Josh and I decided that it's time that we take the plunge and get our family to Lake Powell. We've each been as single kids, but it's been years and years. We've wanted to take the family but just haven't found the right time or way to do it until now. And honestly this is the first year that all the kids are old enough that we can actually take them all without worrying too much about tiny babies. So the planning and packing began. We knew we were going to camp but wanted to take the right stuff without overpacking too much. We got some good ideas about meals and gear from friends that have gone and started getting prepped. We did a trial pack of the boat to make sure we knew how much space we had before we actually packed the coolers and bins. We had a pretty good idea of what we would need. And off we went!
We drove down after work on Wednesday night and stayed overnight in the hotel near Bullfrog Marina. We crammed into one hotel room but were so glad to just have a place to sleep that we all fell asleep instantly. We woke up and had a quick breakfast on the go then headed to the dock to load up and get on the water. By the time we got in the water it was about noon and it took us about an our or two to find the perfect spot. We ended up in a canyon called Iceberg Canyon and found a great spot that backed up to a big cove. The sand bar had a rock ledge all the way around it so it was easy to anchor the boat right up next to the shore and get our stuff out. We felt so lucky to get such a good spot. It was pretty much the hottest part of the day by the time we anchored and unloaded so we went back out for a couple hours and got some water time in. When it was time for dinner, we were all hungry and ready to eat and relax. The evenings were the best there and cooled off a little bit but never got too cold. We all slept in a light sleeping bag and tent except Rease who set up each night in the boat. Rhen started out in the boat with her the first night but got afraid of the bats that flew around so finished the week in the tent with the boys. The nights became one of the most magical times there with stars the filled the black sky and a dead quiet that was so relaxing. We were mesmerized by this place that we had all heard so much about but were just starting to experience!
Right around the corner from our camp was a great little cliff jumping spot. The kids found it first as they were exploring and swam around the corner to find these awesome rocks to jump off. They came back and got us and we cliff jumped there every day from that day on. We usually spent most of the morning hanging out at camp, skipping rocks, playing games and reading. Our camp was shady until almost 11:00 every day which was amazing! We loved relaxing in the mornings and exploring around there before we got out on the water.
Once we were out we skied and wakeboarded in the canyon and then just out into the main channel there was a good spot up near the wall that stayed pretty calm usually. We were always on the look out for spots to jump and we found a cool little spot that the kids instantly named "Gru's nose".
The kids have had quite a bit of boat time this year and are all feeling pretty comfortable with their wakeboarding, kneeboarding and skiing. They are all getting really good! We were usually in the water for most of the afternoon and by 4:00 or so we would find a shady spot to let the boat just float and we'd stay cool. I loved this time of day - we had dance-offs, played cards, guessed songs, had snacks and sometimes just sat there enjoying the incredible surroundings.
Evening at camp was always fun. We had good food and someone was in charge of dishes each meal. We washed in the lake and took baths a couple of times. It was the best (and I wish I would have gotten a picture of it) when Josh told the boys to strip down cause they were going skinny dipping. They all took their clothes off and then I promptly made them put life jackets back on before they got in the water. So all the boys had life jackets and bare bums as they scrubbed and washed and swam across our little cove. Desh still talks about how much fun he had "skinny dipping" at Lake Powell!
The last day we were there the boat had a hard time starting. It was a little freaky cause we had no way to get back if we actually were broken down. We did finally get it started (after a prayer and lots and lots of trying) and once we did, we didn't dare turn the boat off again. So we let it idle while we packed up the camp and then left our gear so we could spend the day skiing. We did all we could and all we wanted to do before we headed back to camp in the late afternoon to pack up the boat.
We had to say goodbye to our camping cove and I may have shed a tear or two as we drove away. We had the most fantastic and magical week on the lake and all agreed that we want to come back every year. September turned out to be the perfect time for weather. We were hot during the day and just perfect at night while we slept. We luckily had no wind and no big problems with our boat. We may have gotten lucky on our first trip there but it got us good and hooked. We all officially LOVE Lake Powell!
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