There are a lot of reasons to resist a Lake Powell vacation: it is expensive, far away, cliche. Ultimately, however, the allure of Lake Powell is unmatched and too hard to resist. Our 4th annual trip this year was so awesome. We were joined at the beginning of the week by Jason and Andrea, Jill and her kids (except Kimball), Chelsea, Tyler Kate and Owen. Evan, his girlfriend Ellie and Sam came too.
There is always a little drama at Lake Powell. Kate had a rough start, but was able to regulate and Chelsea and Tyler were good at staying calm. Additionally, the "storm trooper" boat began submerging with water as we headed out on our first surf run. Thankfully we hadn't gone far and were able to return to the houseboat without any drownings! Tony, Tyler and Jason got the boat out and were able to switch it for another boat club boat, just slightly smaller, but working well. We finally got on the water about 2:00 and surfed the rest of the evening. On Tuesday things went a little more smoothly and the only sad part was saying goodbye to Jason and Andrea mid afternoon. We took Jill and the kids up the main channel to see what Lake Powell really looks like and had beautiful calm water, especially in EBB cove. The kids played tons of games and we had fun snuggling on the big King bed with all the girls (Not discussing parenting, body image or gospel topics). We had some really fun food including making caramel popcorn from buttermilk syrup, 12 different flavors of brats from Dixie meets, Muffaletta sandwiches, and perfect grilled pork loin and berry cobbler. Chelsea made the best açaí bowls with the secret ingredient of homemade granola and cashew butter.
On Wednesday we said goodbye to everyone and spent the evening totally and completely relaxed.
Thursday was an amazing day. We got up early and caught a ride to horseshoe bend to kayak the Colorado river. It was perfect temperature, gorgeous views everywhere around us and complete peace. We grabbed lunch then drove to Antelope Point outside Page for the Antelope Canyon tour. The canyon was spectacular and a complete surprise. There is no way to predict the beauty the rocks and light make; every turn was more beautiful than the first.
On Thursday night Wilson Wendy and Harlow joined us. It was lovely too have the one on one time with them in a totally relaxed setting. Wilson probably still has a hard time believing that I can relax since it's a skill I never learned while he was at home. We spent time on the boat with them, but I think the highlight was just getting a good long nap. Sadly, Tony started getting sick and by the time they left he was pretty miserable. Later that night I heard a tremendous rain storm. When it finally donned on me that there were no clouds in the sky, we went to the upper deck to discover it flooded and dripping like rain! Weshut the water off and discovered a broken water pump. We felt totally blessed that neither Tony's illness or the broken pump happened any earlier. Saturday we cleaned the houseboat, packed up, and loaded the boat just as a big storm blew in. We continued to be so grateful for the perfect weather we enjoyed all week.
Lake Powell is expensive, far a way and a lot of work. It is also a glorious gathering place for the people we love. The boat owner has promised that next year we can take it out of the marina, and that will be the cherry on top.
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