I once mentioned to Bonnie that all I knew about boating was enough to discern the pointy end from the blunt one. But when the possibility of going on a houseboating adventure on Lake Powell, Ariz., beckoned, go I did—or more properly, followed behind Bonnie, two siblings, and two in-laws. 

We started in Las Vegas, which has the closest airport to Lake Powell, a five-hour drive away. We drove through Zion National Park, which, though dazzling, was merely a visual hors d’oeuvre to the view that greeted us as we topped the bluff above Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell. Before us was a crystal-blue expanse of water dotted with houseboats and framed by rust-red palisades of sandstone that rose like castles above the lake. 

I checked in at the main office at the marina, filled out the passenger manifest, and was issued documents for a 12-ton, two-deck, 59-foot Admiral class houseboat that sleeps 12 and a 19-foot Chaparral powerboat. From the size of the house and powerboat manuals, though, I figured our three-day attempt at exploration would expire before I finished reading the instructions. 

Enter Don Weeks, our Aramark Corp. boating instructor. Aramark is the concessionaire that runs the five marinas scattered around the 186-mile-long lake. Not a prop spins until the renter has been fully briefed and demonstrated proper operation of the machinery. 

Driving an Admiral was a little like trying to lead Bonnie in a salsa dance—a houseboat has its own way of turning. Without a deep keel, the vessel changes course by swinging its aft end opposite the direction of turn. It takes a little practice—no, a lot of practice—to do it right. Fortunately, the boats come equipped with wraparound rubber bumpers, and close control is needed mostly around the marinas, where plenty of expert assistance is available.