In August, my water aerobics teacher let us know that she wouldn't be able to teach the Friday class one week because she was going to Lake Powell. When she returned, I asked her about her trip. I have never been to Powell, so I had a hard time picturing what she was talking about, but either way, it sounded like a miserable trip. Her husband called her from the ER the first morning and said he had wrecked his mountain bike. He couldn't get the stitches wet, so the rest of the trip he spent on the hot sand dipping his tee-shirt in the water. They camped under the stars for accommodations. She's so positive, "It was still fun. Lake Powell is an anomaly."
When I relayed this story to Matt, he noted, "We've never been Lake Powell people." While raising kids, I was too afraid to take them. I would hear of one drowning story after another during the summer months. And just camping on the beach doesn't appeal to me at all. Now that the kids are older, he asked, "On what conditions would you go now?"
Let's put a pin in that.
A few weeks later, Matt brought up the Lake Powell topic again. Ironically, he had received an invitation from our friends to join them on a mac-daddy houseboat. I considered, "A houseboat, yeah, I'd go and stay on a houseboat!" The invitation extended to the fam.
Lake Powell September 9th-13th 2020
Grayson had NO desire to join us. He still wasn't over the trauma of the boat ride on Deer Creek. Besides, he had a busy week: TWO Cross Country races and the big Homecoming dance! Callie would also be missing two races, but she was looking forward to the trip enough that it didn't bother her. Matt cashed in on a couple of his vacation days, and we were off!
We are so used to seeing our dinosaur in Heber in a costume that to see one without made us blush. We enjoyed our journey through beautiful eastern Utah. We bought some toffee nuts that made the drive even better.
We stayed on the Arizona side of Lake Powell. This trip was unfamiliar in the sense that none of us had any idea of what to expect. We would be staying on a houseboat in a place we had never seen with a group of people where we'd only know two (at one point, there were 29 of us on the boat!)
Our good pal Dennis, who used to live in our neighborhood—we have enjoyed many dinners, temple trips, and serving together—picked us up in the parking lot to load our gear onto the mule to drive us to the boat. The house. The houseboat. It sleeps 30, has two full kitchens, decks, TVs, the lot.
Everyone there either works for Redmond Salt or is a family member of someone who does. Except for us!
OR SO WE THOUGHT.
While coming back from Walmart, the first night, I was riding in the mule next to Dennis's son Brock, who graduated with Mallerie. He told me of her friend Izzy that was going to be on the boat. I couldn't think of anyone named Izzy. He tried to jar my memory, "She is dating my friend Jaden from High School." Neither name rang a bell. He continued, "Mallerie set them up."
"OH!" I suddenly knew who he was talking about—the girl that Mal met in Hawaii and then set up with her High School friend while they were all in Utah this summer. As soon as we got back on the boat, I went right up to Izzy and said, "I am Mallerie's mom!" She freaked. We all did.
As we talked, they kept saying, "You are so Mal!" It was too bad that Mal and Ava were in Hawaii and couldn't join us. Lots of cute returned missionaries were on board. Everyone was great. Mallerie asked for a group photo—we didn't take one! There were people of all ages.
The actual houseboat stayed docked because you need a special license to drive it. If you want to hire a driver, it costs $1,000 (and remember, we were only pretending to live in the lap of luxury.) We went out on the speed boat each day to see different parts of the lake. There were two speedboats—we always rode in the red one.
I didn't expect the ride to be painful! When we caught air and came down on the water, it felt like and sounded like we were landing on cement. If you didn't have your abs engaged, you could slip a disk! Graham couldn't get enough. However, he had foolishly jumped off a wall straight onto cement the week before while at Cash's house and bruised his heel something fierce.
Two years ago, we drove through this region, even stopping at Glen Dam. I didn't know at the time that as we looked over the dam that we were looking at Powell, "Lake Powell is nearby, I think." This time we got a different view of the dam.
Callie wondered, "That's what my hair looked like?"
I actually was taking a photo of the rock. Pictures don't capture the grandeur of the size of the walls or the magnificence of the color.
Lake Powell is indeed an anomaly.
Though it really should be called Powell Reservoir.
On our way to the dam, we got pulled over by the boat police. People were riding on the back of the boat. I guess you aren't supposed to do that. When the officer asked how old Callie was, I answered, "Eleven," we nearly got sited for that! She wasn't wearing her life-vest on that one occasion. And here I was paranoid about drowning. I could see how fast someone would sink. The water was as dark as tar and hundreds of feet deep.
We each cooked for our own family. We all noted how perfect this worked out. None of us were cooking at the same time. The meals Matt and I put together for the four of us were pretty delicious.
Our room situation was quite ingenious. Graham and Callie had a cupboard under the stairs complete with a TV and a fan.
I wondered if I would feel claustrophobic sleeping in there or if the kids would. In the early morning hour, Graham came shooting out and promptly fell asleep on the mound of pillows on the floor. They kept the little sliding door open the other three nights.
Just like we had on the cruise, we slept soundly on the boat.
A favorite afternoon spot was the lounge on the middle deck. The sun coming through made the perfect place for a catnap.
The last night most of us walked to the restaurant at the other end of the dock. Seriously, the best fish tacos I have ever had. We sat outside so we could watch as people pulled up their boats to dine. It was such a perfect night—beauty and temperature-wise. Thankfully, the stifling heatwave had ended the week before.
Matt loved the wave-runners. In addition to the daily boat rides, we paddle-boarded and kayaked, we goofed-off on the lily pad tied to the back of the boat, and we even got in a breathtaking hike.
Rainbow Arch!
Graham waited in the boat—due to his heel not being up to hiking. He noted that passersbys would comment on the fancy speedboat.
Part of the trip included group discussions in the evening, which started with a video and were led by Dennis. They covered different topics like being present, leadership, and gratitude.
One night I skipped out on the discussion to watch a movie in the cubby with Graham and Callie. I must say it was very cozy in there. We watched Savannah Smiles with popcorn and all. That movie is such a classic to me.
On a different night, I stayed up way too late talking with Dennis' wife Karly and her friend Alana. Such nice people.
Our first taste of Lake Powell was a good one! The other family with who we bonded was also experiencing Powell for the first time. Richard said, "I don't think I could come back and experience it any other way." Agreed. His son and daughter-in-law had a darling curly-haired two-year-old. I didn't envy them all having to watch her like a hawk. They were such a cute little family. After they left the last day, I thought, "Shoot, I wanted to tell them what good parents they are." However, we all ended up at Maverik in Fillmore at the same time. Ricky called out the window, "You guys look like you are on your way home from Lake Powell." I ribbed back, "We go there all the time...we have a houseboat see..." Then I made sure to add, "You guys are good parents."
That first day, when Dennis told us he would be meeting us in the parking lot to take us to the boat on the mule, we didn't know what to picture.
???
Ahh, we see now.
Just like the coyotes carrying people over the border are not to be confused with cayotes. Everything we did was legal. "It's not a crime to be young and beautiful, you know" (name the movie!)
On our drive home, as we talked about the houseboat experience, I asked Matt, "Did you break anything?" He looked dumbfounded, "Did I break anything? No." Then after a moment of silence, he asked, "Did you???"
I answered casually, "Yeah, a couple of things. When I picked up the bar of soap in the bathroom, it was stuck to the tray and then came loose in the sink. A few pieces chipped off." Callie had seen the chipped dish, "That was you?" I went on, "And while I was trying to lift the paddleboard onto the boat, I used the ankle strap, it ripped off."
I felt better after confessing to the Bishop.
I'm good now.
