Hall of Records: Lake Powell

I have found a new favorite lake. On the 5th Ross and I, Jeff and his family, Bre and Jordan and my parent's went to Lake Powell. We had been planning this for at least 9 months and have been so excited. the week before we left we all watched the weather constantly and it predicted rain and thunderstorms the whole time we were there. So I was a little apprehensive. We left pretty early and caravaned down, it took a lot less time than I thought it would. We did hit some rain on the way down but it wasn't really that bad and it had all cleared up by the time we got to Powell. The weather for the weekend actually turned out to be amazing. It was hot and sunny the whole time and one day there was a little wind, but the water was still really warm.

When we got down there on the 5th Jeff checked in for the houseboat to make the paperwork the next morning easier and then we found a place to camp for that first night. It was so hot we couldn't wait to get the boat in the water and start fishing and swimming. We didn't have any luck with the fishing but the swimming was amazing.

The next morning we put the ski boat back in the water and Mel and I took it with the 3 kids to wait for everyone else and the houseboat, they thought it would be better to keep the kids out of the way while they picked up and loaded the houseboat. We ended up sitting in the ski boat for at least 2 hours in the hot sun just floating around. Me and the two boys decided to get in the water after a while, just as they were heading out in the houseboat. When we met up with the houseboat we tied the ski boat to the back and just pulled it, I was done with the ski boat and no one else wanted to drive it. Most of the first day was spent driving and trying to find a place to camp, one of the bad things about it being a holiday weekend. It was actually pretty relaxing, sitting on the top deck just driving and the cool breeze. Ross, Bre and Jordan spent the entire time sitting on the top reading.

Around 3 or 4 we finally found a place up Hansens Creek (One of the many canyons) that had a nice sandy beach and it was the top of the canyon so it wasn't crowded. We decided to just stay and camp there the rest of the weekend. It was really nice cause there was a sandy beach for the kids to play on, there was wood so we could build a fire and it was the top of the canyon so there was very little traffic. The water was deep enough to go off the water slide and we had plenty of space to swim and in right out from where we parked the houseboat it was open and deep enough that we could practice/try to water ski and use the knee board with out a lot of people laughing at us. We did also go down the canyon to the main water way for fishing and playing. The fishing was a lot of fun, I caught the biggest fishes i have ever caught before, the biggest was a 4 pound striper.

Those stripers were a lot of fun to catch, they really put up a fight. We had taken some beer batter for the fish and tried it on some stripers and some of the large mouth bass we caught. I don't care for fish but it really wasn't bad. I really want to go back for the fishing, so much fun.

This trip was def a trip of many firsts for a lot of the people that went but the one that shocked me the most was my mother. She has always had this thing with being surrounded by deep water, she gets a little panicked, so it was a big thing that she agreed to come on the trip. (she didn't decide until the week before we left) On the morning of Tue, the last full day there, she told me she was feeling adventurous. I asked if she wanted to go for a ride on the ski boat (she has not been on it, she usually hangs out on the beach with the kids) and she said she would ride on it but wanted a little bit more. I asked if she wanted to ride the tube, knowing for sure she would say no and laugh at me. However, my jaw hit the floor when she said yes she would like to try it. I didn't think she would actually follow through but when I came back from taking Bre and Jordan tubing Jeff hollered out "Guess who suited up?" She was ready and getting lathered up in sun screen. I think that was the first time she came off the boat since we picked it up, but she did and we got her on the tube. She told me not to take videos but honestly, this is a once in a lifetime event, I couldn't not record it.

She also made us promise to take it slow and easy and I wasn't about to freak her out her first time out. She later told me she would like to try it again and maybe a little faster. My mom is getting "stranger" as she gets older, definitely shocking us a lot more.

It was a nice trip. We could relax, play and swim as the mood struck. The water was warm even early morning and in the evening. And it sounds like most of us are addicted and can't wait to go back. I think its safe to say that we will be making a couple trips down there this summer to just camp on the beach.

Here are some random pictures from the trip. I forgot to take pictures until the last night there and on the ride back to the marina. I also don't have a whole lot of pictures of Ross because he sat up on the roof most of the time reading. He had the Harry Potter books that he wanted to have finished before we went home, but he had fun so that's what counts. I did tell Ross that we should just buy a houseboat and live there. I could do that, until I found out how much houseboats cost, its a lot of money for a couple of people who would live on the lake and not have jobs.

Half of us just put out air mattresses and slept out under the stars on the roof. It was nice and cool and was amazing until the moon came up. It was a very bright full moon.