"What are you doing, Julie?" he asked.

"I'm going with you."

He looked concerned.

"Are you going to die, Greg?"

"No, but―"

"Then, I'm staying with you." She could see she was making him re-think his decision.

"Honey, there's no reason for both of us to risk―"

She stood and raised her voice. "We both go, or we both stay."

He backed off, considering her statement. "Are you okay going?"

She nodded. "We can always ditch at Antelope Marina, right?"

He smiled. "Yeah. And you're not mad?"

She shook her head. "I want to go with you."

He nodded and turned to the others, who had been quietly watching the argument. "Okay, if everything works the way I think it will — and it will!" he emphasized, "―then I'll pick you guys up on the other side of Castle Rock in a half hour. Then I can motor you back to the marina and you won't have to sleep on the rocks." He winked at Erika.

Julie hadn't considered that option. That was better for them. Paul pushed the Mastercraft out into deeper water, and then both couples wished Greg and Julie good luck.

CHAPTER 22

8:00 p.m. - Hoover Dam, Nevada

Standing on the Arizona side of Hoover Dam, Grant watched as a line of trucks formed on the winding road from the Nevada side. The trucks, loaded with sand bags from construction companies all around Las Vegas, had started arriving 20 minutes before. The logistical nightmare was beginning to sort itself out. The original plan was to direct the trucks to turn around, and then back all the way across the dam to unload their sandbags. It was Shauna who had suggested the alternative. Plan B called for the trucks to drive across the dam, turn around on a small access road on the Arizona side, then pull back onto the dam. The sandbags from many trucks could then be offloaded simultaneously by a swarm of volunteers and National Guardsmen. After the trucks were all unloaded, they pulled out at the same time, making room for the next group waiting on the hill. The plan meant that sandbags were to be stacked only on the upstream side of the dam, leaving the downstream side open for vehicles. Starting on the Arizona side where the east side of the dam abutted into the cliff, and all along the upstream side, a ten-foot wall of sand bags was being erected. Plan B ended up being a huge time saver, since the sandbag dike could be built all the way from Arizona to Nevada at the same time.