THE BIG PICTURES: LAKE POWELL

Viewed from the air, the effects of drought on Lake Powell are evident. The white “bathtub ring” around the water indicates how much water levels have fallen. Michael Melford

True GRIT

"Rob and Kathi" have no respect for Mother Nature. Neither do the thousands of other vandals who carve their names in the red rocks surrounding Lake Powell. The task of removing the graffiti falls to volunteers, most of whom work from a houseboat named True GRIT-GRIT stands for "Graffiti Removal and Intervention Team." It all began in 2003, when Bob and Vicki Schwartz and Bill and Carol Williams donated a 55foot Skipperliner houseboat to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The donors had seen enough graffiti and wanted to do something about it. True GRIT made her maiden voyage in 2004, and she's patrolled the lake ever since, armed with binoculars, buckets and brushes. Volunteers on True GRIT houseboat trips enjoy five days and four nights on the boat, tackling graffiti and enjoying the spectacular scenery of Lake Powell. The boat is free, fuel is free, and an experienced pilot handles the boat. The only thing volunteers have to do is provide their own food and supplies - and help clean up the lake.

True GRIT heads out approximately 12 times a year, for five to seven days at a time. For information, call 928-608-6353 or visit http://go.nps.gov/GRIT.

A rainbow forms over the lake's Castle Rock and Wahweap Bay in late January. The Lake Powell area is pleasant year-round, with high temperatures ranging from the mid-40s in December and January to the mid-90s in July and August. Gary Ladd AH