Lake Powell Trip

Uncle Jon invited us to join them on their last super quick visit to Lake Powell for the year.  It was the weekend before the boys first day of kindergarten and I decided we had to accept the invitation as the our last hurrah of summer!  The kids and I drove down with Jon and Tanner Thursday afternoon.  We stopped for shakes at Stan's Burger Shak in Hanksville on the way down.  Then, we arrived at Bullfrog boat dock with just enough time to launch the boat and find a camp site on the lake for the night.  We found the neatest little cove to camp in at the end of one of lake Powell's many canyons.

 I set up our quick 3 man pop up and all the kids jumped in the water for a night swim.  They tried to  catch the little fish swimming in the water and loved the echo present in our little circular canyon end.  Then we taught Uncle Jon and Tanner how to play sushi go by lantern light in the boat.  In the morning, we ate breakfast on the boat and then we right on the water and ready to begin a great day of boating.  Liv learned how to do a 360 on the knee board and Camden was so close to almost doing it as well.  We actually brought two knee boards so the kids were able to tandem kneeboard. 

We set up the boom and Tanner held on the boom and helped Liv attempt her first go at water skiing. 

We stopped somewhere for lunch (sandwich fixing).  Then, Uncle Jon and Tanner took the kids to hike the crack and I stayed with the boat and got my first try at operating a motor boat to keep it from banging into the ledge while they were hiking. 



Camden couldn't wait to find a place to go cliff jumping. 

And all the kids had fun dragging behind the boat hanging on to Uncle Jon.  We called it the "Jonny Drag." 

We ended the day with some tubing. 

The kids are nutso.  They begged Uncle Jon to drive as crazy as possible to try to throw them off the tube.  They loved him to go in circle and catch big wakes.  As soon as they came out of crazy circle with all kinds of waves they were all 3 start circling their fingers to indicate to Uncle Jon that they wanted to do it again.   That night we packed up camp and  headed to the Ticaboo Lodge where we met up with Steph, Karlee, Derek and Chase, grabbed some dinner, and a shower.  Then, all my kids quickly fell right to sleep.  The next day we loaded into cars and spent another day on the lake.  Honestly, I felt like staying in a hotel was pricey and overrated after camping the night before right on the lake.  It was just so nice to wake up on the water ready to go and not have to pack up and drive to the lake.  Nonetheless, it was a beautiful wonderful day. 

Derek and I both had a go on the wake board, there was more cliff jumping, and another great lunch on the boat in a little cove on beautiful Lake Powell.  Liv and Chase had a blast tandem knee boarding together.  And, Liv learned to water ski off the boom and even crossed outside the wake.  It was such a sight to see!  Then at the end of the day, we tubed back to the boat launch.  There was this awesome donut rock formation that we drove the boat under. 

Then, we stopped for ice cream at the harbor.  We got off the lake just as the sun was setting after another full day on the lake.  Sunday morning, we ate the last of our breakfast foods at the hotel, then we caught sacrament meeting in Hanksville.  Then on the way home, we introduced Jon and Steph's family to our favorite Utah National Park---Capital Reef.  We showed them all the most important stuff:  we hit the you pick orchards, saw the Indian petrogylphs, saw the old school house, got pie at the Gifford house, and drove them up Capital Gorge.  Then, we headed back to the house.  I got stick on mustaches for the kids at the dollar store for the trip to entertain them in the car. 

It was a wonderful last summer trip and even though it was quick with just a couple days on the lake and a lot of driving so worth all the great Lake Powell memories with Aunts and Uncles and cousins.